The most precious gems are usually the hardest to find, and the same goes for really awesome coffee. Obviously there are brands and cafes that get lots of publicity and everyone knows, but sometimes you happen across something new being done somewhere established and it makes you stand up and take notice. Not too far from where I live is a cafe called Street Talk Espresso in Armadale, the place has been there for ages and I never thought to drop in. One of those little cafes you just drive past and forget about….until the day I walked through the door and met Dean and Korina Fourtzis, the husband and wife team who took over the place six years ago. Not only did I have great food and coff ee but I also discovered that for the past four years Dean has been roasting and serving his own coff ee blend called Fifth Avenue. Recently, word spread amongst those in the know and he started being asked by customers if he would sell it for home use, but when two other cafes approached Dean about using his coffee in their own cafes, he decided it was time to ramp things up.
In 2015 The Agency Espresso was born, however wanting to keep the Fifth Avenue five bean blend for his cafe only, Dean created Project Andes. As the name suggests this is a celebration of South American coffee using three beans from Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala. When combined you have an intensely rich brew, sweet and nutty, with caramel tones and a slight fruity tinge to give brightness to the cup. Served as an alternate blend at Street Talk, it is amazingly balanced and there are customers who always put sugar in their coff ee and fi nd they don’t have to with the Project Andes. Black or white, it’s an absolute pleasure to drink and as The Agency Espresso launches offi cially this month on the Melbourne coff ee scene, I think a lot of people will want to get their hands on it. Other than wholesale, the coff ee will also be available to purchase from the website.
No need to book a sherpa and climb a mountain to get to Project Andes, you’ll find it at –
Street Talk Espresso – 710 High St Armadale
Basil & Macrina – 2a Macrina St Oakleigh
East Foddies – 181 Victoria Ave Albert Park
0422 228 295