THIRROUL UNEARTHED

Thirroul, nestled amongst the ferns under a canopy of red cedar and fig trees, overlooking glistening ocean and surrounded by a majestic escarpment was of little interest to me as a pre-teen, save that it was close to Jamberoo Recreation Park.* It was a little slow paced for my city slicker lifestyle – I was […]

THE PHILOSOPHY OF FRESH COFFEE

How did I get here? I thought. I was bereft, dumbstruck, barefoot and paralysed in the kitchen. The kettle had boiled, for what? I had no coffee. I am a barista, I write about coffee, I work for a coffee roastery, I live round the corner from another, yet I have no coffee. How did […]

THE MARRICKVILLE BEAT

January is a spectacular time to be in Sydney. There’s so much going on, so much time to do it, and the hoards have hit the roads to populate the north and south coasts, leaving the city with room to explore. Most of you need no introduction to Marrickville, a suburb with countless hidden gems […]

CAMPING COFFEE KIT

In the summer holidays, many of us choose places where we feel at one with nature, strip back to basics. Live the simple life. Where the daily responsibilities are swim, eat, nap eat, read, eat, swim (wait 20 minutes), read, sundowners, eat, card game, sleep. We ruminate philosophically to our friends that this is what […]

COFFEE TRENDS IN 2024

Articles on coffee trends should always be read with a pinch of salt, and not on an empty stomach. So grab a piece of avo on toast, grind a pinch of pink Murray River salt, and lets dive in. Cautiously, after checking the depth and wayward rocks and branches. MOVIN’ ON UP For you and […]

ANNUAL BLACK MARKET GIFT GUIDE

In previous years we’ve done gift guides based on your relationship with your giftee: parent, spouse, boss, secret santa lucky dip. But this year I decided I’ll just do it on dollars. Maybe you have a secret crush on your Kris Kringle recipient – who am I to limit your spending limit? Maybe your folks […]

TWO SILLY SEASON SPARKLE PUNCHES

TWO SILLY SEASON SPARKLE PUNCHES Here are two Christmas coffee punches using all seasonal ingredients. By which I mean ‘tis the season to be jolly, festive and sillier than usual, so we have two mulled coffee recipes using our seasonal Sparkle blend – one jolly and festive, the other jolly, festive and very silly. Because […]

SPARKLE BLEND

We pack so much Christmas magic into each bag of Sparkle Blend it bursts at the buttons. Like Santa’s suit after a night on the mince pies and sherry. This batch is a blend of  Timor Leste Malabe and Ethiopia Sidamo, both naturals, which give a dazzling sweetness and depth to every cup. We’re getting […]

A MARVELOUS MUG

During a recent chat with Matt, a graduate of our Accredited Barista Course, he began extolling the virtues of the green ceramic cups we use at Black Market. I agree, I think they’re great, and I now see I haven’t given them the time or appreciation they deserve. I will remedy that immediately. Coffee mugs […]

A CHAT WITH MATT

Matthew’s happy place is behind his coffee machine, where he can fuel his quest for creating the idyllic coffee, from an exquisitely pulled espresso, to impeccably textured milk. And of course, perfecting the cherry on top – the rosetta. He calls himself a hobbyist, but I would say he’s a real coffee enthusiast – on […]

COFFEE OF THE MONTH: TIMOR-LESTE EMERA

Emera is back because you loved it – and that is the only excuse we needed to get it back into our roasters and hoppers. This is a Hybrido de Timor varietal, and believed to be a spontaneous hybrid (that’s the translation of ‘Hybrido’, for those who don’t speak Spanish) between the Tipica and Canephora […]

COFFEE OF THE MONTH: INDIA THALANAR SUPERNATURAL

If you’ve been to, or heard any stories from anyone that has been to India, you’ll know anything associated with the country described as supernatural is somewhat… natural. India is a land of contrasts and intensities, colour, chaos and mysticism. Everything seems hyper-real and surreal. The story of Brother Baba Budan, the beloved godfather of […]