Coffee Travels

Australia is a special country in many respects. It’s both an island and a continent, it has animal and plant species that can’t be found anywhere else in the world, and Aussies generally seem to take everything lightly. Unless we’re talking about coffee.

Get ready to meet probably the only country in the world in which the world-renowned coffee giant didn’t stand a chance against the good old short black. That’s right. The glorious Starbucks failed miserably in the Land Down Under. So, how do Aussies like their coffee? And are they really that much into this aromatic beverage, or not really? We tried to find the answers to these and similar questions.

Truth be told, Australia is nowhere near the top ten coffee drinking countries in the world. Australian consumption makes a very little part in the 10 million tons of coffee that are drunk every year. Finland and Norway take the lead, followed by other European countries (especially from the Balkans). With almost three kg of coffee consumed per capita, Australia ranks as low as 42 in the list of the world’s biggest coffee consumers. However, does that mean Aussies don’t pay much attention to their coffee drinking rituals? Absolutely not!

With so many Italian immigrants looking for their fortune in the new land, it was only logical for the country to start appreciating the hot drink even more. Australians do like taking their time and have their coffee in peace. According to a study, most residents prefer having their coffee in the comfort of their homes, away from the daily hustle and bustle. Still, that is not to say they don’t relish having a cup of coffee with their pals in town.

Since they like having it so much at a place where they feel at home, perhaps it isn’t surprising that big coffee chains just make five percent of all the cafes in the land. Aussies like the coffee drinking experience to be as unique as possible, and they wouldn’t trade their favourite barista for any over-the-top flavoured huge coffee. 95 percent of the cafes are independent, and they are doing just fine, as opposed to the previously mentioned Starbucks, who eventually ended up with one-third third of its outlets after eight years of futile attempts to appeal to an Aussie’s palate. So, what is it that people down under prefer?

Should you enter any café, you would be faced with a huge list of coffee options. The inevitable espresso, latte, cappuccino, long and short macchiato, Vienna, iced coffee, ristretto, Vienna mocha—they have it all! As well as their own native coffees. In terms of methods of preparation, the most common brewing methods would be the following:

• Espresso (short black)
• Pour over (coffee brewed through a metal of paper filter)
• Cold brew (which takes 8-12 hours to make)
• Stovetop espresso, and
• French press (i.e. a coffee press or a plunger)

In case you’re wondering which coffee has the most caffeine, that would be the espresso. No surprise there, but the second place belongs to the cold brew, which as opposed to espresso has quite a long brewing process.

Since the nation has such diverse tastes when it comes to favourite coffee types, it was hard to determine how much caffeine an average Australian consumes per day. The research shows the Australian daily caffeine intake is no more than 400g. If we take a look at the most preferred coffee types, that roughly translates as three espressos, five stovetops, two cold brews, five French press coffees, or two pour overs.

For such passionate coffee lovers, it is little surprise that Australia has its very own plantations of Arabica beans, too. The climate is suitable, as well as the soil, containing volcanic stones. Those in the know say that Australian beans are sweet and nutty. What’s more, most coffee is organic due to the fact that there aren’t any serious threats to the plant species.

What they lack in size, they certainly make up for in the style and tradition. Aussies may not be the biggest coffee drinkers in the world, but they are certainly among the pickiest, and there is nothing wrong with that. It only means that if you go to Australia, you can be rest assured you’re going to have the best cup of coffee of your life!