Cold Drip Coffee with Tess Presso at Brendan Noble's

Brendan Noble's
661-663 North Road 
Ormond 
VIC 3204

It was a great pleasure to spend some time with Tess Presso last week. She has set up a brew bar in the corner of the show room at Brendan Noble's (fine furniture and restoration).
Tess is deeply passionate about the origin of coffee. The brew bar has been set up to offer coffee to customers, which of course leads to discussion about coffee and it's unique flavour profiles. Tess loves to offer different coffee from a range of coffee importers and roasters in order to ensure constant renewal. Tess's speciality is cold drip coffee. I was treated to a tasting of three different coffee's all served cold from the fridge, and poured out over ice. This is not the flat white I am used to! This is more like a liqueur with subtle sweet complexities and no bitterness.

I asked to see the workshop out back too, to fully understand Tess's business. Here I meet Brendan Noble, furniture restorer and was treated to delights of a different kind. Brendan is a master craftsman that turns his hand to anything from hand carving, to bespoke cabinetry to hand-painting restored singer sewing machines. It was a delight to see what Brendan has been working on and to know that there is still demand for quality craftsmanship. His customers range from the Melbourne Museum to locals requiring repair of antiques to commercial clients commissioning bespoke pieces.

Tess is the latest stockest of Espresso Tales, if in the area, pop in on them!

FEATURED STOCKIST: St Ali (South)

Today St Ali is my feature stockist. St Ali is perhaps the most famous of Melbourne's cafes. This place is not just busy weekday lunch times or busy for brunch over the weekend. It is busy full stop. This cafe first put coffee on the South Melbourne map. Back when the area was associated with brothels not coffee. Now the area is blossoming with great coffee houses including Dead Man Espresso, Clements and Padre.

I love the interiors of St Ali The light is amazing. I go often just for the look of the place! But there needs to be more than just looks, right? I would describe the buzz as pub-ish. Tables of people chatting and eating in all corners. Plenty of local workers pop in for coffee or food, but it doesn't at all feel corporate for that - perhaps because south Melbourne attracts so many creative business with every second building seemingly housing an architect, production company or talent agency.

Most would associate St Ali with great coffee. There is always a choice of house blend and single origins to choose from and the coffee is always excellent.

At Ali is the first of my featured stockists, look out for more from time to time!

 

St Ali

12-18 Yarra Pl, 

South Melbourne 

VIC 3205