Rate: Good coffee

It's no secret that I really like coffee. Like, really. In high school and for a bit of uni, I even worked as a barista. Yes, it was Gloria Jeans, but at least it wasn't Starbucks! While that stint did make me a bit of a coffee snob for a couple of years, living in England cured me of that and made me just appreciate a good cup from anywhere. I remember when I was living in Sheffield, I had left some of my assignments to the last minute and had taken advantage of the 24 hour library. After submitting my work at about 8am, I stumbled into a cafe on campus and ordered a cup of coffee. I don't know if it was because I expected the normal English standard of dishwater, but I still maintain that the cappucino I ordered was one of the best coffees I had in 2011.

A latte from Harvest, in Canberra. How pretty is that fern?

 I am pretty spoilt for choice, now that I am back in Canberra. I don't have any official stats, but we have an incredibly high amount of good cafes per capita. Thanks to the hipster invasion that started two or three years ago, the coffee has gotten better and boutique coffee shops have nosed Starbucks out of business completely (thank goodness). I have a choice of five excellent and four ok-ish cafes in walking distance from my work. One of them is staffed by an attractive bearded barista who makes a mean cappucino - so good that I generally pop in two or three times a week, minimum. Espresso is my favourite... don't give me any of this filter or plunger business.

Okay, you got me. I'm still a bit of a snob. I don't even take sugar in my coffee.

After having travelled a bit, I honestly think that Australia is one of the best places in the entire world for coffee. What I like about coffee is not the caffeine hit (at this point, I don't think I'm really susceptible to the effects of caffeine any longer, unfortunately). It is not just the flavour - although when it is fresh and made properly, there is not much that is better than that. I think it's the sense of craftsmanship, especially when you can tell that your barista loves the process as much as you enjoy drinking it. Good coffee is an experience, not just a beverage. How much of a wanker do I sound like right now? I wish I could marry coffee, because it fulfills me. I guess my best bet will be to marry someone who can at least make the perfect cup... and then exploit that skill for my own bean-related needs.