Coffee at The Cupping Room, Hobart
There is a new café in Hobart and it has a $20,000 coffee machine. I wasn’t sure the rumours were true, so this morning I went down to see for myself.
As a photographer, I always believed that given the worst camera in the world, a great photographer would still take a great photograph. And given the best camera in the world, a bad photographer would still take a bad photograph. I also apply this theory to baristas (no matter how many awards they have won). I don’t care how impressive their CV is, I care about the cup of coffee I have just ordered, and nothing else, regardless of how much the coffee machine cost.
The machine in question is The Slayer, which is a proper noun. With the “third wave” of coffee well and truly underway in other, more mainstream cities, Hobart is a bit behind the times when it comes to impressive coffee making machinery. Although thanks to relative newcomer Chado, we’re right up there when it comes to tea.
The Slayer lives at spanking new venue The Cupping Room, another brainchild of impressive Hobart based coffee chain Oomph. Open for three weeks now it fills an old warehouse space on Murray Street, a section of town many would think too out of the way to get to, but in reality only a stones throw from Hobart’s other home of decent coffee, Criterion Street.
At 11am on a Saturday The Cupping Room was full to the brim (pardon the pun) of curious locals keen to see the new kid in town (pardon the cliché). The table set up is curious, with 30 or so seats crammed into a relatively small area of an enormous space, and one sweet little sofa area in the front window that could do well to be expanded through half the venue for lazing around with a latte or two.
There are three single origin blends available at all times that change on a weekly basis. Next to my new Slayer friend are five or so Mazzer grinders, standard (and blissfully silent) fare for a café with any sense. Another, and obviously lesser quality, coffee machine stands almost as dejected as the ugly step sister before the ball. It’s for take-away only, as apparently the potential merits of an expensive coffee machine are wasted on paper cups – I wholeheartedly agree.
First up I have a latte, the beans of which were selected as I randomly pointed to a name I couldn’t pronounce on the blackboard. At this stage, I am more concerned about other elements of my coffee. It was above average, but that’s all. Perhaps slightly too warm, the milk a little bubbly.
A second flat white was more impressive, and I do like the sexy black cups.
There was plenty of time on hand to ponder my surroundings, and read through the menu, as there wasn’t a newspaper in sight (more newspapers, please).
The breakfast fare looked promising (although someone might want to run a spell check over tricky words like “Gruyere”)*. Eggs are, of course, available ($8.50) with an arsenal of traditional sides ($2-3), and a brioche bun topped with Neufchatel and served with a side of jam ($6.5) caught my eye. A promise of “Cupping Room hollandaise” brings hope that it is made from scratch, on-site, but I shall have to wait until my next visit to find out.
The lunch menu on the other hand did not appeal to me. Safe options like Caesar or Greek salad sit with some very dull sounding wrap sandwiches and pizzas, backed up by a few hopelessly basic main meals.
I would hope that, even in a small town like Hobart, we have moved on from chicken, cheese and sweet chilli mayonnaise wraps (McDonalds made them so uncool). In the very least, many Tasmanian cheese options are far superior to King Island brie.
I watched the next table’s mains come out. Like me, they had been puzzled by the lack of table service, and consequently spent their entire meal debating who should go to the counter to order this or that. His meal was a glorified lamb salad ($16.50), hers, a mammoth plate of fettuccini in a cream sauce with chicken and mushrooms ($17, and may I say…it’s not 1982 anymore). A Cape Grim beef burger with chips ($18) would do well if it could stand up to the quality of the Alley Cat’s $10 burger, or even Café Vue’s $12 burger and fries (although this requires a trip to Melbourne). And so, we shall see.
I did not eat these meals, and so pass no judgement on how good they may (or may not) have been. Although I would like to see a more adventurous menu on offer, something to rival Melbourne’s St Ali, or Proud Mary, who mix the best coffee in Melbourne with an inventive, excellent and yet affordable menu. I will, for the sake of a fair and accurate reviewing process, return shortly to sample the lunch fare, although under ordinary circumstances I wouldn’t eat there based on the menu being similar to every other café in town. I will report back at a later date.
So, it was the coffee I came for, and the coffee I had was good. There are monthly cupping classes on offer, although I would like to see fun latte art demonstrations and the like, and I hear on the grapevine that there is a three group Synesso and a syphon brewing set on the way.
The Cupping Room is new, and consequently will require a period of adjustment to truly find its groove. There is promise in the air here, and it is the promise of Hobart catching up to the hospitality standards of the mainland. Baby steps perhaps, but The Cupping Room may just be the beginning of a new era in coffee for Hobart. Maybe.
*Obviously, I did proof read this document, but Murphy’s Law for food writers dictates that any mention of spelling errors on a menu will ensure that the review in question will be riddled with them.
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 at 5:54 pm and is filed under coffee, Hobart, oomph, slayer, the cupping room. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
39 Responses to “Coffee at The Cupping Room, Hobart”
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April 3rd, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Mary Estcourt says:Have almost been colliding into the rear of driver in front trying to check out this NEW spot. Thanks for the review and inside observations delivered safely to me in my lounge room. No typos detected : ))
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Anonymous says:looks nice. did you have a look at what is going in next door? is it part of oomph? i can wait to see the slayer!
jason
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Bree says:Couldn't agree more. I like the decor & could get rather comfy there; the coffee was good – not great; the food sounded rather uninspiring, 'safe' & predicable. Why not have an inspired menu to compliment a serious coffee focus? I was so disappointed to have a 'ho hum' moment when I looked at that lunch menu.
April 4th, 2010 at 12:13 am
Lucy says:I couldn't agree more. You can have a $20,000 coffee machine and (as the disappointing Cupping Machine coffee demonstrated) still come out with a fairly ordinary coffee. The Hobart coffee institutions – Criterion, Tricycle, Pigeon Hole etc – still manage to make a better coffee than the coffee that I had at Cupping Machine, despite having less financially impressive machines.
April 4th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Anonymous says:Lucy do you actualy know coffee?? It would appear not. The coffeee at the cuuping room is amazing, a standout in Hobart and Tasmania without a doubt. To even put them in the same leauge as Tricycle, Pigeon Hole and Criterion instantly deprives you of any credibility. I have been to most specialty coffee houses in Vic and alot of the Sydney/QLD ones also. Cupping room is right up there. Maybe educate yourself towards coffee before leaving these sorts of comments. Anyone reading this probably should go and try it for yourselves, thats what i did and i found it an amazing coffee experiance, i'm sure you will also.
April 4th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Anonymous says:I'd also have to disagree with you Lucy and wonder about your knowledge in the industry. Although you are entitled to your opinion, i think its way off. I had and amazing ristretto at this place. Alot of flavour and acidity(which is generally in high altitude/quality coffee). Looking forward to another weekend off so i can get there again. Well done whoever put this toggether, mainlander by any chance
?
April 4th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Maggie says:Dear Anon 12.18 and 12.15.
Thank you for your comments. I was hoping this article would create some debate about what kind of coffee experience Hobartians are really after, and you have both set the ball rolling.
Please refer to Lucy's reference to the coffee at other cafes being better than the one she had at Cupping Room. She doesn't seem to be referring to every cup they've ever made there, just the one she had on this particular occasion. I can attest that her knowledge of coffee is very good, and I am sure she intends to return soon for another cup as do I (I hope so, she's my coffee drinking buddy.)
The last coffee I had at Pigeon Hole was in fact better than either cup I had at Cupping on this occasion. However, I am still intending to return there at the first available opportunity, and I am looking forward to watching this business grow.
Please, everyone, do go and try The Cupping Room for yourselves. There is no point having a venue like this open up, only to close again due to lack of patronage before they have found their feet.
Also, Anon 12.50, I am not sure to what you refer. If you are referring to my review, yes, I am a mainlander but i have lived here for two-and-a-half-years. If you are referring to the proprietors of The Cupping Room, it has been established by the team behind Oomph.
April 4th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Lucy says:Well, technically Anon 12.50, I was a mainlander until 6 years ago, but I'm not sure what that has to do with my knowledge of coffee (although it did make me laugh – it's such a Tassie 'insult'). My first job at the age of 16 was with one of the top coffee places in Sydney, so I've grown up with what I'd judge is a pretty good knowledge of coffee. Plus, I've drunk enough coffee to probably pay off a Hobart mortgage and travelled widely around Italy (although Australian coffee is distinctly different to Italian in our obsession with milk).
Maggie's right – I am talking about ONE coffee that I had at the Cupping Room, and I just didn't think it was good enough to live up all the hype. Maybe they make better ones, but the one I had was pretty ordinary.
April 4th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Tassiegal says:The plunger coffee I had at the cupping room was "interesting". Definately a different taste, but seeing I am generally a short black girl with 3 sugars I suspect my palette is not necessarily the right one to ask.
The lunch menu is ok – have had one of the pizzas and shared with a friend. It was more than enough, definately could not eat a whole one myself.
The comments by Anon sound very similar to the comments made by someone on a facebook discussion about the best coffee in Hobart. They defend oomph and the cupping room vehemently – but a bit of digging shows that they are actually associated with both venues in a financial sense. I dont have a problem with that – but believe full disclosure about affiliations is a good thing.
(I apologise in advance for any slanging match which these comments may warrant Maggie – will buy you a coffee sometime to apologise!)
April 5th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Anonymous says:Tassiegal, i am anon 12:18, and if you are refering to me and think you know who i am do you?? Well you are way off the mark. I have no financial affiliation to the cupping room whatsoever. No slanging match here but i do hope we are clear!!
April 5th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Anonymous says:sorry to say but for someone who says they're a photographer your photos dont seem to convey this?
April 5th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Maggie says:Anon 10.42: past tense mate. I was never particularily talented. I worked professionally in Melbourne for a number of years but it was a mostly soul destroying experience. I generally treat photography (with my trusty pocket camera) as a hobby for illustration purposes only.
I still believe my point was valid. Although, imagine the best barista in Hobart on that Slayer… Heaven. I'll have to try and get a coffee when Nikki is working, I hear she is excellent.
April 5th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
Lucy says:"sorry to say but for someone who says they're a photographer your photos dont seem to convey this?" [Anon 10.42am]
Anon, what do you mean by "this?" For someone who is critical of another's craft, you don't really communicate very well yourself.
My understanding of Maggie's photography is that she was recently a finalist (with multiple entries) in the Aust food blogging photography competition. And as a professional art critic, I believe they're excellent photos which enhance the written content of the blog very well.
April 5th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Maggie says:Thank you Lucy.
Anon 10.42, if you would like to view some of my professional work, please take yourself to the SBS Food website where some of my photographs (along with the work of many talented food bloggers) are currently on display. Here is a link if you have trouble finding it: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/3917/Eat_Drink_Blog_Photo_Gallery
I am struggling to see how a debate about my merits as a photographer, or my qualifications to make a judgment on this venue or any other, shed any light on the quality of the coffee at The Cupping Room.
April 5th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Tassiegal says:Anon @ 12:18 – my apologies. I think I may have been refering more to the Anon @ 12:50 – I was going by the tone of the posts as compared to another poster on another board. Having more than one Anon gets confusing….maybe it should be Anon with pink fluffy bunny, anon with agenda etc etc? (Sorry had a bit too much chocolate)
April 5th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Maggie says:Hey Tassiegal,
I'd be interested to hear more of this other forum. Do you have a link/way I could find out more?
Oh, and you can buy me coffee any time you like!
April 5th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
sir grumpy says:It's only coffee. Be like the French and shun all those frothies. Just have your coffee black or white and shut up.
Let us tea sippers enjoy our earl grey in peace.
Sheesh.
By the way, what is this term “main meal'' that crops up all the time?
It's main course. Main course.
PS, sorry, I must be drinking too much Assam, I got a bit touchy there.
April 5th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Anonymous says:Goodness-excuse moi for having a differing opinion, I didn't mean to offend, just pointing out my observations-didn't realise you & lucy would be so defensive.
April 6th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Mary says:Hi Maggie,
I think the discussion Tassiegal is referring to is this: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=475147030065&topic;=13609#topic_top
There is also a vehemently defensive review on Eating Tassie http://eatingtassie.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=606
In all these posts, there seems to be a particular 'style' in common….
April 6th, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Anonymous says:wow there is a bit of accusing going on here. If what i am told is correct and these people own the 3 oomph stores and this cupping room place,i doubt they are jumping on here to bat for themselves. Already seem pretty succesful by the looks of things.
April 7th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Tassiegal says:Maggie – the link Mary gave is the right one. Its in the discussions on Secret Hobart on Facebook. Have not seen the eating Tassie one.
As for coffee – name a place and I'll be there!
April 11th, 2010 at 1:33 am
R.L. says:Managed a first visit to Cupping Room this week. The Oomph people who own it are coffee fanatics, importing roasting and blending. The only other place comparable, as far as I know, is Villino (though they've only recently embarked on the manufacturing aspect).
I think these places are not really cafes, with the expectation of relaxing atmosphere, place to hang out, good food and such; they're all about the coffee. The food is basically an obligation, to give legitimacy to the cafe moniker. I would like to see somewhere that only does coffee, in the same passionate way, and simply not bother with food. At Baba Budan in Lt Bourke Street you might score a pastry, for example.
To me the essence of the drink is found in an espresso or ristretto (without sugar). The aroma, flavours, texture, all the nuances, are delivered in that 30ml. The people that make it tell me its the hardest coffee to do. A view possibly reinforced by the primary task in that rather esoteric endeavour, barista competitions, being that participants must make five espressos in fifteen minutes. Each one – process and result – scrutinised and scored.
Milk coffee is doubtless enjoyable for many (most) but not, to me, the standard by which to judge, or one that delivers the greatest satisfaction. I'm sure establishments mentioned earlier satisfy many customers but my experience of all of them with espresso is average, at best. Some make the effort to source Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance brands (not in itself a guarantee of good quality ingredients) but others use commercial made-to-a-style blend of beans. The espressos have been undistinguished: little texture with a limited flavour profile, very often served so hot that when its drinkable the crema has dissolved and the body just rotted away. Its also been my general experience, whether at Raincheck or Kara or Lansdowne or T42 (caffeine head spins) or Retro. These places are generalist cafes where coffee is part of the deal, as is the food, the decor the staff the attitude, the demographic with whom we are comfortable. Crucially different to me are Villino and The Cupping Room (I'd like to know of others) where I'm not interested in the food, the style, the coolness, and I don't think they are, either.
So I had both their unblended offerings, from the expensive machine. The descriptions on the printed sheet they supplied when I asked about the beans largely matched what I tasted. Suspicious of one of them being described as having a "neutral flavour" but I got the idea and couldn't have described it better. My coffee nose & palate doesn't seem to be sufficiently acute or trained to pick all the characters they listed for the other one but I perceived some. And yes I enjoyed them.
As for the expensive machine, the creaminess and consistency of texture – is liquid velvet overstating it? – and "weight" in mouthfeel was something I'd not ever experienced before (not at any of the other Oomph shops, or elsewhere). I think that Villino were using the same bean recently as one of their offerings (tasted similar with the same name) but an espresso from it didn't go near the experience of this one. I'll have to owe the difference to the machine.
So yeah, whatever third wave, nod or wink in coffee, or not, places like The Cupping Room are doing good stuff, probably far enough ahead that they're not entirely understood by everyone.
Finally I thought the photos in the article were fine. Illustrative and apt. Silly to criticise.
Oh and I think it was a bit naff for the Oomph persons to promote without disclosure on that facebook thing. "Dain" is one of the family and "Carl" might be the father of the clan. (don't have FB so unsure).
I've no affiliation with any of the places mentioned.
April 11th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Maggie says:Hey R,
Well said.
Cheers,
Maggie
April 13th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Joel says:Meh, I buy raw (green) beans from the African shop (Memory Lane, Moonah), roast them, grind them by hand using the excellent Hario Skerton Hand Grinder, then make them all wet using the magnificent Presso manual machine.
Anything else is just pretentious.
April 13th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Bree says:I noticed today that The Cupping Room have an entirely new menu.
April 15th, 2010 at 5:28 am
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April 15th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
ut si says:Hey Maggie, finally got to the Cupping Room last week, keen as after your post(4 times with Chef & Prof over 2 days…coffees all brill). Our coffees at CR were way better on the day than Melbourne's holy trinity…St Ali Brother Baba & Seven Seeds this week. And the baristi even gave us a play on the Slayer….(BTW, David Jones has a Slayer & a cold drip. Dead jealous!)
Jason, Luke Burgess is going on next door…Garagistes.
May 29th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Carlos says:I have just read through this blog on ‘the Cupping Room’ in it’s entirety for the first time.
It’s interesting to note that there is some understanding of coffee body, flavour, acidity, aftertaste displayed, and a large amount of ignorance. That’s to be expected.
I am the owner, instigator, and the roaster behind Oomph! and the cupping room.
I have never commenting on this site before.
Now, what you have here is a portrayal of persons opinions.
Everyone is free to do that.
You also have a subject, which is my personal, life’s work.
My response to what I have read is both positive and negative.
Whilst I appreciate that folk will always critique places like ours, I do also understand that most tend to define critique in the negative rather than positive, so ANYTHING that is not perfect is ALWAYS highlighted.
I am certainly disappointed that apparently some coming through ( according to your blog) have not found the coffee heaven they were looking for.
We certainly strive hard to do all coffee to the best of our ability. But SO MANY HAVE found coffee heaven!!!
We get comments all day about how amazing, and how incredible the coffee someone just had was. It is strange that you two ( Maggie and Lucy) have not.
But, there could be reasons for it.
You know, I actually DO know coffee. Very well I might add, and I should really be telling you what I have found. It would have some credibility considering my qualifications. The problem is, that you would only see it is biased, and promotional.
But the thing is that I am a coffee professional.
I am not only a pro roaster.
( Most awarded in Australia for 2006 ) but I am also a fully qualified Royal Sydney Show Coffee judge. I am responsible for judging Australia’s coffees at the highest level in this country, and I have that duty entrusted to me by Australia’s best roasters, and judge panels.
I test, cup, taste, every batch of coffee that goes through our stores.
When I see something that I would like to know more about, or to gain a greater understanding of, I usually go to the person who would have the best knowledge or experience of the subject and learn from them. This is a simple concept that has served the educational process of mankind quite well.
So, when the person(s) who seemed to have any genuine, and real understanding of coffee got on here and commented, I noticed that the comments were relative to that understanding. They had a real and very good experience at Cupping Room.
To invest time, money, and massive effort to anything in Hobart requires real commitment to this city, and the people in it. What we do, and have done, is groundbreaking in this area. If we have not got it perfect, we will keep striving.
And as for anyone in the past defending Oomph,associated or not. Good on them!
Oomph! is a fantastic answer to the poor quality coffee that mainland franchises offer here, in my humble opinion. That is exactly the purpose of Oomph and I believe we have achieved what we set out to in that area. The amazing success of Oomph! speaks volumes.
As for the Cupping Room. Well, this is us at work.
We love it, we enjoy it. We hope you do, but if you don’t well we know that you will post it on a website blog for all to see.
I noticed that you were not quite so gracious when you had your photographic work commented on???
Maggie, and friend Lucy ( the one with all the coffee know-how) thank you for your comments, but please do come and learn about coffee.
There is an amazing amount of effort, time, and serious sacrifice that goes into putting something like this together.
The expense of the machine is irrelevant. We use extreme machines to highlight the amazing body, flavour, and aftertaste of our coffee. If you don’t get that, then I would have to say that there is a problem that needs to be rectified.
Lucy, you have had coffees all over the country or state etc. When I judge, I judge up to 80 coffees in a day, form all over the country from the best roasters on the globe.
My coffee not only competes with the best, but is often lauded as some of the best coffee in the world. Why is it that it was not so good for you?
Is it your palate? Your ignorance?
Maybe our State Champion barista did not do a good job?
Maybe the world class Slayer was not designed right?
Maybe the Gold medal winning coffee was sub par?
Whatever it was that was not up to your expectations, I assure you, we will keep striving and working towards getting it to what WE know it should be. That’s all that counts in the end.
Tell you what, why don’t you join us for a Cupping Session some time, and you can blog your findings. You would love it.
I can’t wait to see your review on some of the other cafes mentioned.
The coffee at Tricycle is excellent.
I should know.
I won a Gold medal with that coffee at the Fine Food awards.
I roast their coffee for them.
Funny that, isn’t it???
The coffee @ the Cupping Room is my best effort so far.
We now have a Synesso for the Takeaway coffees at the Cupping Room, and yes, Single Origin is available.
I am looking forward to seeing you at Cupping Room again. Please introduce yourself next time, and we will do our best to introduce you to a great amazing experience that you will cherish. I have some coffees that will blow your taste buds.
Got to go, we have over 80 seats @ the CR and they are all full!!!
Bye for now, and thank you for your comments on my life’s work.
Carlos.
May 29th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Nola says:Hey Carlos,
Thanks for your comments, it’s always good to hear from the people I write about. I will absolutely pop in and introduce myself soon, it would be great to talk to you more about what you do, and see how The Cupping Room has progressed now it has been open a little longer.
I’d also love to taste the coffee that you make, as I am pretty sure you weren’t working at the time I was in (if you are who I think you are that is).
I look forward to meeting you soon Carlos, I’ll try and pop by for a chat next week.
Cheers,
Nola
June 8th, 2010 at 8:01 am
Northerner says:What Carlos said is pretty much spot on.
To all those people that have not experienced the coffee they were expecting here, did you go and tell them? In my experiences here (about 6), the staff here are primarily interested in one thing – coffee perfection. I have met Carlos and Dain, and another chap who is a top barista (name escapes me). Have had great coffees here every time. I normally have a flat white but very much enjoyed a superb espresso when talked into giving it a go.
All I can say is if you are not happy with the coffee you get here, talk to them about it. Seriously, they know coffee and if something is wrong, I am certain they would want to know about it.
It’s nice to have two choices in Hobart for great coffee (Villino). Yes the ambience is different at the cupping room, being in a warehouse, it is what it is but it’s solely about the coffee for me.
I know coffee pretty well, I roast my own beans, am working at perfecting latte art (when you steam enough milk you might as well do something fancy with it), and I drink several cups a day. I have about 20KG of green beans (several different varieties) ready to roast and about to order more.
The coffee I have had at the Cupping room is at least as good as anything I have ever produced at home. I just wish I was closer so I could come to one of their cupping sessions. I will take time off for that one day.
No affiliation.
June 21st, 2010 at 9:14 am
q says:Pro Roaster?? haha
Did you get that title when you were knighted?
November 26th, 2010 at 7:26 am
R says:Well, I’ve enjoyed about 75% of the coffee I’ve had at the cupping room, and had to leave about 10%. Though perhaps I’m just not educated enough to know that the coffee I thought was nasty was actually brilliantly made
.
I’ll keep going back there because I enjoy the variety, but I must say that I’ve pretty much given up on the cakes and biscuits.
Carlos was silly to expose his arrogance and snobbery on this site. Though I will probably still enjoy his coffee, I now know that he is a bit of a tosser.
December 10th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
craig says:Is there anywhere in Hobart that sells coffee in a bowl?? I’ve had this a few times in New Zealand and Sydney….
July 7th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Isobel says:Up until recently I would generally agree with all the many positive and effusive comments made about The Cupping Room – the food is tasty and the coffee some of the best in Hobart. However, recently my food and my coffee have been incredibly slow to arrive, and the doe-eyed young staff equally slow to respond to beckoning clients and pointedly checked watches. Today, when I went in there at 3pm there were plenty of said young hipsters floating dreamily about, and few customers to serve. However, when I politely queried the length of time taken to produce my latte, I was told in no uncertain terms by the belligerent young man to “not come back”. Maybe he was offended by my lack of appreciation for his latte art; or maybe he was just a jumped up little prick, but he followed that up with a “I’ve got four places in Hobart and I know what I am doing” comment guaranteed to raise any well-meaning customer’s ire further. Levity aside, it is displays of rudeness and downright aggression like this that lead to the failure of so many hospitality operations in Tasmania. Unlike cities like Melbourne and Sydney, Tasmania has no service culture of which to boast, which, combined with a prevailing over-inflated sense of entitlement as displayed by the young barista at The Cupping Room today, is sadly discouraging of any improvement in the future.
July 8th, 2011 at 11:15 am
Nola James says:Oh dear. That is a sad state of affairs Isobel I am sad that you had such a negative experience. Going out for a coffee/ lunch is such a nice treat and it’s a shame to have it spoiled. I’m living in Melbourne at the moment but I hope to return soon as I think I need to re-reivew this venue. The Cupping Room was new-ish when I was first there however I hear mixed reviews constantly. I’ll let you know how I get on. Perhaps you can even come with me!
July 9th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
John says:I’m surprised you’ve been bitten in replies. As an AASCA-accredited judge, I’m of the opinion that Pura in Sydney is weak, watery and that better milks (A2, Riverina etc) are generally better for coffee, and the scoring of fellow judges usually agrees with my position on this. Procal is the choice of many cafes for a reason.
Now, as to the balance of the single origin, I think the problem with showcasing 50 is that they’re not all going to be 88+ points – some of them may be fairly simple in flavour profile while still enjoyable when extracted correctly. Other times, the barista won’t taste enough of the coffee he’s tamping to know when he’s not getting a perfect cup, and will deliver something less glorious. There are so many reasons a cup can be anything other than perfect, that I’m surprised when people do have a great experience somewhere – especially knowledgeable people.
Having said that;
1) It’s useful to make comparative statements – ‘the milk was watery compared to dairy farmers milk @ X’, which allow others to evaluate the level of experience in your comments more easily
2) If I owned a cafe, ‘come and have a coffee on the house, introduce yourself when you come in and I’ll try to make sure you get the kind of coffee we want to make /every/ shot’, would be a better way to get your love and enthusiasm for coffee across.
3) Demonstrating how much more you think you know about a subject than someone else, on their turf, is not cool. It’s like telling the host of a dinner party how their food sucks and how you won an award for their dessert…the way you made it.
Oddly, The Cupping Room have their 3 group slayer up on eBay – whether it’s a spare or not I don’t know, as I was interested in visiting TCR and someone else’s Speedster, and happened to notice the seller name.
December 1st, 2011 at 3:39 pm
well says:interesting blog and great to see carlos participating
looks like it’s all history… twitter has it that oomph/cupping room have been sold, roasting gear removed from cupping room (also explains the slayers spotted on ebay). I’d expect the new owners to take down the advertising celebrating past achievements and earn their reputation.
February 4th, 2012 at 11:25 am
Andrew says:Wow.. Anyone ever notice that little dogs yap, caus they are all bark and no bite. I was worried by the extended defense of the venue on this site by the “owner” If this coffeee was as good as suggested, there would be no need to defend the place on a random website, you would be working overtime serving customers
March 30th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Matt says:I visited the place way back in 2010, and the best thing I ordered was a ham & cheese sandwich. The coffee was nothing to write home about. In fact I’d go as far as to say that when we had our own Starbucks in Central Hobart a few years ago, the coffee coming out of that place was some of the best I had ever tasted, and it was consistently very very good. And the baristas at Starbucks Hobart were extremely helpful and friendly.
Unlike the experience recalled earlier up this blog, in which the arrogant young upstart waiter/barista at the Cupping Room told the customer “leave and dont come back”.
I think the arrogant, self-inflating attitude of Carlos, the Cupping Room manager/owner was the reason the Cupping Room failed and was sold. To exhibit such an “I am all great and always right” big man attitude, both in running a business and personally, its little wonder he failed to keep the Cupping Room afloat. You dont go around town telling people you’re the best, beating your chest and telling people that their tastebuds are wrong, and your coffee is fantastic, no matter what. If you dont listen to your customers and take their criticisms on board, and continue to arrogantly beat your chest about how good you are, you will fail. And unfortunately so will any business venture you may have. Hobartians are frugal spenders and if they dislike something, they will steer clear of it, and voice dislike of service/product with their feet, in droves.