Pu’er Coffee

 My Adelaide journey is coming to an end, and today I want to share the café that served as my “grand finale.” It’s Leisurely Coffee , located at 219 Gilbert St, Adelaide SA 5000. Interestingly, Leisurely wasn’t even on my original café list. While I was in Adelaide, a follower recommended it in the comments. Once again, the wisdom of the crowd proved right. I looked it up and saw how popular it was — and more importantly, I noticed that Leisurely regularly features beans roasted by ONA Coffee . At that moment, I thought: Well, doesn’t this perfectly make up for my decision not to visit Canberra? If you’re a coffee lover in Australia, ONA needs no introduction. Choosing their beans as a house staple is simply a smart move. Like most Australian cafés, Leisurely opens early and closes around 2 p.m. Australians flock to cafés in the morning and around lunchtime, and this place was absolutely packed — nearly every seat taken. A Community Café with History The Gilbert Street locati...

 Before I realized it, a full week had already passed since I arrived in Brisbane. Honestly, when it comes to the lively core of the CBD, you can get the hang of it in just three days. A friend of mine who lives in Spain once told me that lying on the grass is a “mandatory course” here. So I did—sitting on the lawn with a bit of middle-aged rebellion that definitely doesn’t belong to the stereotypical “blue-haired retiree.” Around me, people were zoning out, reading books, or lying down scrolling on their phones. Living under the open sky, using the earth as your floor and the heavens as your roof—this kind of carefree ease feels like a form of self-kindness. The unspoken rule? Nobody’s allowed to make me work. And yet, in the end, between sightseeing on public transport and fully committing to lawn-mode, I chose a third option: heading back to the hotel to grab my laptop, then making my way to the State Library to use the Wi-Fi and write. Yes—this very article was written inside ...

 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...

 At first glance, a long black might look just like an Americano . Both are made with espresso and hot water — so aren’t they basically the same thing? Not quite. Once you dig a little deeper, you’ll discover that the difference lies in the details — and it makes a world of difference in flavor. Where the Long Black Comes From The long black originated in Australia and New Zealand. Traditionally, it’s made by pouring a shot of espresso or ristretto over about 100–120 ml of hot water. That might sound like a small variation, but it’s exactly what separates it from an Americano. An Americano is made by adding hot water to espresso, while a long black does it the other way around — espresso onto hot water. This simple reversal helps preserve more of the espresso’s crema, giving the drink a richer body and deeper aroma. The long black also uses less water than the Americano, resulting in a more concentrated flavor and a more intense espresso character. How It Tastes Despite it...