Top 3 Coffee Shops in Melbourne

Melbourne is Australia’s coffee capital and was voted 2nd best coffee city in the world, behind London. Australia follows an Italian style coffee where espressos, lattes, and cappuccions are very popular; and of course Flat Whites which is an Australia favorite . Every restaurant, tiny supermarket cafe and bar are equipped with a well maintained espresso machine because people here love coffee.  Coming from the states and in favor of a brewed coffee once in a while, I struggled to find a coffee shop that did pour overs or regular filtered coffee. I found 3 cafes that did both excellent espresso drinks and filtered coffee.

I was told the warm rather than hot temperature allows more flavors of the coffee to be tasted.

1. Patricia

A discrete, standing room only coffee house whose menu contains only three drinks: white, black or filtered. A white coffee is any latte, flat white, piccolo, or cappacino. Black coffee is any espresso or long black. The filtered coffee is brewed coffee typically made with the pour over method. Patricia uses locally roasted coffee also to ensure their customers get the freshest coffee available. I tried their filtered coffee which was served at a lower temperature than what most coffee in America is served at. I was told the warm rather than hot temperature allows more flavors of the coffee to be tasted.  The coffee was fruity, floral, light and didn’t need any milk whatsoever. It reminded me almost of tea. Patricia might not be everyones favorite due to lack of tables, occasional lines out the door but they serve beautifully aromatic coffee.

2. Sensory Lab

The atmosphere of Sensory is professional and serious with the baristas wearing canvas aprons and making every drink to perfection. I ordered a piccolo and the espresso was toasting and sweet and the milk steamed to a velvety microfoam. Out of the touristy area and tucked down a laneway, Sensory reminds you that coffee is not just a drink but a craft blended with precision similar to the chemistry done in a lab.

3. Seven Seeds

This cafe is out of the city center but many still make the trek out to enjoy this top notch coffee shop with a neighborhood vibe. Seven Seeds is a roaster, cafe with a full kitchen and serves white, black and filtered coffee. They have a seasonal and single origin roasts, and all are fair trade. I ordered a single origin filtered coffee from Blue Hora, Ethiopia and it came with a small fact sheet about the coffee. The cafe itself was very big, with multiple rooms and lots of tables. Seven Seeds is a great place to meet friends for lunch, a business meeting or just a fantastic cup of coffee to start the day with a neighborhood vibe and highly skilled baristas.