The beans come in sacks, heavy and rough, their origins printed in faded ink. The baristas cut them open with knives dulled by habit. The smell hits first; deep, alive, full of places far away. This is Melbourne, and the beans do not come from here, but they belong here now. Roasted close by, in Brunswick or Collingwood or Fitzroy, by men and women who wear aprons like armor and speak of soil and elevation as if it were scripture.
They use Arabica mostly. It is the bean that gives you sweetness, fruit, body without harshness. It is a tender thing but strong in the right hands. They roast it light to show off its character, or dark when the weather turns and the city gets cold. It comes from Colombia, from Guatemala, from Sidamo and Yirgacheffe. It comes with stories, and the roasters remember them. They will tell you about a farmer they met on a ridge, how he picks only the red cherries, how he dries them on raised beds and sings while he works.
Blends are common, too. Not for deceit, but for structure. One bean brings the brightness, another brings the weight, and a third, if needed, ties them together. This is how you make a coffee that stands up in milk, that pushes through the cream without losing itself. A good blend in Melbourne is not an accident. It is composed like a good line of dialogue, nothing wasted, nothing overdone.
Single origins are worshipped in the small cafés, where the machines are immaculate and the grinders hum like bees. There, you will find the fanatics. They taste and taste again. They say things like “stone fruit” and “jasmine,” but what they mean is it’s good and you should try it. You drink it slow. You think about the land it came from. You think maybe one day you’ll go there.
In Melbourne, the coffee begins with the bean. It is not flavoring, not a background note. It is the whole thing. The city built its mornings on it, and now it cannot stop. The roasters keep the fires hot. The sacks keep arriving. And the people keep lining up, waiting for the bean to be ground and brewed and handed over, hot and full of promise.
