Small Batch - North Melbourne
“Most Australians grew up drinking coffee that was oily, bitter and espresso brewed, because that’s how coffee was “supposed” to taste. At home, they might have a plunger and a jar of months-old ground coffee to drag out on special occasions.
Who knew how long ago their coffee was roasted or ground — let alone where it came from? Since coffee was drunk with copious amounts of milk and sugar, who even knew what it really tasted like?
Then some curious souls started asking questions about how and where coffee was harvested; how it was processed and roasted and whether it could taste better. Andrew Kelly was one of them, starting with some intrepid backyard experiments using a heat gun and colander.
Soon, Andrew dreamed of sharing his discoveries by opening a cafe and roastery. That dream became Auction Rooms: a big open space where everything was on display, a menu that raised the bar for cafe food, and an obsession with creating delicious coffee. Since 2008, Melbournians have been flocking to North Melbourne, answering the siren call of what The Age Good Cafe Guide has twice called Melbourne’s best cafe.
As our roasting operations grew, we opened a dedicated roastery down the road. Auction Rooms was our flagship cafe; Small Batch is the coffee that made it famous.
We want to spread the word that with carefully sourced and roasted coffee beans, a bit of knowledge, and openness to a world beyond espresso, anyone can make coffee at home that’s as good as any cafe’s (even ours!), and better than most. We also supply wholesale to a small number of cafe operators who care as much as we do.
Understanding that the best cup of coffee starts with the raw product, we are dedicated to working consciously and meaningfully in a select group of countries, collaborating with producers closely to achieve the holy trinity: coffee that is exceptional, that has a positive social impact and that supports sustainable agriculture."
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"Candyman is our flagship espresso blend, launched in 2010 and still going strong! A combination of our favourite in-season coffees put together to create sweet, balanced espresso, with or without milk. Served Black: grape, plum, lemon pastry, dark chocolate Components are frequently rotated to ensure broad consistency of the taste profile, cycling through direct purchases from the same producers who also make up our favourite featured “single” coffee products. " Candyman features the following coffees:
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The Ones We Love features coffee by:
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"We’re really proud to add a Rwandan coffee to the highest level of our offering list, and excited that it’s a coffee from a washing station owned by a real gem of a man – Emmanuel Rusatira. Rusatira established Baho Coffee in 2013 after a long career in coffee that began as a washing station manager and culminated in a position as head of a department, managing a number of stations. Today, Baho Coffee oversees more than five washing stations across Rwanda. Personally affected by the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994, Rusatira focuses on helping women because he understands firsthand that many families lost many male members during the genocide. Baho has begun to process and sell the coffee from women-led families separately. This lot is from Fugi Coffee Washing station, and is anaerobically fermented." |
Golden Ticket features the coffee grown by:
If you’ve not tried a filter blend before, thinking it won’t be as good, make sure you don’t miss this one. It’s designed to taste juicy and sweet. A journey in flavour from hot to cool.
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Recipes
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Espresso - 9 bar Brew ratio - 1:2.5 (dry coffee : espresso liquid) Temp - 94 Deg C Time - 25-30 seconds. *Adjust grind size to achieve the desired time
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Espresso - 6 bar Brew ratio - 1:2.8 (dry coffee : espresso liquid) Temp - 94 Deg C Time - 25-30 seconds. *Adjust grind size to achieve the desired time
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Pourover Temp - off the boil Ratio - 1:15.5(dry coffee:water) Bloom - 30 seconds Flow rate - fast *Adjust grind size to achieve desired flow rate |
Aeropress Temp - off the boil Ratio - 1:14.5 (dry coffee : water) Bloom - 30 seconds Brew time - 90 seconds (including bloom) Press consistently over 15-20 seconds. |
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Stove top Ratio - 1-14 (dry coffee : water) |