Page 75 - Tropic Magazine Issue 18

TROPIC • COFFEE

Here are some quick tips to help you
find your perfect cafe match:

1 Specialty
You’ll know a ‘specialty’ coffee shop
as they will boast about this fact. The
barista will tell you the farm your
coffee comes from, possibly even the
altitude at which it’s grown, its unique
flavour notes and don’t forget the
roast date. The coffee will generally
be sweet, not too dark and not to light,
maybe even a bit fruity. Your latte will
be served around 60C, so if you like it
hot, best you ask when ordering. Also,
Ali Slotemaker
they might not offer bucket size.
2 Hipster
a place where people can sit and wait collection of café offerings with an
without needing to buy something but array of spaces and styles to choose This is a specialty café that has stepped
fulfilling the need of being somewhere from. If you are someone like me it up a notch and is oozing uber-cool.
to pass the time”. who relies on these spaces as much You will know you are in a hipster café
Fast forward to Cairns 2005. I for my daily caffeine needs as the from their minimalist menu, design
was struck by similarities I had social enrichment they provide, you studio fit-out and wait staff without
experienced as a child. The iconic will be very happy with what Cairns apron or name badge. Warning: caramel
Lillipad Café was one of the few places has on offer. flavouring isn’t a thing, your coffee may
in Cairns that, for me, encapsulated Really, there is something out there come deconstructed, but they do make
the meaning of a café. Without for everyone and all types of cafés and their own almond milk. Order the single
realising it, I had grown dependent hybrid businesses exist. I encourage you origin cold-brew because it will be
on these spaces, where loitering over to visit these places, see them for the awesome.
a chai or killing hours on the back of a amazing spaces they are and support
flat white was totally okay. As they say local businesses whenever possible. 3 Franchise
in business, timing is everything, so The line between franchise and
it was time to quit my government job specialty coffee is getting closer. The
and rekindle my love affair with coffee, Say hello to Ali and the White likes of McDonald’s have developed
Don’t forget: cafés and spaces that felt like a big Whale Coffee Roasters at Shed 2, their McCafe offering to resemble
two hours warm hug. A distinct local café culture 4/16 Tingira St, Portsmith or visit that of a specialty coffee shop and
FREE
was about to emerge.
improvements in coffee automation
PARKING Today, Cairns now supports a sizable whitewhalecoffee.com.au means that the gap is closing. I am not
above the market sure McCafe will ever fill my cup like a
on Sheridan St.
unique owner-operator specialty coffee
shop, but sometimes convenience
counts and you will always be able to
get your mocha caramel skinny quarter
strength whatever.

4 Old-school
This is the café that still believes
the Italians do it better and insist on
Renowned for its carnival atmosphere and colourful offering a dark generic “espresso roast”
stallholders, Rusty’s boasts over 180 stalls featuring of days gone by. OK, there are a couple
exotic fruit, vegetables, and flowers, fresh breads, of commercial benefits to a café owner
choosing a dark roast; it’s low cost, it
diary, and seafood, food and beverage stalls, jewellery, gives the perception of strength, you
coffee, and chocolate ... and so much more! don’t really need barista skills to extract
it and there are those who love it that
way and that’s gold. You may catch
Drop in any Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to discover one of me sipping on an old-school flat white
Cairns’ most famous tourist icons. on occasion while out for breakfast.
Sometimes it’s great to reminisce about
FRI & SAT: 5am to 6pm, SUN: 5am to 3pm coffee days gone by.

57-89 Grafton Street, Cairns 07 4040 2705 rustysmarkets.com.au Rusty’s Markets 75 • tropicnow.com.au