Recycled coffee sack chair
      at Purdys Furniture

When a magazine floated the idea that Sydney’s coffee is better than Melbourne’s, I was aghast. Surely not! I mean, aren't we the ones producing all those column inches on our enviable café culture? Well, some time later I went on holiday in Sydney and finally saw for myself. 

I’d long accepted that in my beloved home town, around one in four coffees is generally a shocker (watery shots and/or off-tasting, reheated milk.) What I didn’t know was that in Sydney, the quality is actually more consistent. The service is somewhat better, too.

Admittedly, I have my coffee an unusual way: a shot of coffee in a cup and a jug of hot milk on the side. In Melbourne, a barista will often stare at me quizzically, tell me I want a macchiato (I don’t), add hot water to the shot or second-guess me in some other way. Melbourne baristas seem to have either a superiority complex (they want to "educate" their customers) or an inferiority complex (they’re worried a 30ml shot doesn’t look like good value for money). Sydney baristas, meanwhile, just nod, give me what I asked for and probably don’t even care if they’re referred to as baristas.