How to Experience Melbourne’s Vibrant  Coffee Culture

Considered Australia's best holiday hub for caffeine addicts, Melbourne's love of a good cuppa is well documented. Melbourne is home to some of the best cafes and coffee houses in the country, and it is possible to spend an entire vacation just working your way through the best coffee establishments in this dynamic city. From checking out artisanal roasters to grabbing a great cup of coffee every morning, here's how tourists can explore Melbourne's ever-evolving coffee culture.

Read up and Do Your Homework

Travellers with an interest in discovering Melbourne's coffee obsession first-hand would benefit from reading up on the history of coffee brewing in the Victorian capital. According to popular travel journals, Melbourne residents were drinking coffee as their morning beverage as early as the late 1830s. The city's Italian immigrant community is credited with introducing Melbournians to this popular drink by enjoying espresso-style coffee drinks in their households. A number of enthusiastic baristas followed and created some of the city's first coffee houses, and nowadays, it seems Melbourne was always a coffee lover's home base due to the large number of cafes lining the streets and opening every year.

Stay Close to the Best Cafes

Those who wish to sample Melbourne's best brews from breakfast every day will also benefit from staying close to some of the city's finest coffee hubs. When picking a hotel or a space for shared living in Melbourne, tourists can base their decision on the number of popular cafes surrounding the hotel or apartment. So whether you choose lyf Collingwood Melbourne or any other base, it should ideally be a short walk from the best cafes in town.

Grab Breakfast at Manchester Press

Occupying pride of place down Rankins Lane, The Manchester Press is one of the city's best places to grab a cuppa. Known for its warm bagels and deep-flavoured coffee drinks, the venue is open from 8 am to 3.30 pm. Some of the most fascinating coffee beverages on the menu include its “Freeze Distilled Finca Deborah Milky” and the creatively titled "Espresso White Aspen Raspberry Candy”. Often busy with local customers, the house blend and the speciality beans sourced from Ona Roastery in Australia are the key draws for most patrons.

Head to Captains of Industry

As a well-loved coffee house on Somerset Place, Captains of Industry is the best place to order velvety smooth flat whites. Open from Tuesday to Saturday, the coffee house also doubles as a bar and a hair salon. The affordably priced coffee drinks are why most locals head to this industrious business place located right in the middle of one of Melbourne's main thoroughfares.

Check out the University Café

This cafe in Carlton is for coffee connoisseurs who love their coffee simple and well-made. This cafe offers outdoor dining options, and the traditional coffee beverages decorating the menu here may not impress hipsters but will be just what a conventional coffee drinker might appreciate. With a rich legacy that dates back to the 1950s, the venue was one of the first cafes to have been established in Australia and was the first to boast a lever-operated espresso machine. This Lygon Street cafe, which has been run by the same family for decades, was sold to its current owners in the 1970s.

Drop by Seven Seeds

Travellers walking down Berkeley Street will find Seven Seeds hard to resist, simply due to its posh decor. Open from 7 am to 5 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 5 pm on weekends, the venue is one of the many cafes embracing the sustainable coffee movement. Home to its own roastery, Seven Seeds is a great place to catch up with friends over a cup of bold coffee concoctions you are not likely to find anywhere else in Melbourne.