Pu’er Coffee

  Do you remember the café-hopping trip I shared a while ago in Brisbane, Australia? Among those stops, one that I introduced with particular enthusiasm was the Australian roaster Elixir Coffee Roasters , a long-established brand founded in 2007. I even bought three bags of their coffee beans right in the shop—haha. In many Australian cafés, roasted coffee beans are displayed in glass cabinets almost like roasted snacks. You can browse and pick your favorite beans the way you might choose nuts or trail mix. It’s actually quite a unique shopping experience. Not only do you get exactly what you see, but once you place your order, the staff will pack the beans fresh for you on the spot, ensuring they’re within the optimal tasting window. You can basically take them home and start brewing immediately. While I was in the shop, I quickly became intrigued by their signature house espresso blend, Fratelli Blend , which has been a staple there for years. Fratelli means “brothers” in Itali...

 During my recent café-hopping trip to Australia, one of my stops was One in a Million in Brisbane. The beans they use come from their own independent roasting brand, Blue Sky Coffee Roasters . Before I even left for Australia, I was browsing their website and instantly fell in love with the illustration on the bag of this Treehouse Blend. As many of you know, I have an entire wall at home covered with coffee bean bags. In that moment, I had only one thought: I have to hang this one on my wall. (Proof that packaging really matters, right? 😂) When I visited the café, I ordered an espresso made with the Treehouse Blend and was immediately drawn in by its flavor performance. I didn’t hesitate—I bought a bag on the spot. And that’s how today’s review came to life. Although Blue Sky operates independently from the café brand itself, in many ways it’s the “behind-the-scenes hero.” Beyond committing to direct trade at origin, they place strong emphasis on whether their roast profiles...

 No matter where I travel to explore cafés, roastery cafés are always one of my personal favorites. This front-of-house café, back-of-house roastery setup doesn’t just let you sense the sheer production capacity of a roaster—it also allows you to understand their flavor philosophy through each cup of coffee. It’s a far more immersive café-hopping experience. Of course, you won’t necessarily catch a roaster at work every single day you visit, but when you’re standing in a space filled with multiple large roasting machines, their capability speaks for itself. Today, I want to talk about Bear Bones , located at 2/66 McLachlan St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006, Australia . There’s a small side story here too—this was technically my second attempt. The first time, I showed up to a locked door. But when a café is truly good, you don’t just give up on it that easily. Most Australian cafés open very early and close around noon or 1–2 p.m. Add in nearly a two-hour time difference, and you’re b...

 Even as I’m writing this piece, the afterglow from today’s visit is still very much alive. This is one of those cafés I’d gladly go out of my way for—no matter the distance. In China, Elixir Coffee Roasters is already a well-known Australian roaster among specialty coffee lovers, and on my personal café hit list, it’s been highlighted in red for a long time. Elixir Coffee Roasters is located at 10/12 Hayward St, Stafford QLD 4053, Australia —and yes, it absolutely lives up to the hype. Founded in 2007, Elixir Coffee is undoubtedly one of Australia’s long-established specialty roasters, and one of the few privately owned specialty coffee roasters in Queensland. Over the years, Elixir has built an award-winning reputation both locally and internationally. Among Chinese coffee enthusiasts who closely follow overseas roasters, Elixir consistently scores high on recognition and respect. Their four flagship espresso blends—true pillars of the brand—have won multiple awards at the Golde...

 Whenever I get tired of the coffee sitting in my jars, I like to approach those beans in a more creative way. By “reworking” them through blending, I can give familiar coffees completely new flavors and textures—essentially refreshing the entire drinking experience. Many of you have probably guessed it already: this “creative method” is blending . By combining two or more different coffees, you can create an entirely new cup with a distinct personality. For a long time, blending was mainly associated with espresso. Back when espresso dominated the market, roasters relied on blends to ensure consistency over time. But in recent years, it’s easy to see that more and more brands—and even competition-level brewers—are using blended coffees for pour-over, cold brew, and other manual brewing methods. The reason is simple. Blending isn’t just about consistency. As I mentioned earlier, it can also create something entirely new . A new experience might mean novel flavor combinations, or a...