My top ten:
1. Cimabalino, Dalkeith
2. Rosso Espresso, St georges tce
3. Oxford 130's, leederville
4. just espresso, como
5. Fix, west perth
6. Fuel espresso, Stirling Highway, nedlands
7. Aubergine, sth terrace, fremantle
8. Ginos, market street, fremantle
9. Soto, Mt Lawley
10. Cafe Cafe, Subiaco

In terms of cafe's, I'd make a few modifications to Nelsons list... that being to add Core Espresso which is under Allendale square on St Georges Tce, and probably serves the best coffee in Perth at the moment. Corey (the owner) is an espresso geek of the highest order, and has two modified La Marzocco Fb70's that are tweaked for perfect extraction.

I'd also get rid of most of the places that serve Essenza, which after getting into home roasting just tastes a little bland in my book.

I do like going to Oxford 130, but i don't trust anyone who won't tell their staff whats in the blend, or when its roasted... As this generally points to it being low grade.

AG - essenza is good stuff. mena used to deliver it to me only hours after roasting, which is probably why it was good for me. don't buy it from soto, they wait till its stale and then sell it over the counter. you can buy it from steve at cimbalino and he'll give you the good gear.
my wife and i enjoy 130's because of the atmosphere and the great food. its our sort of cafe and we feel at home there. most of our friends can be found there too, so its a bit of a meeting place.

Lemon Espresso - Claremont (5 senses)
Rocketfuel - Nedlands (5 senses)
Fix - West Perth
Cafe 130 - Leederville
Rosso - CBD
Soto Espresso - Mt Lawley (essenza)
Voyage - Sorrento (toby's estate)

I work in Leederville and use Greens cafe as my office.

I have tried 130's several times, but each time the staff have been rude (I mean stupidly rude!

I like the coffee at Greens and the vibe - nice people always make coffee taste better.

I wonder how much of coffee appreciation is a science and how much is just 'what I like'?

Nelson, AG and TJ...love your work - almost faultless! So good in fact that I will struggle to improve on it so merely for posterity sake here is mine (in no particular order - you won't be disappointed with the coffee at any of the below):

- Cimabalino, Dalkeith (Steve, Seb & Sam...what a team!)
- Rosso Espresso, St Georges Tce
- Oxford 130's, Leederville
- Just Espresso, Como (Not bad for an ex-Laundromat...Charles has done well)
- Rocketfuel, Stirling Highway, Nedlands (Ask for Tichy...the nicest Aucklander you will ever meet!)
- Ginos, Market Street, Fremantle (The first and still among the best...God bless the Italians!)
- Soto, Mt Lawley (Consistently improving)
- Alda's, Alleyway off Murray St in the 'Paris' end of Perth (A touch of Melbourne - at last - in the heart of Perth)
- Cafe Cafe, Subiaco (Michael the Greek has done his ancestors proud)
- Barchetta, North Cottesloe (Difficult to beat the vista whilst sipping 5 Senses from the balcony!)
- Core Espresso (Corey is wired to please the purists)

D-Cup,

gotta say, the view from Barchetta, nth cot is worth more than the coffee ever will be, but the fact the coffe is good just adds to the whole experience.
and their food is great too... esp if you like steak sandwiches on turkish bread... flippin awesome!
but the view and sounds of beach on the side balcony, smell of coffee... almost heaven. (and no its not in west virginia)
=)

Hey D-Cup,

I think im gonna have to modify your list... Been to pretty much all of those places and i've have a few changes i'd make.

First i'd drop Alda's, i happened to be wandering down that alley way and thought it looked cool. So i stopped for in for lunch and a coffee. The food was dire (think salad made with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and grated carrot layered in that order), and the coffee was an under extracted shot of Dimmatina coffee with scalding hot milk.

As a general rule, if i see a sign for a major label coffee brand (Vittoria, Coffex, Segafredo, Dimmatina, Grinders, Illy, Lavazza) i either keep walking, or will be very skeptical about getting a decent coffee.

The reason for this is that generally all of those blends distribute massive volumes of sealed beans roasted so long ago that all freshness is gone. The cafes that use them have deals arranged to supply beans and machines, and it's never done right.

I'd rate Core as perhaps the best coffee in Perth at the moment, and would also rate Lemon Espresso in Claremont really highly. Fresh coffee, made really well, with a definate passion for the job.

Be grateful for the good coffee that you have. I'm in Indonesia at the moment and have resorted to daily trips to Star Bucks for my coffee fix.

The coffee beans here are really aromatic. Unfortunately the barristers are not too good. Star Bucks here is definately better than in Australia. It is really nice. They also use a type of red sugar which is exceptional.

In Perth, my favourites are:
1) Cafe 130's (Leederville)
2) Rosso (CBD)
3) Cafe Cafe (Subi)

But I find myself drinking from Cinos to go and Rosso's more than any other, just because of the poor service that I get in Subi and Leederville.

Cafe 130 is okay if you like strong, bitter coffee and sitting on a wooden box on the street to drink it! No one has mentioned CINO TO GO. They have several cafes around Perth and the coffee is superb.

'Fix' in West Perth was sold just before the end of the year, so I would take them off the list for a little while til the owner gets use to the machines etc.

Before it was sold.....BEAUTIFUL is one word to describe it.

Corey - from Core Expresso - is a Riverview attender too

Core Espresso can be found underneath Allendale Square (go down the escalator) on St Georges Tce in the city. It's open from 8am - 3pm on weekdays, and mainly caters for the office working scene...

The only do take away coffee, so there's no seats etc... but as far as the coffee goes, their commitment to their product is second to none.

I am with D-Cup. Love the work Charles does at Just Espresso, he's a good man, mixes in some fair trade too. (20 Preston St Como)
But have to say number one is Voyage down on Sorrento beach nextto the as yet untried and recently opened White Salt cafe (wont try it as I am faithful to Micky, Lloyd and the crew at Voyage! Just watch the temp guys...a bit on the cool side sometimes, maybe that cool sea breaze!! They use Fair Trade/organic (tobys Estate)
As with Hamo, Greens is the bomb for coffee.
Brew ha is Post Office mall Subiaco is a killa, I like their coffee and sometime a tea, the best Long Mac in Perth here at brew ha.
Then of course Cafe Cafe comes next
130's Gives a strong Long Mac, but I too have copped a cold shoulder there.
As with many of the above a good Five Senses goes down nice (Thanks Dean, you do well!) And I think the best place to drink it is Sunsets in Rockingham.
But next door at Betty Blues has just peaked them as being better service!
A tip, an old friend runs "Roasted" down on the strip in Freo, not been yet, but all fair trade, organic - she says it's the best in Perth...
I buy Tobys Estate for home.

Gotta say, Five Senses is it for me - can't beat locally roasted and they do such a damn fine job - and the added plus is the provenance of the coffee - something important to me personally. I drink it at the Tank Lounge in the city which is just off London Court (Under St Martins Tower).

I love 130's as well - the trouble is I really find it can vary - which means sometimes you are a little disappointed! I do have to say though - and this is going to be like a vulgarism on this post...but 130's have the BEST - no other correspondence shall be entered into - decaf anywhere!! I am not a decaf only man but sometimes when I'm out late night - deaf is the order if I want to sleep!

As a Melbournite, I can say that I have really enjoyed the coffee at Cafe 130 (Leederville) and Soto (Mt Lawley). Was disappointed with Cino's though (tried the Leederville store).

Unfortunately there are not a lot of great espresso places in Perth as our espresso culture is still developing. The importance of those establisments using fresh roasted product cannot be over-emphasised. Fix Espresso is West Perth was doing a good job until sold recently. Justin knew how to coaxe the flavour out of his Di Lorenzo beans and got great milk texture. Charles at Just Espresso does great hot chocolates using melted Belgian couveture. I'm not much of a fan of anyone using Essenza, the blend is fairly bland with no real strong varietal flavours coming out. And anyone using coffee that is not fresh roasted is not really focussing on best practice in regards to the specialty coffee industry.

Corey

My love of a good coffee came rather late in my life, when I met my wife. Good bless her! Now I can't get enough of the sweet sweet espresso... my one vice!
My list...
- Betty Blue is my fav. in Rockingham. Great service and close to home.
- Greens in Leederville is great, I see so many friends I know who go there too, and it has a great vibe.
- Oxford 130 in Leederville. From my experience, they are great.
- Le Paris Brest in Haynes St, Kalamunda. Le Paris Brest is named after the bike race of the same name from Paris to the town of Brest. Great coffee, but very popular!
- La Tropicana on Cott Beach is great. The vibe gets me every time!
- Cino's in Freo. Just love those Italians!
- Anywhere that sells Deano's Five Senses. My fav bean comes from Dean... I just love it! I buy this for home too!

I have to be biased and say walter's river cafe (5 senses) in bicton, apart from being close to my home, it's nice to enjoy a coffee with a great veiw of the river. the food's also marvellous and well worth a try.

I agree, Dean does a sterling job at roasting and supplying to those in the industry in Perth who 'care'. Espresso making is part science and part art and there are few who can master this consistently. Certainly the days of Braziliano, Segafredo, Dimattina and Lavazza are over.

Corey

I'm agast that this list doesn't mention Caffissimo in West Perth, back from the corner of Hay St. and Colin St.

This used to be called Belaroma, and then Bonisimo and now Caffisimo. Their supreme blend is awesome and strong, perfect to take home. They roast daily so you always get it fresh. I can't vouch for other Caffissimos, but the West Perth store is great.

It is a favourite haunt for those who work in West Perth, the best cup of strong coffee that stops at not being bitter, I have found in Perth ! Mind you, I haven't tried the majority of cafe's already mentioned in this thread ....

Hey DP, although Caffismo might roast daily in their off site roasting facility don't always assume you are getting those beans. In reality you are not always getting fresh coffee. In regards to West Perth, as others have stated Fix Espresso was (has been sold now, so not anymore) the best espresso in West Perth, far, far better than Belaroma.

Corey

Although far away from Perth, Yahava Koffee Works in Margaret River is a must! We order coffee online to use at home. Possibly the best coffee I have ever tasted!

The only problem with Yahava is that they store their beans for sale in open sacks in front of you. The four killers of coffee freshness are light, heat, moisture and air. When the beans are stored in open air and not in valve locked bags the coffee will stale entirely in about 2-3 hours. Sealed non see-through bags stored in a cool, dry place will maximise coffee freshness.

Corey

go corey!
preach it brother!
I gotta get my skinny bum over that side of aus one day and try your (well, dean's) coffee.

one of these days...

Hey Matt, whatcha' doin on this forum? This is the pastor from my church's site. Nice to hear from you man.

Corey

Alright, I'm gonna fess up to my ignorance here when it comes the in's and out's of making great coffee yourself. Not to say that I don't have a very high respect for good coffee!! I have just started having short mac's and feel like that has some what been a coming of age of my coffee palate!

Also, just because i'm a total novice at the technical side of home espresso - that doesn't mean I don't make a kick-ass drop on my bottom of the machine range breville cafe roma. Oh yeh microfoam the whole lot. Could certainly use a couple of tips though about how I might be able to optimise this little baby. I am assuming that all the fuss about pour time etc means that you can change the volume of water going through - ie less water - takes longer for the same volume shot? Is that right? I certanily can't do that on mine - its turn the dial and stand back and pray baby.


Since reading this coffee blog I have been doing somewhat of a 'coffee crawl' checking out all the recommended places. Here's what I've tried so far:

130's (already frequented there - love it.)
Just Espresso - already been there a couple of times as well but wanted to try a short mac - was actually very nice. 'Nice' being highly subjective of course - I loved the flavour. Wasn't bitter!)
Gino's - same as above - been before - tried a short mac - rated right up there! My current number 2 (spilled half of it and felt like a kid who had just licked the icecream of his cone!)
FIX - another short mac - definetly my favourite so far and the staff were really nice!
Rosso - was nice - a little too strong but will give them another shot. (pun intended)
Core - only had a flat white corey - loved it but to be fair - really want to come back and try a short mac. Great flavour though! and flawless. I know it's not coffeegeekish but I have 1 sugar in my coffee (regardless of size) and I hate it when they don't ask me (and I forget to ask in time) and then I have to take the lid off and put one in myself. Minor detail.
Barchetta - was nice but nothing to go nuts over. The view of course is great - but what does that matter when coffee's what you're there for?! Had a long mac - was a nice milky/creamy kind of flavour but was a little burnt/bitter. COREY - I believe they are using 5 senses and so are you? Tasted quite different??! Definetly better at Core.
Rocketfuel is next on the list....

Hey Jamin, thanks for the positive words regarding Core. Regarding your coffee machine, yes you can slow the speed of the pour down, this makes me ask the first question; You do have a grinder correct? If not this is the first issue we need to solve. The ability to grind on demand (and change the grind) is critical to awesome espresso. Secondly what beans are you using? and when were they roasted? Perfect espresso is only possible with a medium, medium-dark roast profile and with beans roasted within seven days. The reason we don't ask you if you want sugar is that it is our opinion that really fantastic coffee does not need sugar at all, we try to discourage it. We believe that during roasting all the natural sweetness of the beans comes out through the caramelisation of the roasting process. Take the challenge, we welcome people to try our coffee without sugar, it will be naturally sweet and you will finally taste all the nuances of the espresso bean blend. Other espresso bars will not encourage this as they do not have confidence that their coffee will not be burnt and bitter and they cannot take this risk, we do have confidence in our product and welcome the opportunity to prove it. Regarding Barchetta, although they do use Five Senses (and so do we) we have different blends of coffee (as do most Five Senses clients) so they will taste entirely different. Our blend has distinctive cocoa notes, a complex flavour, medium body and a smoky aftertaste. Jamin, drop in to Core sometime and we'll chat coffee, you can come behind the bar and see the way we do things, we have coffee visitors in almost daily and love the opportunity to share our passion for the art of espresso. I'm sure we can assist you in getting a better cup at home also. Give us a call first to ensure that I'm rostered on that day 9221 3338. We also have our own barista academy, The Western Australian Barista Academy and runs classes daily for different groups, I can give you the number if you are interested. Please drop in Jamin.
Cheers,
Corey

Hey D-Cup I know who you are ! And if you don't fix me up with a couple of free short macs at that little Vic Park cafe you work at part time, I 'm going to spill the (coffee) beans.

Jamin, Corey's a nice bloke and he tries his best but come to Rocketfuel for a real takeout coffee. Plus I also own a Breville Roma so I can tell you how I've set mine up. Used to have a single group La Cimbali and the Roma is not far behind, a very under rated little machine. Consistently rates in top three by Choice magazine as well.

Don't normally do the coffee geek thing (didn't know what a blog was until last week, thanks Corey.)but may as well get into the spirit of it while I'm here. My favourites are for quality of coffee only:

1. Rocketfuel (well I have to don't I?)
2. Core
3. Lemons
4. Roasted With Passion (Freo)
5. D-Cup's Cafe, Vic Park

Hate to say it but don't overly rate anyone else to be honest.I haven't been to Fix, Rosso's or Just Espresso, although I consistently hear good things about them all through the shop. I imagine they would be on the list (if I can just get out from behind this coffee machine)

Hey Titchy :) Nice to see you on board. Yeah go and see Brett he actually runs classes in sub-standard coffee. He's an expert. Gonna have to invite you over for another lunch after that last comment mate :)

Corey

PS Seriously it was nice to catch up with you guys yesterday, gotta do it more often. And yes, Brett does actually make pretty good coffee.

Hey Corey, I've phoned a couple of times but keep missing you...will keep trying!

Cafe crawl continues....

Checked out RocketFuel titchy, had a short mac (think it was probably a medium mac - in a small takeaway cup?) it was really nice - no doubt. Not my fave flavour wise though.

Lemon Espresso - was walking down the street looking for it and saw a dodgy green neon "cafe" sign and thought - "surely that can't be them"....but it was. Apart from that, really nice cafe - friendly staff. Ordered a long mac - and mate - it was long!! Only then did I notice the menu had "medium mac's" which is obviously what I wanted. Coffee was great - five senses of course - but think I liked your flavour better corey - have to say!

What's with all the inconsistency around the place about what a coffee is called. eg what a long mac is, do I want my short mac topped up etc? Some places ask me if I want it topped up (with milk) which I do - then other places I ask for topped up and they ahve no idea what i'm talking about because they 'top it up' anyway.

Hey Jamin, sorry I've missed you. Here's my mobile, give me a call and I'll make sure I'm in store 0423434917. Thanks for the positive words about Core. There isn't general consensus about what defines particular coffees, almost all stores serve there coffees slightly differently. For example there is not such a thing as long mac anywhere else in the world or flat white even. In the states a flat white is called a latte, in Italy cappuccino is never sprinkled with chocolate and never served after lunch. And in Perth it is the same, each store has it's own view of particular coffees. At our store, ask for a traditional long mac, I think it will suit you perfectly. Or you might like a piccolo latte basically a double shot latte in a small glass (this is Sydney style). Long forward to finally saying hello.
Cheers,
Corey

Hey Ben ,thanks for dropping in today mate, nice to see you. Best wishes with your machine, see if you can get your extractions a little slower (this will give you less acidity, more body and more sweetness and a darker, richer crema). Aim for the golden rule of 20mls a side in about 25 seconds. Oh, and make sure your coffee is always less than a week old.
Cheers mate,
Corey

Saw some kudos for CINO - this is the closet joint to my work in Perth @ 318 St Georges Tce Perth - Near King St. THis is one of the worst, worst joints in town. The services is slow (mainly due to all the skinny this and that and other "special" orders). I stopped there after 2-3 coffees that were watery, too hot or too weak. Most of the coffee on King St towards the terrace is crap now - even Ks Food & Wine (formerly Lamonts). Very dissapointing. Core gets my vote for city brews currently. Second is that new little cafe of a laneway in the West End.

Hey Em, thanks for the kind words. Happily for you, there will be a new place opening up in Kings Street very soon, down St Georges End, the owner will do good coffee. In the meantime keeping coming to Core :) Say hello next time you're in so we can meet you.

Cheers,
Corey

As a bit of a coffee afficionado, I was pretty impressed by the list put forward on this site as 'must visits' in WA, as they pretty well matched up with what I would have put.

My more recent take on it is:

- Cimbalino Dalkeith (about a month and a half ago, just great)
- Oxford 130's, Leederville (still a WA landmark, I just wish I knew what was in the blend!!!)
- Cafe Cafe Subi
- Globe Mt Lawley
- Vans Cottesloe

I must admit I generally seem to have a good coffee when it is Essenza... but then again, it's pretty hard to beat OX 130 - they do it well and have done for quite some time..

Just what I thought

Hey all, just a quick note to let you all know that I no longer have a business interest in Core Espresso. We sold it a few weeks ago and are starting a new espresso bar in West Perth called Epic Espresso. We will be open in the middle of September and welcome coffee fanatics in at anytime to talk coffee or to try our custom blend or single origin varietals. If you love coffee please drop in and introduce yourself.

Cheers,
Corey

As a soy only coffee addict, I cannot go past Cino To Go at the moment.
In particular QV1 and 182 St Georges are delivering a very consistent product that is hard to find elsewhere. They are only using Vitasoy Original (Red), which I think makes the difference and obviously the barista must know the subtle differences in preparing soy vs non soy.

I haven't tried a soy coffee from Core as they were only using So Good, and is just not the same unfortunately - even though there non soy coffees are fantastic. Soto Mt Lawley also served up a delicious soy using Vitasoy late last night which was superb.

If anyone knows of any other places to try for a good soy coffee, I'd love to hear about it.

Hey D, although soy milk is certainly not the best way to experience the full flavour nuances of coffee. Come into Epic (Outram Street, West Perth) and I promise you the best soy coffee you've had in your life!

Cheers mate,
Corey

I went into epic espresso for coffee and it was very intimadating. I was asked a million questions and in the end, my coffee came out wrong( i had an espresso). It was over extracted and tasted burnt. I was very dissapointed. The best coffee I have had in west perth was at Club Zero Cafe on hay street before it went under renovations. Worth a try.

Hey mate, really sorry that your first impression of us wasn't that good. Can I ask you in what way did the order got mixed up? Would love to make ammends, if you'll give us another opportunity to.

Cheers,
Corey

Hi Vespresso, at Epic we have rigorous quality control standards in place and the baristas are unable to serve coffee unless it successfully passes multiple coffee quality parameters. Due to this I would have to argue that the coffee was in fact not over-extracted or burnt. Can you tell me your credentials and coffee experience in rating our coffee? I'm not mentioning this to humiliate you but rather to ascertain whether you have any professional coffee judging abilities as I have supreme confidence in my baristas and coffee quality controls. In regard to getting an order wrong, well yes that's possible and for that I apologise if we did in fact get the order wrong. What did you ask for?

Cheers,
Corey

Went into Club Zero today as recommended above. Pretty ordinary coffee actually. Ordered a ristretto, It's the hardest coffee to pull off successfully. Tell tale signs of pale crema indicating a pour speed that is too quick. Thin, watery texture and bitter aftertaste which indicates incorrect brew water temperature, incorrect shot speed and incorrect shot cut-off. Certainly nowhere near the best in Perth.

Cheers,
Corey

i enjoy 130s, however is does depend on who's behind the machine.
Tiger tiger makes great coffee and has a great atmosphere, Atomic in south perth is great also, it reminds me of what 130s would be if it were opened new