CAFÉ SCENE

REGIMENT 333 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000 Open Monday to Friday 7am to 4pm (02) 9299 4001

After 20 years of experience in hospitality, Zach Hiotis had a vision to bring something fresh to the Sydney CBD. In early 2017, Regiment was born, and on the verge of its third anniversary, Zach says the café is continuing to go from strength to strength.

“Regiment is a collective progression of everything I’ve done over the years. I really wanted to bring a higher end offering to the CBD market,” Zach says.

“The aim was to create a mix of a destination café and a traditional CBD café. Something that would cross people’s minds to visit when they came into the city, but that could also meet the fast-paced requirements of city workers.”

Regiment gets its name from its location, sitting on the shoulder of Regimental Square in the heart of the CBD. The pedestrianised area serves as a memorial to the Royal Australian Regiment’s campaigns in Asia from the start of the Korean War in 1950 to the end of the Vietnam War in 1972.

The café uses Veneziano Coffee’s Estate Blend and rotates single origins for its black coffee, something Zach believes is extremely important in a competitive business environment.

“I’ve really seen Sydney grow as black coffee drinkers so one thing we wanted to nail was a really good black. Our coffees are of the highest grade,” he says.

“I’m super excited with the relationship I have with Veneziano. I can see myself growing with them and customer reception to the coffee has been phenomenal.”

Staying ahead of the curve is imperative to Zach and he says he is

Regiment’s coffee bar features an Übermilk, Mythos 2 grinder, and KB90 espresso machine.

always exploring new trends, products, and technologies to improve the café.

“I was the first to bring Übermilk to Australia and I saw the [Victoria Arduino] Mythos 2 grinder trend really early. Our latest installation is the La Marzocco KB90. All these things collectively speed up our operation and increase quality,” Zach says.

“Running an effective café isn’t only about equipment though – it’s a combination of being progressive, using great coffee, and having a strong team.”

In terms of food, Regiment has a commercial kitchen and offers a full breakfast and lunch menu that caters to on-the-go office workers and those looking to sit inhouse.

“We are quite selective in who we partner with and source artisanal, specialty producers. We see our suppliers as more of a collaboration and we think that translates to really good food,” Zach says.

Regiment’s layout was designed by Sydney-based business Porter and Maple and was shortlisted for an Eat Drink and Design Award in 2017.

“Regiment has a small footprint but maximises space. Within a 45-squaremetre layout we’ve got some of the most impressive espresso bar concepts, a full commercial kitchen, and seating for 34 people,” Zach says.

With Regiment almost three years in, Zach says he is still enjoying the challenges of hospitality and is looking forward to seeing the business continue to grow.

“We’ve got a couple of exciting plans for the future. I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I can honestly say I still love doing this every day. I get a real kick out of seeing customers leaving happy and satisfied.”

VILICIA COFFEE 39 Murray Street, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000 Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 4pm, Saturday 7am to 12pm (03) 6231 5688

As busy office workers in Hobart rush to start their day, there is one place they know they can stop for quality coffee and breakfast on the go.

Vilicia Coffee, the first child of founders Alicia Liu and Viv Xiao, has been a Murray Street staple since its arrival in 2014. While their second creation, Bear With Me, is a

Vilicia Coffee has built a small community of coffee aficionados in Hobart.

place to sit back and relax, Vilicia Coffee has a different dynamic that suits its CBD location.

“Vilicia is very coffee-focused, with nice and simple food,” Alicia says.

Although customer interactions are usually brief, Alicia says they have still been able to create a culture of coffee aficionados.

“Slowly, you start to build up this little community. You get people coming in, knowing nothing, to knowing exactly what you’re talking about. You discuss flavour notes every day, sometimes you discuss roasts, sometimes you discuss the processing method. It’s just nice having this

communication,” Alicia says.

“Rather than just getting up and getting a coffee, [our customers] actually drink their coffee for the flavour and for the service.”

Vilicia uses Ona Coffee’s The Founder as its house blend, which it complements with a small selection of rotating single origins from guest roasters. Alicia says Vilicia’s partnership with Ona has been vital.

“They’re just amazing. It’s just a whole, huge, amazing team. They give us all this support throughout everything, and with the options and the menus of the selections of roasts and beans and all that,” Alicia says.

“It’s nice having that support from Ona, who are one of the leading teams of the industry with that passion. I think passion is very important.”

A seasonal menu features a range of takeaway brioche buns, often filled with egg and bacon or, in summer, fresh Tasmanian salmon.

“They are really popular. People can come in, grab their coffee, and grab their favourite brioche bun on the go. It’s just the perfect way to start the day,” Alicia says.

From the coffee to the customers, Alicia says it’s important to enjoy your work as a café owner.

“You don’t just do it because you’re doing it,” she says. “You do it because you love it.”

BUDDY ESPRESSO 12 Lloyd Street, Strathmore, Victoria, 3041 Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 3:30pm, Saturday 7am to 3pm (03) 7015 0873

When best friends Eugene Coghlan, Alastair Hall, Marc Nanfro, and Jared Bryan decided to open their second café, the idea was to create an intimate, relaxed space that focused on bringing quality coffee to the local community.

“Buddy Espresso’s main offering is the coffee. We’re a very beverage-focused café. We offer Toby’s Estate’s Brunswick as our house blend and rotate their single origins for our filter coffee,” Eugene says.

The custom-built eucalyptus green La Marzocco PB Linea is headed by Michael Healey, a hospitality expert who roasted coffee for nine years in his native New Zealand.

Michael, like the rest of the staff, was hired based on his personality as well as his skillset in order to create a tightknit, collaborative atmosphere.

“We’ve handpicked our staff so that the team gels really well. It creates a great energy in the shop and that positive vibe spreads to our customers,” Eugene says.

Buddy Espresso takes its name from the relationship between its owners and is the group’s second venture, after opening Jack and Daisy in Pascoe Vale eight years ago.

“My three partners were groomsmen at my wedding. We’re all best friends, so the name is a play on that,” Eugene says.

When it came to establishing Buddy Espresso, the group of friends spotted a vacant property at 12 Lloyd Street in Strathmore and viewed it as the perfect spot to open a local café. Since then, Eugene says the team is thoroughly enjoying being part of a community of traders in the area.

“Strathmore is a true village. We get our meat from the butcher next door and our fruit and veg from the shop two doors down. It’s a full local shop network, which is really nice to be part of, and our customers are a part of that too,” he says.

As for food, Buddy Espresso serves a traditional café menu with many classics, but Eugene says the simplest items are the most popular.

“The most commonly sold item is a humble toastie that’s done really well because we use premium ingredients,” Eugene says.

The shop’s aesthetic is modern, clean, and minimalist, something which Eugene

Buddy Espresso takes its name from the relationship between its owners.

beanscenemag.com.au 73 says the group of owners proudly designed and put together themselves.

“When we took the keys, it was just four walls. We designed everything from the ground up. Personally, that’s the most rewarding part – we created it all ourselves, just four best mates,” he says.

Besser Kitchen and Brew Bar serves blends, single origins, and premium coffees from Campos Coffee.

BESSER KITCHEN AND BREW BAR 6/116 Coonawarra Road, Winnellie, Northern Territory, 0820 Open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 3pm, Saturday 7:30am to 2pm (08) 8984 3254

Though Besser Kitchen and Brew Bar takes its name from the besser blocks that make up its building, the café uses wood panelling, poli shed concrete floors, and greenery to lighten the space.

“Traditionally, Winnellie is an industrial area, but more corporate businesses are starting to open up here. It wasn’t the sort of place where you would find a sit-down venue. Everything was more of a takeaway style,” Director Lisa Heames says.

“It has been lovely to bring that type of service to the area and people have really embraced it – enjoying a leisurely breakfast instead of a coffee on the run.”

Since opening in 2016, Besser Kitchen and Brew Bar has served Campos Coffee’s Su perior Blend as their house blend and some of the finest single origins around the world for both espresso and filter. Recently, the café was able to offer the award-winning Esmeralda Geisha Super Mario from Panama.

“Campos has been amazing. They supported us from the start, were very hands on with installing the machines, and continue to run training for our new staff and also to upskill our knowledgeable team when Campos tweaks its recipes and procedures,” Lisa says.

Besser Kitchen and Brew Bar also features a diverse food and drink menu. The café is licensed from 11am and offers a range of craft beers, wines, and martinis, including a “nostalgic” Milo martini.

On the non-alcoholic side, Besser Kitchen and Brew Bar makes its sodas inhouse using seasonal flavours.

“People are looking for fresh unique offerings, not just something squirted out of a bottle,” Lisa says. “In Darwin, we haven’t got as much access to that farm-totable [movement] as you’d get down south, but people really like knowing that we’ve made that ourselves.”

Other standouts on the menu include a gluten-free dark chocolate brownie with white choc chips, crispy fried chicken burger with pickles and purple slaw, soft spiced lamb taco with mango chutney, and pulled pork toasty served with jalapeños, house barbecue sauce, and chilli fries.

From food and drinks to cutlery and crockery, Besser Kitchen and Brew Bar makes an effort to be sustainable and eco-friendly. In the last few years, Lisa says the number of customers using reusable cups has gone from only a handful to nearly half.

“We’re passionate about doing our part for the environment,” Lisa says. “We’re phasing out as much single-use plastic as we can, replacing it with ecofriendly alternatives like plant-based non-plastic straws, and donating our used coffee grounds for composting.”

This sustainable approach has endeared Besser Kitchen and Brew Bar to its community and attracted a dedicated team of employees.

“We’ve been able to build nice relationships with our customers, and watch the development of our staff,” Lisa says. “Growing the business and owning two cafés, there’s been room for progression and more responsibility to give to people. It’s been nice to see our staffgrow along side us.”

POUR AND TWIST 13 Garrett St, Te Aro, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 8:30am to 5pm

While New Zealand often lays claim to having invented the flat white, Pour and Twist in Wellington has taken a different direction, serving only filter coffee.

The manual brew bar saw some teething pains when it opened in 2017, but the local community has come to embrace its artisanal approach to coffee making.

“We have no espresso machine and everything is brewed by hand,” Co-owner Elaine Loh says.

“There’s more to it than just downing a coffee. It’s about the whole process, actually tasting what you’re drinking, being mindful and aware of the bean-to-cup process. It’s a connection with our customers as well and getting to know what they like. It means a lot when customers come in and order a black coffee and say ‘wow, it doesn’t taste burnt or bitter’.”

Elaine and her partner Zuyi’s interest in hand-brewed coffee began about five years ago.

“Filter was taking off in Wellington around the same time. A few years later

MANLY KITCHEN 50 Cambridge Parade, Manly, Queensland, 4179 Open seven days 7am to 4pm (07) 3191 1841

While not as famous as its beachy New South Wales namesake, the Queensland coastal town of Manly has become a boating hotspot, home to a number of clubs and the largest boat harbour facility in the Southern Hemisphere.

Pour and Twist serves exclusively hand-brewed coffee in Wellington.

it died down and cafés embraced quicker options like batch brew,” Elaine says.

“After a while, you really start to miss that handmade feel. Batch brews can be great, but nothing beats a hand brew. It’s also a point of difference for us and fills a gap in the market.”

Pour and Twist uses multiple brewing methods including V60, Chemex, AeroPress, and cold drip to highlight a frequently changing coffee menu, featuring a rotation of roasters from around New Zealand such as Flight Coffee, Rocket Coffee, Rich Coffee, Vanguard Coffee, and Silverskin Coffee.

Pour and Twist takes its coffee offering

Manly Kitchen, just off the coast, incorporates the town’s boating history into its interior with a set of oars proudly adorned on its walls below the café’s name. A blue and white colour scheme, wooden tables and seating, and a colourful espresso bar combine to create a friendly, modern, and fun atmosphere.

Owner Martin Tang says this was the goal when he opened the café in 2017.

“I had over 20 years of experience as a chef in hotels, clubs, catering, and multi-star restaurants and was looking for

even further with a menu of specialty drinks and recipes. Popular drink the Grey Marble includes activated charcoal powder, coffee or chocolate, maple, cream, and milk served over ice.

Orange Choffee is another crowd favourite, using freshly brewed coffee filtered through an orange peel over blocks of chocolate topped with creamy froth and chocolate shavings.

“We’ve also added a new drink called Salted Creamy Cascara,” Elaine says. “Cascara is the skin off of a coffee cherry and the drink is kind of like a coffee tea, but we add a salted cream on top that makes it really nice and refreshing.”

beanscenemag.com.au 75 a change and a challenge,” Martin says.

“We’ve seen a lot of local support, especially with the market down the road. It brings in customers while giving us access to local produce and suppliers.”

Manly Kitchen runs Mocopan Coffee’s Pasquale as its house blend through a custom-built black and gold Victoria Arduino Black Eagle espresso machine.

“I was looking to change our roaster and was introduced to Mocopan Coffee by one of our baristas. Since then, they’ve provided us with great service, training, and even equipment,” Martin says.

“The customers love the coffee and we’ve found it more stable, consistent, and easier for our baristas to handle.”

The food menu contains many Australian brunch and café standards, from house-made granola to the everpopular smashed avo, though Martin says Manly Kitchen has slowly sprinkled in specials with an Asian influence.

“We recently offered a sweet vinegar braised pork belly bao and a kimchi omelette. Soon, we’ll be serving a waffle with red bean paste, green tea ice cream, mochi, and passionfruit caviar,” Martin says.

“It’s been good to offer these creative dishes. I love seeing people eating and enjoying our food and coffee.”

Maurizio Marcocci is the Director of Service Sphere.

Boiler 101

Maurizio Marcocci of Service Sphere compares single, twin, and multi boiler systems and explains why one is sometimes better than two.

76 beanscenemag.com.au A n espresso machine is a complex piece of equipment, which only becomes more so as manufacturers add new features and technologies to improve coffee quality.

An obvious example is the boiler. The original espresso machines, or simpler modern models, use one boiler to heat and maintain water at a set temperature before it is pumped into the group head.

But from the 1960s and 1970s onwards, heat exchangers and twin and multi-boiler systems were introduced to allow espresso machines to heat water to the different levels needed for the steam wands or multiple group heads.

Over the years, other features have even been added to boilers to improve their performance and consistency. Some of these innovations include: • Proportional integral derivative (PID) control: Continuously measuring and regulating the boiler temperature so that it stays exactly at what’s needed to make the perfect cup of coffee. • Smart Boiler Technology: LaCimbali’s smart boiler technology manages the barista’s water usage and constantly injects mains water into the service boiler to suit, as opposed to waiting for large refills. This minimises recovery time and prevents sudden temperature drops during peak hours, while maintaining thermal stability.

While you might assume multiple boilers are better, it is not always the case. Single boilers still have their place and twin or multi boilers can come with drawbacks, so let’s look at the pros and cons of each system.

The La Cimbali M34 is a single boiler machine that caters to high-volume environments.

SINGLE BOILER Many domestic and commercial coffee machines feature a single boiler where one boiler is used to heat water to the set temperature for brewing, as well as producing steam for steaming milk.

PROS • A single boiler, such as the La Cimbali

M27, features a simple design with fewer components than a twin or multi boiler machine, making servicing easily available • Single boiler machines with PID control have the ability to adjust brew temperature independently ofsteam pressure

• Single boiler machines like the La Cimbali M34 are usually more affordable for those operating on a budget, while providing a solution which will cater to high volume environments.

CONS • There is a higher chance of temperature fluctuations, especially when making multiple extractions and steaming milk all at once • There’s also the inability to set brew temperature independent to steam pressure • In general, single boiler machines have smaller boilers with less capacity than other models.

TWIN AND MULTI BOILER In twin boiler machines, cold water from the mains line connection is pumped into two boilers, usually one dedicated to the steam and hot water, and the other a dedicated coffee boiler to cater for all group heads. Water in the steam boiler is heated to provide the desired steam pressure. Water in the brew boiler is heated to the desired brew temperature. Usually, the temperature of each boiler can be independently adjusted.

Multi boilers operate in a similar way, with the exception of additional coffee boilers (one for each group head). This means if you have a two-group machine, you will have two coffee boilers and one steam boiler.

PROS • Independent brew temperatures and steam pressure adjustments are available on the espresso machine • There’s less effort required to get consistent brew temperature • Usually these machines offer higher levels of electronic functionality such as pre-infusion, temperature, and pressure profiling adjustments • On some multi boiler machines, such as the LaCimbali M100, there are more electronic components to eliminate breakdowns, such as pressur e stats.

CONS • Twin and multi boiler machines have more complex design with more components so less service providers in some areas • They are more expensive than comparable single boiler machines.

While a twin or multi-boiler model will generally offer a more consistent coffee and ability to steam milk, there are cases where a single boiler better suits the situation.

This includes where the machine is being installed and when price is a consideration. When it comes to coffee, sometimes simple is better. It’s always best to consult the professionals when considering what type of coffee machine best suits your environment.

For more information, visit www.servicesphere.com.au