So, here’s the thing. We all probably buy take-away coffees at some point. What I have noticed over the years is that the coffee itself is generally not so much a reflection of the establishment, but rather the person making it.
If you come across a good coffee, and made by the same barista every time, it will be consistently good.
I try to limit the practice myself as I have debts and a cat. Some takeaway coffees are good, some are poor. Do they warrant their own review? Why not. But a full page – probably not…
So here is a random collection of take-away coffee reviews, if and when I buy them.
DOLCE – DARWIN MALL
MAY 5, 2018
A mid morning small skinny flat white – wonderfully made. Mid strength, sweet yet rich flavour. No masking of the taste by the milk. Somewhat ad hoc service, but great coffee. One of my top three places in the city…
ALFONSINOS – DARWIN CITY
APRIL 5, 2018
A midday coffee with a business colleague. Simply one of the best coffees you will ever have. Strong and robust, sweetened by perfectly warmed milk…. who needs fancy froth art when coffee tastes this good?? This porchetta bar is a bit of a hidden secret.
VIENNA COFFEE LOUNGE – KARLGOOLIE
APRIL 6, 2018
Was sort of hoping for staff with Austrian accents when I ordered my small skinny flat white coffee to take on the road with me. The cockney accent that took my order surprised me – but the coffee was beautiful. Smooth and silky, not too strong, but a very refined taste.
EUCLA MOTOR HOTEL – EUCLA
APRIL 5, 2018
An early morning small skinny flat white coffee ordered as a wake-me-up to start another long country drive. Perfect. Strong and smooth, aromatic and robust. An excellent coffee only let down by water that was possibly bore or desalinated water with a salty aftertaste.
ROCO SPUDS PIZZA PASTA – RUNDLE MALL, ADELAIDE
APRIL 2, 2018
A long macchiato ordered while having a break from shopping. Not on the menu board, and literally an espresso stained with milk froth – this was perfect. Robust and pungent. A great coffee from a barista only too eager to please.
SAN CHURRO CHOLATERIA – WESTFIELD MARION
APRIL 2, 2018
An Azteca Chocolate. Surprised to learn that it’s made using a secret formula powder imported from Spain, but nonetheless a very convincing chilli chocolate. Not as spiced as I would have liked, but a pleasant warmth regardless. I assume it’s played safe for the majority.
MAMMA MIA’S – MUNNO PARA SHOPPING CITY
MARCH 31, 2018 A small skinny flat white, costing a fraction of the price of a cafe coffee. And the small takeaway sizes are the size of a medium / standard size elsewhere. When it had cooled down enough to taste it was an awesome rich chocolately brew. Almost a hot chocolate with a shot of coffee. Smooth and robust… The overheating of the milk hadn’t left a bitter note at all… If the Italians can’t make a coffee, who can…?
ENFIELD PLAZA CHICKEN & SEAFOOD – ENFIELD
MARCH 31, 2018A small skinny flat white from a push button espresso machine. With a free hot cross bun. A great cuppa served with a smile. I’ve paid nearly double the price for coffees that didn’t taste this good. A revelation.
ICONS SOUTH AUSTRALIA – ADELAIDE AIRPORT
MARCH 30, 2018
Off the plane and ordered a macchiato to wake me up. Not terribly strong, but the perfect skinny flat white coffee. Smooth and delicious nonetheless…
BAR ROMA – BRISBANE AIRPORT
MARCH 14, 2018
Liqueur coffee that wasn’t allowed. Bar staff a) didn’t know what I was asking for (“I think my father drinks them…”) and b) didn’t have a button to sell them with. An espresso and a shot of Frangelico and told to sit in the corner and mix them myself… Sublime.
TRADER – BRISBANE AIRPORT
MARCH 14, 2018
A small skinny flat white coffee ordered mid afternoon. Well priced; a strong, acidic and very sharp taste lacking aroma – and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t burnt. I appreciated the strength of taste but a bit too sharp and pungent for my taste. If there was ever a roast created for the addition of sugar, this was it. What a shame.
CRAVE: SOMETHING MOREISH – WOODY POINT
MARCH 13, 2018
A mid-afternoon small skinny flat white coffee ordered while wandering the sights of Margate and Redcliffe. An awesome coffee mad with love. Strong, robust and mellow. Not a heavy aftertaste at all – this was a brilliant cup of coffee.
BURLEIGH & MOWBRAY SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB – SOUTH BURLEIGH BEACH
MARCH 11, 2018
A regular skinny flat white coffee. A decent, strong and punchy coffee. This wasn’t bad at all. Ordered just on closing time and grateful the staff allowed just one more coffee… A decent coffee, if not a touch overheated and burnt.
PADDOCK BAR – FORTITUDE VALLEY
MARCH 10, 2018
An Irish Coffee – ordered late at night after eating out elsewhere. Probably the best Irish Coffee I’ve ever had. Staff had to ask around as to who could make one, but this was pretty much text-book perfect. Cream floated perfectly without any mixing at all. Awesome.
COFFEE CLUB – BRISBANE AIRPORT
MARCH 10, 2018
The usual small skinny flat white coffee ordered very early morning. My initial notes just says ‘dreadful’. Very plain; lukewarm, overly milky and lacking taste. Not a great start to holidays…
FRESHPOINT CAFE – BELLAMACK
MARCH 9, 2018
Has it really been six weeks since trying somewhere new for a coffee?? A late night coffee was ordered after a special dinner elsewhere. A rather robust and exciting small skinny flat white coffee. Rich and full of flavour, not too milky but perhaps a bit too much milk and the aroma was blocked. Nonetheless, a very good coffee.
MUFFIN BREAK – CASUARINA SQUARE
JANUARY 22, 2018
A small skinny flat white ordered around lunch time. Simply the worse coffee I have had for months. Not even weak and insipid; more like warm milk with coffee coloured froth on top. Not even coffee coloured really… Plus, filthy cup and saucer had to be seen to be believed as well.
RYDGES PALMERSTON
JANUARY 16, 2018
Coffee ordered late afternoon to unwind after work. The most stupendous and amazing small skinny flat white coffee in the Palmerston region – bar none! Dark, rich, broody, intense, punchy with liquor overtones. Dark brown tide rings left behind in the cup… Let me re-categorise this one: The best I’ve had so far this year…..
GLORIA JEANS – CASUARINA SQAURE
JANUARY 13, 2018
Skinny flat white in a cup. Ordered around lunch time while op-shopping. This was their standard roast, not a single origin. Usually bland and milky, lukewarm and without ‘life’. Today’s was no exception, a slightly bitter and nutty aftertaste. Not pleasant – surprising, considering they specialise in coffee…
LONG NECK PUBLIC HOUSE- T1 PERTH AIRPORT
NOVEMBER 7, 2017
Amazingly strong and rich flavoured small skinny flat white coffee. How do they do this? Such an intense flavour in a small container. This will keep me awake in the air on the way home…
PASTA ADDICTION (Fremantle)
OCTOBER 24, 2017
A small skinny flat white coffee was ordered while strolling through the city. Amazing!! The taste hit me like an explosion and didn’t let up as the coffee cooled or as my palette became used to it. This is a local enterprise that advertises ‘quality coffee’ – such an understatement. Using the Nero Espresso Emperor roast blurb: bold chocolate, hazelnut, butterscotch, sweet dried fruit, with a pleasant acidity and full rounded aftertaste. The homemade orange and poppy seed muffin was incredible as well…
MO ESPRESSO (Underground – St Georges Trce, Perth)
OCTOBER 24, 2017
Small skinny flat white ordered mid-morning. Not a dark roast, but rather a bold mild and smooth taste with a very pleasant aftertaste that didn’t linger. I appreciated the froth art on top. Above average coffee but not as spectacular as the hype I had read (I did notice after receiving my cup that a new barista started shift and adjusted all the dials on the espresso machine…. hmmmm…..).
PAWPRINT CHOCOLATE (Denmark)
NOVEMBER 1, 2017
Hot chocolate with chilli. Ordered as we hit the road to Albany from Denmark on a miserable cold rainy spring day. Awesome hot chocolate made right in front of me from solid chocolate. Full of cinnamon and nutmeg, with a chilli hit that made me wince and tear up with every sip. Amazing!
CAFE BRASIL (Pemberton)
OCTOBER 31, 2017
A small skinny flat white coffee ordered while travelling through country Weatern Australia. Smooth, subtle and delicate. A lovely mocha overtone and not overly milky. Best drunk while hot and the flavour seems more ‘alive’.
BURNS BEACH CAFE & RESTAURANT (Burns Beach)
OCTOBER 27, 2017
Ordered a skinny flat white coffee while cruising along the beaches north of Perth. Wonderfully smooth delicate roast with an amazing aroma. Dare I say it, there were hints of liqueur in the taste, and a clean / nil after taste. A wonderful way to experience the cool, chilly beach…
GREEN BEAN (Darwin International Airport)
OCTOBER 23, 2017
I ordered a small skinny flat white coffee while awaiting a boarding call – a single staffer taking orders and also making coffee resulting in slow service at an obviously popular coffee and cake kiosk. Coffee average. Very average. A mild roast, very milky and without bite – and expensive. Will avoid in future.
CHAPEL LANE CAFE (Darwin)
SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
Small takeaway skinny flat white coffee. Ordered after the lunch rush at about 1.15pm. Beautiful coffee. Always is. Rich, strong, hot and never overly milky. I have lost count the number of people I have referred to this Cafe over the years.
LYONS COTTAGE / ABORIGINAL BUSH TRADERS (Darwin)
SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
Small skinny flat white coffee. Ordered while de-stressing away from the office. Reasonably priced, but WOW! What a winner of a coffee! Rich, robust, bitter – a quality coffee that quickly put a smile back on my face. Quite possibly my new favourite place to grab a coffee.
SKIN (Darwin)
SEPTEMBER 15, 2017
Small takeaway skinny flat white coffee. Ordered on the way back to work. Not the cheapest coffee, but well above average in taste. Rich, sweet, lingering on the palette long after the last drop. Quirky shop; great service. I’ll be back.
JELLYFISH (Rapid Creek Beach carpark – off Chapman Road)
SEPTEMBER 9, 2017
Look for a cafe van. A small skinny flat white takeaway coffee ordered at lunch time while heading off to the beach to read underneath the shade trees. A bit costly, but hey, there’s no competition here. An average coffee; not terribly strong or rich; pleasant, if not a bit too milky for my taste.
THE RABBIT HOLE (Darwin)
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
Small takeaway skinny flat white coffee ordered at around 1.15pm on the way back to work. Well priced and quick service. An average coffee served lukewarm – more like a latte than a flat white. Rather milky, bland and uninspiring.
UPPERCRUST HEALTH FOOD BAR (Palmerston)
AUGUST 27, 2017
Takeaway skinny flat white coffee – small, Saturday morning while reading emails. First up; excellent value, period. Awesome full, rich and robust taste. A perfect cup of coffee to start the weekend with. Or any week day for that matter…
GLORIA JEAN’S COFFEES (Palmerston)
AUGUST 27, 2017
Takeaway skinny flat white coffee, “Original Blend”, ordered at around 1.30pm while shopping. A strong and luscious coffee – full flavoured with a hint of bitterness. Minimal froth. Couldn’t fault it.
DUKES CAFE + EATERY (Darwin)
AUGUST 23, 2017
Takeaway skinny flat white coffee ordered at around 8.00am on the way to work. A very weak coffee – tasted more like warmed milk.
Darwin Food Reviews 