• Rationale: My Cappuccino Ratings provide basic survival information of a coffee kind (perhaps also view Cairns Living info). The ratings are re-calibrated as often as possible: Canberra - Dec 2005; Melbourne and Lygon Street, Carlton - Dec 2004, Sept 2006, Jan 2008.

• Fair Trade Coffee: There is a more serious side to coffee production world-wide and this OXFAM web site lists Australian roasters who process fair trade coffee. Note that roasters processing Australian grown coffee could be considered fair.

• Update Cairns/June 2009:
  • The current best coffee in Cairns is at Dolce & Caffe, Shop 1, 53-59 Shields Street (next to the Regional Gallery), where David Calcagno scores a 9 with Segafredo coffee and a Tuscan style Almond Shortbread (i.e. sort of like a Ricciarelli). (found by C. Perez)
  • Other good Cairns coffee locations:
    • Twelve BC (i.e. Twelve Bar and Cafe) with Numero Uno coffee at city square - found by MM;
    • The Coffee Bean (Earleville Shopping Centre) with Lavazza - found by A. and C. Perez;
    • Nu Nu Restaurant (Palm Cove) with Vittorria coffee and great food - found by A. and C. Perez.
    • Fusion Organics with Genovese coffee and exceptional food (located in the old ambulance building in the CBD). The Genovese coffee should be tried without sugar as you indulge their excellent sweeter options.

• Training and Equipment:
  • In case you thought Australians were not serious about their coffee: there is an Australian National Training registered course for espresso preparation, ANTA training code THHBFB12B, for which Pearson publish the text Barista: A guide to Espresso Coffee.
  • Here is a recent (2008 verified) NSW Board of Studies link to THHBFB12B. For information on course schedules, try this search link.
  • Cold press technology? See the Cold Drip Coffee Maker (brought to my attention by Carrie L).
  • The Illy Company produces the FrancisFrancis! range designed by Italian architect Luca Trazzi (brought to my attention by Linden W).
  • ThinkGeek supply the Handpresso Portable Espresso Maker.

• Current Coffee Results:

  Dolce & Caffe (street view) Shop 1, 53-59 Shields St. Cairns 0740412124.	9
  Coffee Bean Earleville Shopping Centre, Earleville, Cairns.	8.8-8.9
  Twelve BC City Square, Cnr Shields and Lake Streets, Cairns. 0740312912
  Fusion Organics Cnr Aplin and Grafton Streets, Cairns. 0740511388	8.7-8.8
  Nu Nu Restaurant 123 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove. 0740591884	8.7
  Donnini's Ciao Italia The Pier, Cairns.
  Biscotti Edge Hill shops, Cairns.	8.5
  Safe Soul Organics Smithfield Shopping Centre.	8.5
  Brunetti's (street view) Cnr Lygon and Faraday Streets, Carlton, Melbourne.	9
  Bar Milazzo Shop 6 Fayworth House, 379-383 Pitt Street, Sydney 2000. 0292648644	8.9
  The Thresherman's Bakehouse Faraday Street, Carlton, Melbourne.	8.5
  Crown Cafe Swanston Steet, Melbourne.	7.9
  Cafe Trevi Lygon Street, Carlton, Melbourne. (Cafe Trevi was previously a MacDonalds!)	7.9

  If I rated hot chocolates, then Brunetti's (194-204 Faraday Street, Carlton 3053, Australia) and Angelina's (226, rue de Rivoli, Paris 75001) would be at the top of the list.

• Notes:

  • Highly Recommended:
    • The Black Mountain blend from The Coffee Works, especially when taken at their headquarters Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands.
    • (from G. Coath) St. Ali, Q Eleven.
  • The Vittoria Coffee home page is http://www.vittoriacoffee.com. See also their coffee art.
  • Need infrastructure and ingredients via an on-line service? Perhaps check out The Coffee Works and My Coffee Shop.
  • The Cafe Guide people are collating a set of ratings on coffee and chocolate (and paid advertising :-) which seems to check out OK so far as Melbourne Australia goes. They are based in Vancouver.
  • RFC 2324 ( Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol, HTCPCP/1.0, Copyright (C) The Internet Society 1998). Unlimited copying permitted.

Jun 29 2009