Did you know that there are certain types of coffee that were born in Australia including Long black, Flat white, Piccolo and Magic? Those might look no different from the coffee we know in Korea, but there are distinct differences in many ways including the ratio and amount of coffee, milk and water to satisfy Australian people’s picky taste about coffee. Australia is also well known for being the first place in the world to fail Starbucks. In 2008, they closed 61 stores out of 87 existing stores across the country. One of the reasons why they failed is that visiting a coffee shop means much more than just drinking a cup of coffee. It is one of the most important parts of Aussie people’s daily lives and culture.
Before the European explorers arrived in the Australian continent in the 1800s, there were only the people called Aborigine living throughout the continent. As there was no coffee grown before the appearance of white settlers, Australian continent had nothing to do with coffee before then. The white settlers arrived with various supplies including flour, sugar, tea and coffee. That was how coffee arrived in Australia for the first time and it spreaded out through the continent. Among the cities of Australia, Melbourne is well known for its coffee culture, and it is also a place where one of the largest international coffee events named “Melbourne International Coffee Expo” is held. People who brought coffee to Melbourne for the first time were Italian and Greek migrates that settled in the city after the World War II. “Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar” is the first café opened by Italian migrants named Leo Pellegrini and Vildo Pellegrini that served Italian original styled espresso using the espresso machine. It opened its business in 1954 and is still open for business and is described as one of Melbourne’s most iconic destinations. Also, there are many coffee-related tour packages running which guide you through different kinds of coffee shops around Melbourne, which might widen your experience and knowledge about coffee.
Then, what are the reasons why Starbucks failed in Australia? First of all, Aussie people prefer to have their coffee at small cafés run by the individuals. Coffee shop is not just a place where they buy and drink coffee. They love to have their own go-to coffee shop around their neighborhood where they get to communicate with the baristas and meet up with their friends. It should be considered a big part in their life in terms of social aspect. Second, Starbucks beans are darkly roasted that it might tasted “burnt” to Aussie people. Preference may differ between each person, but it is considered that they tend to prefer lightly roasted coffee. Lastly, due to the high labor cost of Australia, where the minimum wage per hour is 24 Australian dollars, they could not hire enough people to run the stores. Their existing business model did not work out well in Australia. Therefore, they are rather focusing on the travelers visiting Australia rather than making efforts to capture the heart of the natives.
Interview with the Sydneysiders about their Thoughts on Coffee
To get to know about the genuine thoughts about coffee of Aussie people, the Dongguk Post asked for some random interviews with five Sydneysiders, which means the residents of Sydney, and could hear what coffee means to them. First, we met three people enjoying their morning coffee at one locally famous coffee shop located around Surry Hills, Sydney, and met a couple walking around the famous Hyde Park with a cup of coffee on each of their hands.
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Hi, my name is Ian, and I live in Surry Hills, Sydney. This is one of my go-to coffee shop around my neighborhood. I visit here most days for a cup of flat white, which is my favorite coffee. I sometimes customize it by substituting oat milk for normal milk, but usually I order a normal one. Especially, I bring my own cup when I go to café because I believe saving plastic or paper waste would be better for the environment. Also, visiting a local coffee shop is a bit of a social thing for me as I get to chat with the baristas in the morning, have a nice little break from the office, and today, I got to meet you guys and have a little interview!
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My name is Jackie and I live in Sydney working for the government as an economist. I ordered an iced oat latte because it is a bit hot today. As an Australian, we love coffee, and we have it as a main part of the culture. We love to go out for a brunch, breakfast and lunch combined thing, and this place is one of the most popular brunch spots. You might have heard that franchised coffee brands are not that popular here. We really are picky and kind of snobby about coffee. Everyone wants to go to their own go-to café where they really focus on their coffee.
Hi, I am Suzy. I am Korean but I was born and raised in Australia. I have been living in Sydney since I was born. I remember that when I visited Korea in my childhood, you just order a specific coffee menu like americano, but you can not just order a coffee here. You have to choose what kind of coffee bean or milk you want, and even changing the menu the way you want is possible. I also know that Koreans love iced coffee. I do not know why but for me, I always get hot coffee even if it is like 30 degrees hot like it is today. I could definitely say about the coffee culture is that I live around Darling Harbor, and I go to the same café everyday where the baristas know my name and my favorite coffee. It is a really nice thing, and it even feels like being a family.
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My name is Adam. I also grew up in Sydney and I am working as a plumber. I started drinking coffee when I was at university just to get me through late night assignments, so at the beginning, I actually did not drink coffee because I loved it but on a specific purpose to wake me up. However, I have a certain type of coffee that I do like now, which is mocha as it is sweet flavor stops me having to add sugar. If it was such a really hot day that I would get sweaty out at work, I would probably have an iced coffee. However, it is not that of a hot day for the Australians, so I ordered a hot one as usual. Also, apart from the ice watering down the flavor, I like the heat that hot short shot of coffee gives me when I knock it over quick.
My name is Karinha. I live in north Sydney across the bridge, and I work in the city for a bank. I have been doing a bit of a health thing at the beginning of the year, so I am drinking a decaf these days. My favorite coffee is an oat milk flat white, and I have two to three cups of coffee every day. I usually go with a hot coffee because I think the ice waters down the flavor. Actually, we have a big coffee culture in my family and my dad used to make his own coffee at home like even brewing his own coffee at home. Therefore, I got to drink coffee from an early age, and I got to enjoy it very much. A cup of coffee is like a start of the day and even a social thing like having a coffee with friends and family.
How Much Did You Know about Coffee?
While staying in Melbourne, the Dongguk Post joined a packaged tour program which guided us through four different coffee shops around the city. Thanks to Monique, the tour guide, we could experience various types of coffee shops which are loved by the locals and also, while walking through the small lanes, she told us about various knowledge about coffee. Here are some of the stories that the Dongguk Post would like to share and it might help you have a much more enjoyable coffee life.
The espresso we know today is the result of several changes over time. First of all, there are two major varieties of coffee beans. Arabica, which can only be grown in the alpine region where temperature is consistent throughout the year, has aromatic scent, mild flavor and relatively low caffeine, accounts for about 60 percent of the overall production worldwide and is mainly used for high quality coffee. Robusta, on the other hand, is relatively cheaper and can also be grown in the hot climate and resistant to disease and insects due to its high caffeine. In the past, people blended different kinds of coffee beans, even up to thirty different kinds, to bring out the good scent and flavor.
In the past, people did not care which beans were in their coffee as the taste of the blend was what they only cared. As time passed by, people began to grade whether the coffee beans were good or bad and scored them from 0 to 100. Beans which score 80 or above is called “Specialty Coffee” and below ones are named “Commodity Coffee.” As the quality of the beans were importantly considered, the number of blends began to decrease, and efforts were made to bring out the inherent flavor of each bean. What we call single origin coffee is the coffee made from only one kind of bean. As the number of blend increases, the name changes like double origin, triple origin and more.
Even with a same kind of coffee bean, the flavor can change depending on how long the bean gets roasted. Raw coffee beans are not the black and fragrant like the coffee bean we know. It has a yellowish green color like a pea and has no specific scent. It needs the process of roasting to dehydrate it and bring out the inherent flavor. Shorter roasted beans tend to have acidic and fruity flavor and as the roasting time gets longer, the darker the flavor gets. You should also know that roasted beans have its appropriate period to be consumed. Roasted beans need a little bit of time right after roasting as the taste of freshly roasted beans is not ripened and may taste like metal. It is recommended to age it for a week and consume it within next two weeks.
Yoo Joon-sang joonsang1228@dgu.ac.kr
