Limited Espresso + Brew Bar is one of the many coffee shops in the Valley and rapidly growing in popularity. Open 7 days a week, it becomes a coffee sanctuary for those Sunday caffeine cravings. The first time we walked in, we were contemplating the coffee of choice, when Luke eagerly interjected with a useful question, ‘What do you feel like? Something hot or cold?’ The warm afternoon sun prompted the cold option. The cold offerings were explained and when the words ‘sparkling coffee’ passed Luke’s lips, it was an automatic choice.
Hot on the heels of the ‘Matthew’ at Roost Coffee, the cold drip with San Pellegrino was a must try … wow! Could it be the most amazing iced black coffee ever? We also sampled the more familiar milk-based iced coffee in a bottle – also wonderful as it brought back fond memories of the iced coffee treat, its cousin from Cleanskin Coffee.
Sitting at the brew bar felt like pulling up a stool at your local for beer and a chat (so much so we headed to the Green Beacon Brewery later that day). Back to coffee … it did remind us of our experiences at the Cup Roastery bench. Perched high on the stools provided an intimate view of the coffee making process. Mocha mate’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when Luke brought over the espresso and created his mocha right in front of him. Chocolate powder was sprinkled over the crema and then the textured chocolate milk was added to produce an amazing looking mocha … our mate was impressed. He textures his chocolate and milk at home but the quality of Luke’s was anything but homemade.
We also savoured a single origin from El Salvador as a V60 pour over that was brewed right in front of us. We watched the rise and fall of the grinds as the water passed through, as if it was breathing. The delicate flavours blossomed as time passed … the aroma and taste certainly breathed life into us. Luke makes a point of preparing coffees in front of the drinker, we think this improves the experience.
It might be Limited by name but there is nothing limited about Luke’s passion for coffee and the taste of coffee he serves. Limited rotates Cleanskin Coffee Company blends 13, 14 and Saint and always has beans for white, espresso and filtered coffee at the ready. Don’t limit your coffee experiences, head to this coffee shop in the Valley and simply enjoy the coffee and the brew bar.
We give a limitless 8.5 beans
According to Chiasso’s website:
Chiasso, pronounced (Kee-ar-so) is Italian for “create an uproar”. It is also the name of a small town on the Swiss Italian border.
Chiasso Coffee roast fresh in Capalaba, Brisbane following the Italian tradition.
The Milano blend is made up of Arabica beans from Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, Colombia and Robusta beans from India(<10%). It makes a strong full-flavoured coffee, ideal for your morning espresso. The blend is typical of the Northern Italian style of roasting. It is roasted medium-dark rather than a true dark.
I decided to try the blend on a leisurely Sunday as a long black. There was a subtle chocolate undertone and overall it was a smooth and rich mouthful.
It definitely made my taste-buds wake up!
Chiasso Coffee is available to buy online.
Guest post by Emma Crameri, Gustoso
Based on our Brisbane’s Top Coffee Chill Spots article, we asked you:
- What is your top coffee spot?
- Where do you love to chill?
Coffee drinkers of Brisbane voted for their faves in our recent poll. The results are in … and here is a quick snapshot of what you told us!
If you’re keen to find out more about these favourite coffee shops in Brisbane to chill, check out our posts:
Two other coffee places that got a vote are on our ‘must visit’ list – Ltd espresso and Shucked. We hope to get there soon. Thanks for letting us know your fave coffee chill spots in Brissie!
From a rooster called Fonzie at Fonzie Abbott to a rooster called Gonzo that inspired the distinctive red logo of Roost Coffee, we are never ceased to be amazed by the unique spin people in the coffee shops of Brisbane put on their coffee. The menu board at Roost is enough to make you want to sit down, start from the top and work you way down – there is the Goblin, the black bantam, the ‘Isaac’ … to name a few. It’s a crema dilemma! So an in-depth conversation with staff to get a handle on what they are is imperative. Although they were really busy, the friendly staff patiently and precisely explained the ‘different’ choices we asked about. He finished by saying, ‘thanks for asking!’
Roost Coffee is a coffee shop by day and the Room 60 bar at night – cool use of space! The coffee action happens out front but the lighting and jazz plying in the background gives you a sense of being in an intimate bar. The only clue there is a coffee shop is the red rooster, so if you’re cruising down Carraway St, look for the big red umbrellas, find a park and head on in. The house blend is Arcade by Cup Coffee and they rotate their single origins sourced from a range of local specialty roasters like The Single Guys Coffee Co. and Fifth Battery Coffee Roasters. The wonderful coffee is mixed with Barambah organic milk for those who like it white!
Mocha mate was not distracted by the lure of signature coffees and went straight for the mocha. The verdict … ‘pretty special, it’s like a mocha from Bunker.’ Even though Roost uses Bunker chocolate, it is still high praise indeed! One of us was tempted by ‘the Isaac’, a double ristretto poured over cold milk. So smooth and easy to drink – an interesting fusion of cold and hot. Another interesting fusion was ‘the Matthew’ – an espresso shot over San Pellegrino sparkling water. Mocha mate could not hold back any longer and went for it! The crema looked like it was on steroids. The experience was somewhat bizarre – the brain was trying to work out if it was a soft drink or a coffee … maybe a coffee spider!
The Goblin, a double ristretto over four ounces of 70 degree filtered water, had to be tried! One for the lovers of coffee. Like its namesake, it may have been a little mischievous but definitely not evil – it was delightfully smooth, there is obviously some talent driving the La Marzocco Linea. Roost Coffee is a cool place to chill, chat and enjoy unique mixtures of coffee. There are cold drips and pour overs on the menu if filtered coffee is your go … however we never quite got there. If you ever feel experimental, or even goblinesque, head to Roost and try the unconventional … we don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
We survived the ‘crema dilemma’ to give 8 beans!
U&I Espresso is another one of those new kids on the block. When the former Ashgrove coffee shop changed hands and we saw the Dramanti Artisan Roaster sign out the front we could not help but get excited. We were having a Bean Brewding get together, so decided to head right on in. Sacha, your host at U&I, was quick to work out our identity, when a tweet was followed by the mocha as part of our order. It was a quirky ice-breaker! Being close to some BBers workplace, it is fast becoming somewhat of a regular.
Located on Waterworks Road on stop 16 of the city bus route, U&I is great for watching the world pass by. You can sit in the comfy lounge chairs or take yourself back to school and sit at the wooden pews – BYO tidy box. Looking around presents a cold drip apparatus, a siphon setup, yummy food in a display window and the WEGA Green Line – all good signs for a diverse coffee experience in a relaxed atmosphere.
Sacha devised a plan for us to enjoy a triple tasting sensation. The Panama La Gloria single origin roasted by Dramanti, served cold dripped, through an AeroPress and an espresso. Sacha told us the bean got a cupping score of 84 which was information to stimulate the conversation. Exciting times! We had only ever had the same bean two different ways – at Cup Roastery and at Reverends Fine Coffee. First up was the cold drip, dripped for four hours then stored in the fridge for seven days. The roast was medium and made us think of a red-brown ochre colour. I think Mocha Mate may have mentioned hints of caramel… with more depth and flavour later in the mouth. It was smooth and syrupy in texture – a real pleaser for the cold drip crowd.
Round two summoned the AeroPress and started us to compare notes on our AeroPress methods, timings and temperatures. Sacha delivered the Panama with fruity flavours – stone fruit came to mind. The flavour was lighter than the cold drip and made us think of orange as a colour. We were amazed that the cold drip and AeroPress seemed to taste the opposite to each other – triple tasting started to make sense.
Round three got even better when Sacha asked ‘who wants to pour their own shots?’ We jumped out of the lounge chairs quicker than a 12th man off the bench. We were given the finer points of using the Mazzer, weighing the grind and the perfect tamp. We poured ourselves double ristretto’s which gave us rich fruity flavours that mellowed in the mouth and gave a creamy texture. Surprisingly Mocha Mate voted this as his favorite of the triple treat! The real treat, however, is being able to experience coffee prepared in different ways at a suburban coffee shop. U & I and everyone else should venture out to Ashgrove for a relaxed coffee treat.
From 3 relaxed beans, we give U&I 8 beans.
We’ve Bean on a mission to head to Reverends Fine Coffee for ages and when we finally made the pilgrimage to the Valley, it was well worth it. There is a small area to sit as you enter the coffee shop – where you can sit on the church pew and prepare to pay homage to the coffee. There is also a larger, quieter area past the counter. The standout features are the exposed bricks, the black ceilings and the hanging lights. It feels like the kind of place an artist or poet might sit to draw inspiration. From a look and feel perspective, it reminds us of the The Little Mule in Melbourne.
With a Mocha mate malfunction, we had the pleasure of two visits in a very short space of time … after our first visit we were delighted to head back. Luke said it was a shame mocha mate couldn’t join us, ‘because our mocha would blow him away. We use Bunker hot chocolate! ‘ MM went for the 70% dark chocolate version on the house blend, aptly named Trinity, with the creamy Maleny milk. Upon his first sip he said, almost to himself, ‘that’s really good … yeah’. With brewed and filtered options available on beans roasted by Peter Wolff Roasters and Cup Specialty Coffee, there is a coffee option to please even the most zealot coffee connoisseur. We had long macchiatos on the Trinity blend that provided a bright and balanced taste on the palate. The Spirit espresso machine looked divine and with Nick at the helm, provided divine coffees.
Given we were at Reverends it seemed only appropriate we try the Kenyan French mission next. We tried it through a chemex and cold drip! Both were silky smooth with a hint of raisins … the cold drip a little more subtle … both delightful coffees. Best chemex ever? One Brewder put it out there! Our second trip, we went for the Ethiopian Galena Abaya through an AeroPress on advice from Nick. We could smell it brewing – it wafted to our table like incense through a church. A fruity, malty flavour, a taste sensation like we’ve never had before.
Luke might go by the nickname ‘the reverend’ but he is also reverent about the coffee and food, a new addition, he serves. Reverends Fine Coffee fulfilled Luke’s dream to run a venue that offered specialty coffee. He originally hoped to roast their own coffee, and with expansion plans afoot, a 5 kilo roaster still forms part of the vision. Reverends is certainly a bright coffee apparition on Brunswick Street. Our original indicator of good coffee spot was if we chose to have a second cup. On our first visit we asked, ‘Should we have another quick one before we go to work?’40 minutes later we were still there … our second visit was no different! Reverends could easily become one of our Top Coffee Chill Spots.
We put 8.5 beans in the offering tray!
Costa Noosa Espresso is a specialty roaster and coffee shop located at the idyllic Sunshine Beach. With family living on the Sunny Coast, there has always been lots of chatter about the best coffee in the Noosa area. My niece, a coffee devotee and barista, swears Costa Noosa is the pick! We met there recently and they were roasting as we walked in. The smell was refreshing, almost as much as the swim at the beach. We sampled some of the beans available and I was convinced that purchasing beans for home had merit. I had a great chat to the barista about the beans on offer. He asked about the machine, the style of coffee we liked, etc. He was very informative and recommended the Espresso Noosa, their signature blend created from South American beans. Apparently the balance and consistency of South American beans, ‘make them the foundation of good coffee blending’.
Espresso Noosa has fine pedigree, as it won silver in the Espresso category 2010-11 at the Golden Bean awards. The beans are roasted to deliver a rich and velvety crema with a full-bodied smooth flavour sure to suit all palates. When put to the test, there is no doubt the blend delivered a wonderful, and yes velvety crema. We tried the coffee a number of ways, both black and white. As an espresso, the doppio was enjoyable and the best black option. However, the creamy character of the espresso with subtle chocolate flavours seemed to combine perfectly with milk-based options. After a bit of testing … I mean drinking, as flat whites, long black with hot milk on the side, lattes and piccolos … there was one drink that channeled the atmosphere and environment of the picturesque Sunshine Beach.
Our favourite place to enjoy our morning coffee is on the front deck overlooking our vast empire … well camelias and mock oranges in the front yard. The piccolo seemed to bring out the best balance of flavours and coffee enjoyment of the Espresso Noosa blend. It somehow transported us out of the suburbs and onto the wonderful deck at Costa Noosa to feel we were taking in the cool breezes and beautiful vistas of the Sunny Coast. If you can’t get to Sunshine Beach, you can order online and live the dream. Espresso Noosa is a winning blend that will suit a range of palates!
