Good Coffee In Hobart
Monday, July 28, 2008
If you’re addicted to good coffee, and you’re on holiday, then it follows that you’ll want to search for sources of good coffee wherever you travel to. That was the case with me recently - in search of the best coffee in Hobart.
Obviously I couldn’t sample every coffee outlet in Tasmania’s capital city, so I visited the CoffeeSnobs website to draw up a short list. One forum discussion (first page starts here) is devoted to recommendations of good cafes in Tasmania, and as most of the contributors know more about coffee than I do - and live in Tasmania - I used their top choices as my starting point.
When it fitted in with other activities, I hit the streets of Hobart to sample an espresso at the most recommended cafes (plus a couple of others), and in some cases a double shot latte as well. My opinion is that of an amateur enthusiast, not an experienced expert, and I haven’t yet come to grips with describing body, aftertastes, and subtle flavour nuances like wine buffs do - but I can appreciate quality. The search for it was rather enjoyable!
One cafe’s coffee stood out for me - Villino Espresso, at 30 Criterion St Hobart, near the city centre. The owners, Richard and Melissa, are passionate about producing excellent coffee. With their La Marzocco machine, Mazzer grinder, good fresh beans and much skill and dedication, the result is consistenty good (I tried it on several occasions just to be sure).
The espresso and double ristretto I had were rich, syrupy and flavourful without any bitterness, and the milky coffees were also worth going out of your way for. I felt no need for sugar in any of them; always a good sign for someone accustomed to always having sugar with coffee.
If you’re a coffee enthusiast visiting Hobart, sampling all the cafes recommended by the users of the CoffeeSnobs website would be a pleasant mission. But if you haven’t got time for that, heading straight for Villino Espresso is unlikely to disappoint.