Coffee Branch – Adelaide, SA

32 Leigh Street, Adelaide CBD, SA, 5000

 Not sure how long the Coffee Branch has been open for – but for quite awhile it has been the place of legend.  Even amongst the quality baristas that are popping up all around the city, they speak of the coffee experience at ‘the branch’ in hushed, awestruck tones…and finally – much like Bilbo on his way to Smaug’s Mountain – I made it to Coffee Branch.

Nestled in a ‘hole in the wall’ on the very trendy Leigh Street (complete with tree growing out of a Volkwagon Beetle – I kid you not) – this is one of Adelaide’s premium speciality coffee houses – it even has bicycles hanging on the wall – that is how premium it is!!  What you can’t see from the photo – just off to the left – is a ‘gate’ style architectural feature which will remind worldly travellers of a poor man’s ‘Nottinghill Gate’ – or similar, that you will find dotted all over London.

I arrived at 10:45am on a working Wednesday – and the line was still out the door.  I had been warned not to arrive in the peak hours of before work, lunch time, smoko, and after work – because the line is ridiculous – but I was surprised, and yet at the same time not – that the line was still out there. Once getting in the line, it took of all three minutes to get to the front and place my order – and I ventured out back into the tree lined street to commandeer one of the tables (there are only 2 of them) – there is some bench seating inside and a few tables at the back – but I suspect that most of their business is take away.

I thought to myself, based on previous experiences in 2012 – that this could take awhile – so I, checked into Foursquare, opened my book and before I got to the bottom of the first paragraph (about 3 minutes) my latte was being delivered – and soon after that, my ristretto…

The Coffee Barun – Sefton Park, SA

217-219 Main North Rd (cnr Third Ave), Sefton Park,   SA,   5083

It is not very often that a third party café recommendation comes any where near the rap that it was given – you know the drill, “Sae” (well perhaps not that part, cos that is just me) but they say “[insert name here] you have just got to try the ‘so and so café’ it was the best coffee ever – latte bliss in your mouth – friendly staff, great atmosphere – the works!” – and then you go, and the place serves Nescafe Blend 43 (or equivalent) from a dripolator – with powered milk on the side…??? Sound familiar???

Well, now I have had a café recommendation that not only met expectations – but exceeded them so much, you could barely see them in the distance!!  Thanks to Josh [click on the link and check out the new website] – who recommended The Coffee Barun – it was coffee person’s heaven – it was like what all serious coffee places should be like!!  Plenty of tables, comfortable seats, clean floors (see previous detailed review below), friendly knowledgeable staff – and you are literally surrounded by all things coffee.  The only down side that I can see is (1) the location – it is north of the city, hence a long was from me and (2) the location – it was really hard to find and then get into – but if you really like coffee, it is worth it!  Trust Me!

Latte Quality – Excellent – Lattastic – because of my previous commitment to you my reader (you know who you are) not to go overboard, I will need to go back to try them again before I declare that they make Adelaide’s best coffee – but……

Cost – $4.00 – for a large – and it was VERY large – good value for money.  I ordered a large because it was my first cup for the afternoon and I had a 100km trip home ahead of me.

Coffee Supplier – They roast their own – in house – The Coffee Barun

Fair Trade – No mention of Fairtrade in store – but they have both Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance beans available for purchase via the website.

Venue Suitable for:

• Quiet Chat, Deep and Meaningful, Study and Reflection – Absolutely – I was there from 2-3pm on a Monday afternoon – and there was the two of us, and two other tables with customers on them.

If it wasn’t for geography, I’d be there every week for sermon prep – I hope it will becomes the new coffee place of the Conference HQ staff as it is just 5 mins walk up the road. They also have a kid friendly indoor play area, and a few tables outside – not sure about parking, I ended up in the Northpark Plaza carpark, across the road and down a bit. I can’t wait to go back or Please, please, please open a store on the South Coast – preferably on my side of the hills….

Bar 9 Specialist Coffee Boutique – Eastwood, SA

91 Glen Osmond Road, Eastwood, SA, 5001

This is one of those reviews which has been coming for a long time, as this place as been regarded in most circles as THE place to get coffee in Adelaide – after all, they call themselves a ‘specialist coffee boutique.’  Well, firstly – this place is hard to find.  I have driven past it probably over 50 times since it opened, and never saw it once – it took a specific invite from a colleague and friend (some would say brother, when you consider our biologically influenced common hairstyles and lack of discernible bone structures…) for me to park the car and walk around till I eventually found it.  When you walk inside, you’d never expect this to be the Mecca for Adelaide Coffee – frankly, it could do with a good clean!  As you would expect – they sport a plethora of ways to brew coffee – traditional espresso machines – siphon – pour-over – ice drip – plus specialists when in town – with a multitude of coffee beans (although I was never asked what I wanted when I had my two coffees there on Tuesday…) according to their website and facebook – so the question you are asking is…was it worth it?

Yes. But I wouldn’t make a major effort to go there from where I live….

Latte Quality – Good – Excellent – although I detected a slight detergenty after taste in my first cup, which was strange.  They used special locally produced un-homogenized milk from Tweedvale Dairy – which is really cool, and suits my ethics. And you can notice the creamy quality – although if you want a strong coffee, you need to really ask them for it.

Cost – $3.30 – for a regular (although small by most standards) sized latte

Coffee Supplier – Five Senses Coffee – from Western Australia.

Fair Trade – No mention of Fairtrade in store – but Five Senses do do a Fairtrade Organic

Venue Suitable for:

• Quiet Chat, Deep and Meaningful, Study and Reflection – Absolutely – I was there from 2-3pm on a Tuesday afternoon – and there was one other person in the shop the entire time – some quiet funky music in the background – the only trick is parking.  On Glen Osmond road you do it at your own risk – prepare to have you life flash before your eyes – or you park in a side street and hope your car is still there when you return.  There is no point using Google Earth to find it – as the pictures they have are of something else….