Laxor Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Why does Australia do it so much better? Due to the UKs proximity to Europe I'm surprised generally at lack of variety and service. Does it also come down to consumer demand? The coffee in the UK is like what you found in Australia 20 years ago. The pub culture is great but when you have work mates in London raving about the quality of coffee at starbuck's one starts to wonder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Cafe culture is alive and kicking in London.Not sure why your colleagues are getting excited about Starbucks! There's plenty more (and better) to choose from. Outside London is a bit more variable though - but still improving nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Cafe culture is alive and kicking in London.Not sure why your colleagues are getting excited about Starbucks! There's plenty more (and better) to choose from. Outside London is a bit more variable though - but still improving nonetheless. I'd love to know where it's improving exactly, it might make a difference to where we choose to go! The coffee in Southampton is uniformly terrible - we found one place in Hamble but that's it so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 We had so many Italian migrants here over the years it would be strange if we didn't have a good cafe culture. You don't get instant coffee these days, thank goodness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickyplum Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'd love to know where it's improving exactly, it might make a difference to where we choose to go! The coffee in Southampton is uniformly terrible - we found one place in Hamble but that's it so far. Sadly my coffee tasting travels have not been extensive enough for me to provide a list yet I've had good coffee in large university towns/cities such as Oxford, Norwich, Liverpool, Edinburgh and more places that I can't remember. Not much help I'm afraid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Sadly my coffee tasting travels have not been extensive enough for me to provide a list yet I've had good coffee in large university towns/cities such as Oxford, Norwich, Liverpool, Edinburgh and more places that I can't remember. Not much help I'm afraid! Well that's why I thought I might find it in Southampton too, since it has a big uni. However while there's a pub on every corner - and often two or three in a row on the same street - there are very few independent coffee shops. We went to Salisbury yesterday and had a good coffee in the first random coffee shop we tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bungo Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Before I moved to Australia, I used to go to Starbucks and everyone laughed at me when I arrived in Sydney. After a little while, I moved onto to different coffees and before long I couldn't believe that I actually once liked Starbucks. Now I am back in the UK and Starbucks and Costa don't seem so bad again. No one will ever accuse me of being a coffee snob! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfustu Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I don't get the "coffee culture" thing at all.....if you go to Italy its either a standard black coffee or an expresso little one, super strong and super sweet....all this latte and cappuccino rubbish with cream and all the bells and whistles???.....its all a gimmick to make money. I was driving home from Glastonbury yesterday having had about 8 hrs sleep in the past 4 days.....I was drifting off too sleep whilst driving so stopped in a motorway service station.....went into starbucks and asked for a cup of coffee.....what followed was the most ridiculous conversation I have had in a while asking if I want a latte....cream....long....short.....a cup of coffee please.....latte on the bottom.....coffee on top then milk?......no!.....a cup of coffee......oh.....an americano......whats that (i said).....its coffee and milk.....@#/#!.......seriously......and I paid £2.75 for it!......what a rip off that was.....just unbelievable that coffee has come to this.....I dont get. My view is.....forget about this migrant Italian influence.....this is about large American corporate business being welcomed into Australia because Australians want to be like Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caramac Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Coffee is different all over the world, isn't it? What you get in Spain is different from what's served in France, Poland, Italy, Austria, Germany..... My eldest is in Russia at the moment and says that's a different experience again! I guess it's what different places want and are used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 My (Aussie) husband loves Starbucks! He should know better eh? Me, I prefer a cuppa tea any day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I don't get the "coffee culture" thing at all.....if you go to Italy its either a standard black coffee or an expresso little one, super strong and super sweet....all this latte and cappuccino rubbish with cream and all the bells and whistles???.....its all a gimmick to make money. Actually when I speak about cafe culture, that's not what I'm talking about. My oh drinks black coffee - a long black in Australia. He's almost despaired of finding a drinkable long black in the South of England. I do drink latte but it's the quality of the underlying coffee I'm disappointed with, not whether there's a range of coffee styles to choose from. To me, coffee appreciation is about the brew, what you add to it is icing on the cake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi69 Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I don't think the UK has any sort of cafe culture where coffee is concerned. they do have some great tea shops though. I like both tea and coffee but coffee seems a way of life here in Aus . Last month while back in the UK I just give up trying to find a decent cup of coffee. Starbucks, Costa etc do like you to think that your experiencing the whole coffee lifestyle but in reality they are just a chain of coffee shops selling coffee. Not like in Aus and other countries, where the whole cafe culture is part of life and where they take pride in making you a coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 So which Aussie city has the best cafe culture? Traditionally it's meant to be Melbourne, but I think it is clearly Brisbane these days :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 So which Aussie city has the best cafe culture? Traditionally it's meant to be Melbourne, but I think it is clearly Brisbane these days :wink: Well Canberra has the 2015 World Champion Barista :tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi69 Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I've had great coffee in Perth and Sydney:cool: my time in Brisbane doesn't hold any memories of great coffee:mad: but....maybe I just went to the wrong places in Brisbane :tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 To be honest I think you can get the best coffee in your home city as you know where to go. Would have thought Perth was too pommy for good coffee :tongue: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 We have some excellent coffee shops here in Cambridge but, I will admit, the experience can be variable - as it can in Aus. Canberra has some good coffee shops but you're struggling in other places to find anything other than instant Nescafé. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Don't think I have ever been served instant in oz. Everywhere seems to have an espresso machine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 If you've got a great pub culture who needs a cafe culture. A lot of pubs serve coffee anyway and the atmosphere is fine in the pub. Also Aus has a lot of cafe's where you can sit outside in the nice weather and have a chat with friends. I know it's hot at the moment there but generally speaking you are sat inside with screaming kids in puschairs. Before you even get to the quality of the coffee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booma Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Don't think I have ever been served instant in oz. Everywhere seems to have an espresso machine... even the little village we live in nsw serves proper coffee. the only place i ever saw instant was at the supermarket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Who says they do? Much prefer UK cafes and tea rooms no equivilant that I ever found in Perth at all. Cafes are DIFFERENT in Australia (or at least they were in the 4 cities I went to) not better, which you prefer is personal. I'd agree coffee is usually made better and I have pretty much given up drinking it now after too many (expensive) disappointments - Cafe Nero is as good as it gets where I live (& I have to travel 5 miles for that!) but that's because we're a nation of tea drinkers. Maybe the post should be why does Australia do coffee culture so much better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambethlad Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Oz does everything better than the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 To me, coffee appreciation is about the brew, what you add to it is icing on the cake. Or, in the case of latte, it's a bit of cake in the icing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Brits don't understand what a long black is. You have to ask for an americano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Brits don't understand what a long black is. You have to ask for an americano. Where I come from, it was known as a "black coffee". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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