Comprehensive Guide to Australian Coffee Brands_ Is Coffee Produced in Australia_ Reasons Behind the Thriving Australian Coffee Culture

Australians Prefer "Single-Origin Coffee"

Europeans brought coffee to the Australian continent in 1788, but it was not until the 1950s that Australians first tasted true espresso. Melbourne had by then absorbed waves of European immigrants — Italians, Greeks, French, Turks, Austrians, Hungarians — people with serious demands and serious standards for their coffee. The Italians brought pizza and pasta, yes, but more importantly they brought espresso.

Pellegrini's Espresso Bar on Bourke Street in Melbourne's CBD is widely credited as the first café to serve the real thing. Melbourne remains the largest gathering of Italians and Greeks outside their home countries, and since Italy itself has no Starbucks, it makes perfect sense that Melbourne — the most Italian city outside Italy — supports only 6 Starbucks locations.

In 2002, just as Starbucks was expanding rapidly across Australia, The Age interviewed Sisto Malaspina, one of Pellegrini's operators. Asked whether the chain giants were hurting his business, he said he felt no impact at all, and answered with total confidence: "Their coffee is good, but our coffee is the best."

Pellegrini's serves some of the best coffee in Melbourne — and nearly the cheapest in the CBD. Over the past two years, a small cup in Melbourne has generally cost between 3.2 and 3.5 Australian dollars; Pellegrini's charges 3 Australian dollars, while Starbucks asks 3.8 for the same drink. Melburnians barely notice that Pellegrini's menu and decor haven't changed in nearly 60 years — only the coffee matters. Price isn't entirely irrelevant, of course: a 2013 survey of Australian coffee chains found that customers rated both McCafé and Starbucks pretty poorly, but McCafé coffee costs just 2 Australian dollars a cup, and that is why McCafé survived.

Flavor-wise, Australians prefer the simpler drinks — espresso and latte. The beloved Flat White is an Australian invention: a little stronger than a latte, with almost no milk foam and a cleaner texture. To Australian eyes, much of the Starbucks menu is fancy, not particularly tasty concoctions. Even Starbucks' Flat White falls short — not strong enough on flavor, and with so much foam it plays more like a cappuccino.

Beyond the characterful independents, Australian chain brands are on the rise: Gloria Jean's, mentioned earlier; The Coffee Club, an all-Australian brand 24 years old, with 340 stores across Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, New Caledonia, and China; Hudson's Coffee, born in Melbourne and now past 70 stores nationwide; CIBO Espresso, an emerging chain from South Australia; and Vittoria, Australia's largest supplier of coffee beans and equipment. The chains may lack the personality of a small café, but their coffee is excellent and their popularity shows it — you will find them wherever foot traffic concentrates: shopping centers, airports, subway stations, office towers, and city squares.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Chasing that café-grade espresso at home? FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is purpose-built for espresso machines and moka pots, and its great strength is crema: even a beginner on a basic home machine can pull a dense, silky layer with ease. Every latte, cappuccino, or Dirty depends on good crema, and this blend delivers. Built on the traditional "Mamba" pairing of Mandheling and Brazil, it is mellow, round, and warmly full-bodied — easy for newcomers and veterans alike, at home or behind a bar.

If nutty aromatics are more your style, the Premium Blend pairs Brazil Cerrado with Colombia Huila, the combination FrontStreet has run longest in its own shops — nearly ten years of americanos and lattes. Expect the classic espresso character: gentle bitterness with cream-peanut smoothness, nut, chocolate, and caramel, and a suitable touch of acidity, equally at home in milk drinks or straight shots.