IT'S a fact that Australians take their coffee seriously, in Melbourne specifically.
With more than 2,000 cafes and some of the world's best baristas, you'll be able to find a hip cafe in every corner of the bustling city.
Discover some of the greatest coffee pioneers, entrepreneurs and innovators that have built a name for themselves in Melbourne's invigorating coffee scene.
EXPERIMENTAL BREWER
Said to have been shaping Australian cafe culture and specialty coffee since 2005, St Ali is the engine room of Renaissance coffee guy Salvatore Malatesta.
With its dumpster-chic decor, St Ali is one of Melbourne's main experimental coffee brewers, micro roasters, green bean traders and country-of-origin specialists.
ORGANIC COFFEES
Dukes Coffee Roasters is an intimate, light-wood panelled cafe located at Ross House in busy Flinders Lane.
Their coffees are sourced from the very best seasonal, ethically traded coffee beans from individual farms or small cooperatives around the world.
The cafe takes pride in carefully roasting the best organic coffees in the world using innovative and methodical roasting practices.
GREAT ESPRESSO
Auction Rooms, a boutique coffee roaster and cafe, sits in the sprawling, post-industrial space of the former WB Ellis auction house.
It's here that you'll find great espresso, a separate coffee bar for drip and syphon coffee (all sourced from their very own beans roasted at the off-site Small Batch Roasting Company) and delectable food, including excellent breakfast eggs.
For a dose of fresh air on warm Melbourne mornings, opt for the outdoor seating for an alfresco experience.
SUBLIME PICK
Code Black is a laboratory, workshop, and hub for connoisseurs of the dark art and science of coffee.
The back of the Code Black menu simply reads, in small font: "The Sublime and The Ridiculous", which basically sums up this place.
Sublime in the quality of its fancy stone and metal fit-out and ridiculous in the excellence of its coffee, Code Black introduces its customers to a new world of a good cuppa.
SUSTAINABLE CHAIN
Padre Coffee sources green coffee from 30 estates worldwide, with its focus firmly on ethical, sustainable growth.
Born in the dawning age of specialty coffee, they believe in quality produce, sustainability, and fostering long-term, committed partnerships across the supply chain.
Check out the huge range of coffee gadgets while sipping your specialty brew at The Brunswick East Project, their roasting headquarters.
PREMIER CAFE
Au79 started out of a humble garage with a simple idea: to share the passion for coffee.
It has now grown into one of Melbourne's premier cafes, boasting a proud selection of only the best coffee beans from all over the world.
Seating more than 200 guests, the expansive space has an onsite roastery, bakery, patisserie and chocolatier, promising to serve up gastronomic pots of delicious coffee and contemporary flavours.