As promised in an earlier blog, I said I would say more about coffee in my home town. Five years ago I left behind the joys of the vibrant Melbourne coffee scene, where I had spent my entire adult life in caffe latte bliss, and in a search for warmer climes moved to Lismore in Northern NSW. Now one may ask what a latte purist like myself was thinking - and not even Byron Bay! Well let me tell you I did my research carefully before taking such a drastic plunge.
I made a quick surveillance trip first and discovered to my delight that even back then Lismore had at least two cafes who knew how to make a decent caffe latte. Satisfied, I bought the cheapest house on the market, returned to Melbourne to pack up my life and then headed back to Lismore - after a road trip for a few months around the Western half of the country (many other caffe latte stories there).
Lismore, unlike its nearby, trendier, seaside cousin, Byron Bay, is a town of 50,000 with a lot of heart and a thriving arts community. It embraces diversity - it has a large and visible gay and lesbian population and it welcomes and supports refugees from several African countries. It has a university, a conservatorium of music and has first class theatre and music productions, both local and imported. I have seen more Bell Shakespeare productions since living here than I did in my 20 years living in Melbourne.
Now don't get me wrong. I still yearn for, and make frequent return visits to, the coffee scene of Melbourne. But Lismore also has its own thriving cafe scene which has grown even more in my time here. Now that I've convinced you that Lismore is a town worth visiting (alas not on a Sunday as the CBD unfortunately closes down) try the following cafes for a reliable caffe latte/coffee. First choice, Dragonfly who serve a good, rich and smooth Merlo coffee with a good vibe. Second, for a more sedate scene. but reliable coffee, try La Baracca. This cafe was established by a couple of urbane Italian boys who understood coffee. It has since changed hands but the coffee is still good.
My Melbourne friends said I'd never last moving to the country but as long as Lismore continues to serve me up a decent caffe latte and the weather remains warm and balmy for most of the year, I will continue to relish this more laid back latte life style.
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what a great write up about our wonderful town of Lismore!
ReplyDeleteOf course the good news that another great coffee is about to join the ranks in the Star Court Arcade. Hopefully opening in a few short weeks. I think we may need to do a careful checking out of this one as the owner has read your book so will no doubt bend over backwards to please ...
The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing of one letter, and supply a new definition. Here's a couple of them:
ReplyDeleteInoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
At last, a blog about coffee, written by a person who does Coffee Reconnaissance before before moving to a new town. Coffee takes us to heaven (savouring the after taste), or to hell (I'm thinking Brisbane Airport).
ReplyDeleteI'm a Flat White girl myself. I still remember the best coffee I ever had. It was made by a woman with a ring in her belly button, in a little hole-in-the-wall shop in Newtown, Sydney about 12 years ago.
Even after all that time, I remember the impact of the flavour. I even remember the name of the cafe, Bar King Expresso.
Since that pivotal moment, I decided to rate every coffee against that. The Flat White at Bar King Expresso was 9.9 out of 10 (in case there is an even better one, in a perfect universe).
So wherever I go, I rate Flat Whites. And I'm totally with you on your recommendations for Lismore. La Baracca 9.8; Dragonfly 9.7. Top coffee.
Hi Katrina
ReplyDeleteThanks for your supportive comments. I look forward to checking out a new addition to the Lismore coffee scene.
Cheers
Deb
Hi Jean,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my coffee blog. Great to have you on board as a follower. Thanks for the funny coffee words.
Deb
Hi Annie,
ReplyDeleteAh a kindred coffee spirit. Yes coffee at Brisbane airport is a low point. Maybe that definitive 10/10 coffee still awaits us...
Deb
Hi Deb, Katrina and Jean,
ReplyDeleteDo you think a 10 point scoring system is a bit basic? Should it be something like 5 points for expresso, 4 points for the crema, and 1 point for the coffee art? What do you think? What system do coffee judges use?
And Deb, do you think you could do a blog on what to do when you get a really bad coffee? We need some leadership here. Take it back? Let them know? I had a bad experience yesterday at Dragonfly, a 4.9, most unusual for that establishment.
Hi Annie,
ReplyDeleteI think whatever grading system works for you but a good coffee must combine all of the elements you mention. I will consider your question about returning bad coffees. I think definitely if it is from an establishment that is usually reliable. Disappointing about Dragonfly experience!Let's hope this was a one off bad coffee.
Deb
Hey Deb! Loving ur blog, its very entertaining to read about ur coffee experiences...I beat myself up about 'relying' on coffee in the morning and forget to actually enjoy it sometimes.
ReplyDeleteUr hilarious to have 'made sure' coffee was ok before buying ur house and moving to Lismore. I must admit when I first moved here from the city that the quality of coffee surprised me. I bonded with the town by touring the cafes on offer; reading magazines and papers and getting a feel of the community that lived here - which is sooo diverse hey!
Anyway thank u for introducing me to ur blog...its made my day!
fellow fine coffee lover, jaz
oh PS my best coffee ever was (and regularly consumed) at Cafe 130 - Oxford St Leederville, Perth WA. Chk it out ppl if ur in WA :)
Hi Jaz,
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed my Lismore blog and, as a fellow coffee connoisseur, can appreciate the importance of good cafes in your hometown. I look forward to checking out the new espresso bar in town with you. Will keep Cafe 130 in mind if I venture across to Perth sometime. Has to be better than the Cast Iron Latte I experienced in Freo on my last visit...more on that one later.
Cheers,
Hi Deb,
ReplyDeleteGreat write ups and photos on the coffee lattes in Lismore and other places. I am a coffee latte connoisseur also and can tell if a latte is going to be good just by looking at the color of the foam on top. The latte art is nice also. The latte in Lismore, photo above looks delicious.