It was only a matter of time before I wrote about one of my favourite coffees. But the intention is twofold because it is this coffee that also started my relationship with GRAM Magazine. At the end of 2013 on one of my first visits to Piccolo Espresso in High Street Prahran,
I ordered my usual macchiato and lying in the window was a copy of issue 35. I decided to use the signature kaleidoscope cover as a background for my instagram photo and the rest is history. Over a year later and I am now writing this review and still drinking delicious Campos Coffee at Piccolo.
Owned and run by Nat and Sam Osborne and Nat’s sister Bridgette Kokkinos, this little space near Chapel St is always busy with locals and a hub for the students who study at Swinburne Uni across the road. What I love about this cafe is not only the coffee but the sense of family, with another sister, their cousin, and Bridgette’s boyfriend Sam there too, helping to make sure the place runs smoothly. Also running smooth and fast is the coffee, with the Superior blend from Campos being used here from the beginning. Will Young and Raf Bartkowski who started Campos in 2002 in Newtown Sydney believe strongly in ‘direct trade’ meaning they buy straight from the growers eliminating the need for a middleman. Adapting the blend depending on the season means that each bag of their flagship blend or as they like to call it ‘a project’ can continue to bear the name Superior. The three primary producers are located in Papua New Guinea, El Salvador and Rwanda and by combining these the result is a very rich coffee with sweet butterscotch tones and a slightly fruity cherry taste. It’s punchy as an espresso and equally solid when combined with milk.
I have sampled this coffee extensively in Melbourne, Sydney and on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and I love the fact that every time I drink it I am rewarded with a coffee that is consistent, satisfying and truly superior.
Piccolo Espresso – 149 High St Prahran
Campos Coffee – 144 Elgin St, Carlton
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Fifteen Pounds – 21 Railway Pde, Fairfield
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