Australian Coffee Bean Recommendations_Pricing Guide_How to Buy Coffee Beans in Australia

Melbourne: Australia's Coffee Capital

Melbourne is Australia's coffee capital. Beyond the extremely high quality of its coffee beans, renowned cafes like Seven Seeds and Brother Baba Budan have also made their homes in this second-largest Australian city. With everything from specialty estate coffee to Italian coffee on offer, a coffee tour is well worth planning into any self-guided trip to Melbourne. Below are the Australian coffee bean shops and cafes I visit most often.

Where to Buy Coffee Beans in Australia

McIvers @ Victoria Queen Market

Location: Enter through the entrance opposite McDonald's and you'll find a Tea & Coffee shop—this is the one.

Coffee Beans: Sourced from Papua New Guinea (PNG), Africa, and Central and South America. If you're unsure what to buy at first, I recommend starting with PNG or Cuban beans. You can tell them which brewing equipment you use when purchasing, and they'll grind the beans for you.

Seven Seeds

A very famous cafe in Melbourne, and many other places use their beans. I've purchased their Colombian coffee—a light roast with gentle acidity and a silky smooth texture that is quite atypical for Colombian beans, fully living up to Seven Seeds' prestigious reputation.

Location: 106 – 114 Berkeley Street, Carlton. Take Tram 19/59 from Elizabeth St to Stop 9 Haymarket.

Official website: http://sevenseeds.com.au/

Coffee Beans: Approximately $15-25 for 250g. I don't come here to buy as often because it's farther away and more expensive.

The Difference Between Melbourne and Taiwanese Coffee Beans

Compared with specialty coffee beans that push individuality and flavor above all else, Melbourne's coffee beans maintain elegance while preserving personality and flavor—reflecting the Victorian style of this Australian cultural capital. If you've grown tired of Taiwanese beans that overemphasize flavor, buying similar coffee in Melbourne lets you experience the balance between individuality and elegance.

In other words, Taiwanese coffee beans follow the principle of adding icing to the cake, while Melbourne's style leans toward providing charcoal in snowy weather (mediocre Taiwanese beans would show more distinctive character in Australia; strongly characterful Taiwanese beans would taste more balanced in Melbourne).

Melbourne Cafe Tour

The following cafes are all renowned Melbourne establishments, each with its own character and well worth a visit. Unlike Taiwanese cafes that stay open into the evening, these cafes all open early but close around 5 PM. I recommend checking their official websites for hours first, since evening coffee options in Melbourne are very few. I have also traveled to Melbourne with tour groups: we would leave around 6 AM to visit cafes, enter at 7 AM, enjoy a comfortable cup of coffee, and be back at the hotel before 8 AM.

Seven Seeds

All their coffee is excellent. If you must have a Long Black, Cold Drip, or Iced Coffee, come here—these three are easily disappointing elsewhere. They frequently change the brewing method for single-origin coffee, but use only one brewing method per day, whereas Campos offers 2-3 varieties.

Entrance on Berkeley Street

The counter area—Melbourne cafes generally have simple decor, and Seven Seeds' space is particularly spacious and bright.

Brother Baba Budan

Address: 359 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Specialty: This establishment belongs to the same group as Seven Seeds. It's my most frequently visited cafe because it's located downtown and the staff are extremely friendly. The shop is small and offers only simple desserts—no full meals—so everyone who comes here comes specifically for coffee. You won't encounter large groups stopping in to dine. For anyone who simply wants to enjoy a cup of coffee in peace, without interference, this is an excellent choice. I particularly love their Cappuccino.

The entrance is quite unassuming

The ceiling decoration is quite interesting

The best cappuccino I've ever had—Australian cappuccinos are dusted with coffee powder on top.

Dead Man Espresso

Address: 35 Market Street, South Melbourne. Take Tram 112 to Stop 127 York St

Website: http://deadmanespresso.com.au/

Specialty: This cafe isn't large either and serves simple breakfast and lunch, but I mostly just drink coffee here. The South Melbourne area is quite leisurely, not as crowded and noisy as downtown. If you're looking for a quiet place to enjoy coffee, this is a good choice—their latte is excellent.

Campos Coffee

Address: 144 Elgin Street, Carlton. Take Tram 1/8 to Stop 112 Elgin St; or Tram 96 to Stop 15 Elgin St (a longer walk required)

Website: http://www.camposcoffee.com/

Specialty: The cafe isn't large, but each seat is quite spacious and it never feels too crowded—a bright, clean, quiet place. I've had Long Black, Cold Drip, and other regular coffees here—all good, no disappointments. They also sell Central and South American and African beans, cheaper than Seven Seeds. I only bought Costa Rican honey-processed beans once, and compared with the mediocre Costa Rican beans in Taiwan, the flavor here was significantly more pronounced.

A typical Melbourne cafe entrance with outdoor seating

The shop is relatively smaller and darker

Single-origin Ethiopian coffee brewed with an Aeropress

Zappa

Address: 206 Bank Street, South Melbourne. Take Tram 112 to Stop 128 Dorcas St

Specialty: The cafe isn't large and has many outdoor seats, but the wind in South Melbourne never stops, making it very cold to sit outside. They have a good Long Black, and the other options are decent too.

Proud Mary

Address: 172 Oxford St, Collingwood. Take Tram 86 to Stop 18 Hodgson St

Website: http://www.proudmarycoffee.com.au/

Specialty: A spacious environment where you won't be disturbed even when visiting alone. They have a good Long Black and many single-origin beans from Central and South America.

Auction Room

Address: 103-107 Errol Street, North Melbourne. Take Tram 57 to Stop 12 North Melbourne Town Hall

Website: http://www.auctionroomscafe.com.au/

Specialty: Both the Long Black and Pour Over are excellent, but I don't care for their food. Sitting at the counter watching them brew coffee is quite interesting, and you won't be disturbed even when visiting alone.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Colombian coffee is remarkably versatile: it works in espresso blends and as a pour-over single origin alike, with fruity-acidic profiles, full-bodied styles, and aroma-forward types—in short, something for every taste.

FrontStreet Colombia Huila coffee: Huila Province, in the southern part of Colombia's central cordillera, is the country's most famous specialty coffee region. It is hilly terrain ringed by mountains, planted at elevations above 1500 meters, where Colombia's most important rivers converge, bringing abundant water resources and moisture. To get to know the Colombian profile, buy FrontStreet's washed Huila beans: a medium-dark roast that highlights dark chocolate and the sweet fragrance of nuts, with moderate crema and a full body. It suits not only pour-over and French press but also moka pot and espresso machine brewing—making an Americano or a latte is no problem at all.

FrontStreet Colombia Línea (Boundary) Estate Sidra coffee: Colombian coffee was traditionally washed across the board, but in recent years innovative processing has come into vogue. Anaerobic fermentation, as a brand-new taste experience, goes by several names—some call it carbonic maceration—but simply put, it is fermentation carried out in a low-oxygen or oxygen-free environment, usually in a pressure-resistant stainless steel tank where temperature, time, pH, and other data are controlled to steer the fermentation. The most famous anaerobic styles are anaerobic natural and anaerobic washed. FrontStreet's Sidra is processed by anaerobic natural fermentation; after oxygen-free fermentation, the coffee develops more tropical fruit aromas. At a medium-light roast—whether pour-over, cold brew, drip bag, or moka pot—you can taste the complex, rich flavors of passion fruit, grape, apricot, and dried fruit.

FrontStreet Premium Espresso Blend coffee: For anyone with a home espresso machine or a moka pot, baristas strongly recommend the FrontStreet Premium Blend. Originally formulated for opening coffee shops, it combines the creamy, nutty fragrance of Brazilian coffee with the dark chocolate sweetness and bitterness of Colombian coffee. During extraction you can see fine, golden crema, and it pairs beautifully with milk to make a latte—rich and silky, very beginner-friendly. It also works as the base for standard espresso drinks like Americano, cappuccino, and mocha.