COFFEE OF THE MONTH: INDIA : RATNAGIRI ESTATE

Ratnagiri Estate is located in the Baba Budan Mountain Range in the Western Ghats. It is the area where coffee was first planted in India by Bababudan (a pilgrim from Yemen who becomes so infatuated with the ‘magical plant’ that he sneaks coffee seeds in his beard to other regions). We love this story and […]

THE TALE OF BABA BUDAN

 To know if a legend, myth or commonly held belief is legitimate and teetering on the precipice of truth, the very first question to ask is: does it centre around a man with a white beard? If not, then much more rigorous research is required to ascertain the validity of the belief. However if the […]

FIKA: JULY EDITION

This edition we’ve got good warm feelings from both cosy winter treats, and Indian inspired culture. Warming you from the inside and outside. DRINK Tis the season to be jolly with a warm mug of mulled wine while sitting around the fireplace/fire pit with a bowl of the below in hand. EAT Sticky date pudding. […]

COFFEE OF THE MONTH: RWANDA NYAKABANDE

Nyakabande Washing Station: Washed Grown by small-holder farmers this coffee is sweet, rich, and smooth and delivers everything you need for your morning brew. A touch of fruit and delicious chocolatey base notes carry through from the start to the end. Slow brews will open up the profile and accentuate the fruit whilst espresso will be […]

FIKA IN INDONESIA

We’re doing a deep dive into Indo coffee culture next month, but I got overly enthusiastic about it so it’s spilled over into this month’s fika. What you gonna do. I’m intrigued by the incongruity of Indonesian culture – intense cities and lackadaisical beaches. I was watching a show the other day (Love on The […]

COOL UNIFORM

The first Monday of May is anticipated world wide for the Met gala’s fashion parade. The Met holds the biggest collection of fashion over the ages, and each year hosts a charity ball with an exceptionally exclusive guest list, and a dress theme. The result is very similar to the Oscar’s red carpet except the […]

FIKA: MAY EDITION

FIKA: MAY EDITION Do you know who does fika well? Italy. Do you know what they call fika in Italy? Tutto il giorno. Which means ‘all day’. This isn’t true, but I imagine that they don’t need a specific word for taking a moment of your day to enjoy and take in the surrounding beauty, […]

COFFEE OF THE MAY: LAOS BOLAVEN PLATEAU

Only a small portion of the coffee grown in Laos is Arabica and meets the quality criteria that us Aussies seek from our morning brew. We love adding a bit of variety to our line-up and this coffee is a good example of a great coffee from a region that we don’t normally associate with […]

A CUPPA WITH FRANCO

So Franco, what do you do with Black Market Roasters? Mainly I run different types of coffee courses (Fundamentals, Latte art and Advance barista course) also here and then I visit shops helping them on the coffee side. Take us through a typical day. Depending on the course or how early or late I get […]

COFFEE OF APRIL

BRAZIL FAZENDA CALIFORNIA COLD SOUL WINE I am very excited about this coffee.  It is one of two lots we purchased from this producer this year and they are both nothing short of epic! The owner of Fazenda California is Luiz Roberto S. Rodrigues and he is a pioneer of especially coffee in the area.  […]

CAFE OFFICE ETIQUETTE

Even though people are returning to the office, many of you were able to swing a few WFH days, which you have cleverly converted to WFTC (work from the cafe) days. If you are one of these clever ones, you’ll already have a grasp of what is acceptable practice. But for those who are looking […]

FIKA: FESTIVAL EDITION!

April is the month of public holidays. The month of which immersing oneself into the minutiae of time management, reviewing of pay slips, improving schedule efficiency, dissecting interstate migration patterns and corresponding financial fluctuations brings joy and exhilaration to millions of Australians across the land as they find the perfect combination of maximum time off, […]