Tasmania’s Coffee Scene – Introduction
During the long period that we have been monitoring the food and drinks scene in Tasmania we have noticed both good and bad developments. Bad things that have happened include the increased use of systemic sprays in the agricultural sector which cause harm to our health and the health of the soils.
Also, a cause of distress to us is the difficulty in finding fresh, local fish that have been treated with the care they deserve. Much of the local catch is shipped off to the Melbourne markets (and often then sold to Tasmanian outlets from there) or sent overseas making it difficult for locals to enjoy the bounty that lies off our shores.
However, we have been lucky in other areas. There are more and more small producers of organic produce selling their products at markets throughout the state or directly to customers. Just recently we sat in the window at Tom McHugo’s pub and watched stunning organic produce being unloaded and carried to the kitchen.
There are also some fine restaurants opening, with chefs with international experience behind the stove at excellent places such as Fico, Dier Makr, Ogee, Tom McHugo’s, Marla Singer and the Trophy Room.
There are also internationally experienced chefs without restaurants doing amazing things via popups including Lilly Trewartha who has spent time cooking at Peg in London, Luke Burgess who has helmed restaurants and popups in France, Japan and the United Kingdom and Analiese Gregory (formerly of Quay in Sydney) who has also cooked at too many places to list but which include Restaurant Michel Bras and Mugaritz – two of the top restaurants in the world.
And now to the other success story – coffee! Coffee was always a source of contention. It was almost impossible to find a decent coffee anywhere thirty years ago and even ten years ago once you ventured outside Hobart your chances of finding an espresso that was drinkable was zero.
But now we have a vibrant coffee scene with a significant number of places roasting carefully-sourced beans from top suppliers throughout the world. We also have cafes that have installed proper equipment to grind the beans and transform them into an espresso or latte or drip filter or pour-over brew.
Tasmania’s Coffee Scene – Best Locations
We have included many of the best places in the coffee scene elsewhere on this Web site, so we will only provide an introduction to the best here and then provide a link to each so that you can read more about them through the stories we have written.
Pilgrim Coffee
Pilgrim Coffee is a leading provider of excellent coffee in the Hobart coffee scene led by coffee guru Will Priestley. They have now set up their own roastery at Shake a Leg in Moonah to give them more control over the beans they are using.
Read their story at the following link:
Straight Up
Straight Up vies with Pilgrim for the mantle of best in the Hobart coffee scene. They have their own roasting venue in suburban Moonah where they roast top quality beans with a light hand. They have a very good selection of our preferred naturally processed beans.
Read their story at the following link:
Somewhere Coffee Bar
Somewhere Coffee Bar has now been in Hobart for long enough for a dedicated following (including us) to gather here regularly to see what treasures the owner, Brian has found for delicious pour-over or filter coffees. We have thoroughly enjoyed the coffees here and also enjoyed having such choice of premium beans that are sourced by the owner in Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Finland and where-ever else he finds good products. Brian has had a very positive influence on the Hobart coffee scene.
Yellow Bernard
Yellow Bernard has a very strong following especially in the early morning and mid-morning as nearby office workers descend for their caffeine fix. They have a strong program of single origin coffees.
Read their story at the following link:
Trophy Room
Trophy Room in Argyle Street, North Hobart is a vibrant restaurant/cafe where you can drop in for a coffee with breakfast or any time during the day. They serve coffee from local roaster Villino.
Wondr.
This is a relatively new location set up by the owners of Villino in Moonah. there is both a factory space for their roasting business and a cafe at the front which serves very good coffee.
Villino
Villino is a long term player in the Hobart coffee scene being both a café and a roastery (on a different site). They not only supply their own beans they are a source of coffee for a number of the best places in Hobart including Audrey and Pigeon Hole. They also own nearby Ecru.
Read their story at the following link:
Wide Awake Specialty Coffee
This is an apt name for a coffee specialist. These are the people who previously were part owners of the sadly missed Sandy Bay venue Sash.
They have now taken over a site on the corner of Tasma and Elizabeth St in behind a hairdresser that occupies that corner. The coffee here is serious and they provide a great service by opening very early (6am) on weekdays. They also open on weekends but an hour or so later.
We like their coffee very much.
Pigeon Hole Café
Pigeon Hole café was formerly run by the now owners of Pigeon Whole Bakers, hence the similarity in their names. This café is very popular and serves Villino coffee to neighbourhood locals and tourists who come here to enjoy the caffeine and the produce supplied by owners Weston Farm.
Read their story at the following link:
Audrey Coffee
Audrey made the brave move of opening on Hobart’s Eastern Shore, an area not noted for excellence in food and drinks. However, their excellent coffee, cheery dispositions and tasty food have made them a firm local fixture, even to the extent of opening another venue. The owners previously worked for Villino and source some of their beans from them as well as key suppliers interstate and overseas.
Read their story at the following link:
Marla Singer
Marla Singer is both a great place to go for breakfast or lunch (and now they also do some dinner service). However it is also a good place for dropping in for a Villino Coffee and one of their excellent pastries.
Parklane Espresso
Parkland Espresso is crouched in a corner of Salamanca Square quite close to our office, so we are often in there as it the best choice in the Salamanca area. They always have single origin beans from somewhere exotic and their daily blend is supplied by Zimmah Coffee, the local roasters.
Read their story at the following link:
Shake a Leg Jr
Shake a Leg Jr is situated in Moonah a suburb that is becoming favoured by young hipsters who have been attracted by the lower house purchase and rental prices here. It has recently been taken over by the Priestly mini-empire. Our most recent coffee here after the takeover was excellent
Read their story at the following link:
Bread + Butter
Bread + Butter is one of our favourite cafes in Tasmania. They have a special knowledge of coffee here and source the beans from some of Australia’s best roasters. It is well-worth a visit to sample your choice of coffee and you can also buy packs of the beans to take home.
Read their story at the following link:
Princes Square Bar
Princes Square Bar is one of our favourite places for coffee in Launceston. This tiny place run by Damien Webber manages to squeeze into a tiny space opposite the namesake park all that you need for a pleasant breakfast or a quick caffeine hit.
Little Bay Pâtisserie
Little Bay Pâtisserie is a great place to drop into for one of their famous pastries and a cup of very good, Tasmanian roasted coffee. We like this place a lot.
Governors – Bicheno
When in Bicheno we sometimes alternate a visit to Little Bay Pâtisserie with a visit to Governors where the coffee is also very good.
Swims East Coast Coffee – Scamander
Swims East Coast Coffee is an the southern entrance to Scamander on Tasmania’s beautiful East Coast. Their coffee program is very strong and we always look forward to our visits here.
Read their story at the following link:
Off Center – Launceston
Off Center is a great place to go for a very good coffee. It is only a very short walk from the central Mall in Launceston. Their coffee is roasted to their specification by Hutch Coffee.
Read their story at the following link:
You can find other places to drink coffee outside Tasmania on our foodtourist.com Website.
Infuse Coffee Roasters
It might be out of the way in the semi-industrial part of Burnie, but this place turns out some very good coffee from beans that they select and roast themselves. Easily the best coffee in Burnie!