Where To Find The Best Coffee In Sydney, Australia

The urban sprawl of Sydney means there is no single ‘coffee hot spot’, unlike perhaps London’s Soho district or Melbourne’s North Side. It only takes a quick look at the most awarded cafes in Sydney to discover the scope of it; The Grounds of Alexandria is hidden in a gargantuan industrial area, Bean Drinking is quietly nestled up in a North Shore village and Circa has won Sydney Morning Herald’s ‘Café of the Year’ award despite living far away from its competitors in Parramatta. Despite this, the cafes are all recognized as belonging to the melange of personalities which band together to create a true coffee culture.

As the popularity of espresso grew during the 1960s, Australians quickly fell in love with not only the sensory experience, but also the background of the drink, imported from far-off worlds like Brazil, Guatemala and Ethiopia, then roasted and served by migrants who were eager to share their passion.
Café Hernandez opened its doors in 1973, when owner Joaquin Hernandez brought his love for sourcing and roasting coffee to Sydney from his home in Spain. Joaquin and his son Keno operate two very busy branches of their cafe in Darlinghurst and Kings Cross, the latter store open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Apart from introducing an early appreciation for the finer aspects of coffee preparation to Sydneysiders, trailblazers such as Hernandez gave rise to places where people could unwind and relax between work and home.
Specialty coffee was still relatively unheard of in 2000. Toby’s Estate gave rise to a new level of sophistication in drink preparation. At about the same time, the Specialty Coffee Association was gaining popularity (Australian Paul Basset was crowned World Barista Champion in 2003), encouraging those in the coffee industry to focus their approach to coffee preparation to a meticulously scientific and artistic level. Through much collaboration between farmers, suppliers, roasters, baristas and customers, people began to discover that, just like wine, coffee can be deeply complex and when prepared correctly displays regional characteristics based on altitude, climate, soil and variety.

With the rise of specialty coffee, offering customers ‘filter coffee’ may evoke imagery of American diner ‘drip’ or a cheap cup from McDonalds. Quite the opposite, filter coffee is now offered by most specialty coffee outlets as a way of showcasing outstanding single-origin coffees. The beans are only lightly roasted and are gently brewed without the use of pressure to yield what many first timers have likened to ‘coffee-tea’. The full spectrum of tastes and aromas of a particular coffee are showcased. There exists several methods of preparation such as Pour Over, Aeropress or Syphon. A proud moment for any barista is to see a customer’s surprised reaction as they discover that there’s no need for any milk or sugar – there’s enough flavor and sweetness contained within the beans alone.

A small cafe with a big following, The Wedge keeps its customers excited by offering coffee from many different roasters. ‘The idea’, says head barista Gus Lindsay, ‘is to communicate a passion for the core product rather than an affiliation with a particular brand. This allows us to hand-pick what we think is best right now and share it with our customers.’

The Wedge, 53-55 Glebe Point Road (Corner of Cowper St), Glebe, NSW Australia +61 407 250 888