This isn't intended to be a complete listing. I've made it my business to order coffee from as many of these establishments as possible. My informal rating and review is given only where I've had personal experience of the coffee on sale.
| Location | Neutral Bay and Manly, NSW |
| Website | www.baycoffee.com.au |
| Business type | Cafe, shop& online |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 6/10 |
| Service rating | 8/10 |
| Comments | I was disappointed at the coffee I ordered from Bay - it was one of their many award winning blends (Mocca) but no matter how I tried, I couldn't coax much crema or flavour from it. It may have been an off or stale batch. Bay Coffee have a high reputation so I won't judge them harshly on one average experience. |
| Location | Erina, NSW |
| Website | www.caesarscoffee.com.au |
| Business type | Cafe, shop & online |
| Bean sources | International, Australia |
| Coffee rating | 6/10 |
| Service rating | 10/10 |
| Comments | A great family run business with a big following on the Central Coast. Wide variety from light to very heavy roasts. Check the freshness of the beans when ordering - their vacuum packing of roast beans is a negative. I haven't tried their mail order service - the rating is for Caesar Franckin's excellent personal service. |
| Location | Leichhardt, NSW |
| Website | www.caffebianchi.com |
| Business type | Shop & online |
| Bean sources | International, Australia |
| Coffee rating | 6/10 |
| Service rating | 4/10 |
| Comments | A flashy new online site, but a bit erratic on information about what goes into the blends. The service rating applies to the in-store 'attitude' only. An enormous range. Check for their freshness (if you dare!) before buying, or stick to one of their high volume blends like Casalinga. |
| Location | Port Melbourne, VIC |
| Website | www.coffeeco.com.au |
| Business type | Online |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 8/10 |
| Service rating | 9/10 |
| Comments | One of the great Melbourne coffee roasters, Alan Frew keeps his range fresh with rare special editions. Roasts fresh to order and ships efficiently. The coffee is consistently excellent - I recommend the single origin beans rather than the blends. You can rely on Alan's advice to get ideal beans for your brewing method. |
| Location | Brookvale, North Sydney & Neutral Bay NSW |
| Website | www.danes.com.au |
| Business type | Cafe & online |
| Bean sources | International, Australia |
| Coffee rating | 9/10 |
| Service rating | 9/10 |
| Comments | Some great blends. Try the Caramba for an espresso machine, and Australian in a plunger. Twice weekly roasting and shipping fresh to order. |
| Location | Naremburn, NSW |
| Website | www.forsythcoffee.com.au |
| Business type | Cafe and & online |
| Bean sources | International, Australia |
| Coffee rating | 8/10 |
| Service rating | 8/10 |
| Comments | 'Forsyth Blend' is delicious - try it as a latte at their cafe before buying if you like. Their other beans are a bit 'hit or miss' - check for freshness. They have won many awards. I haven't tried their mail order service. |
| Location | Fairy Meadow, NSW |
| Website | www.lazumba.com.au |
| Business type | Online |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 8/10 |
| Service rating | 5/10 |
| Comments | The mail order accuracy could be improved - I had my order shipped and charged twice. Having said that, the coffee (Club Zumba blend) was so good that I didn't knock it back! Some of their blends have won national awards. |
| Location | Georgica, NSW |
| Website | www.mountaintopcoffee.com.au |
| Business type | Farm and online |
| Bean sources | Australian |
| Coffee rating | 6/10 |
| Service rating | 7/10 |
| Comments | I so wanted the coffee from this Australian farm to be excellent. It did have a distinctive taste, but it was very hard to get good results in an espresso machine. Not for beginners. Perhaps the beans would be better off as a leading part of a multinational blend? Accurate service, but a little slower than online specialists. Great web site. |
| Location | North Perth, WA |
| Website | www.notjustcoffee.com |
| Business type | Online |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 6/10 |
| Service rating | 8/10 |
| Comments | To my knowledge, the only online retailer of Segafredo beans in Australia. Signing up for free 'member' discounts is worth the effort. Worth trying to see what can be achieved with the same beans used in Segafredo cafes (often the Extra Strong blend). Good online shopping experience, fast service. |
| Location | Castle Hill, NSW |
| Website | www.pineteacoffee.com.au |
| Business type | Shop |
| Bean sources | International, Australia |
| Coffee rating | 7/10 |
| Service rating | 4/10 |
| Comments | Pine's coffee regularly wins awards, but the lack of online ordering makes it relatively inaccessible unless you live in north-western Sydney. The web site is quite out of date. |
| Location | Brighton, VIC |
| Website | www.thebeanery.com.au |
| Business type | Shop and fax/phone/mail orders |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 7/10 |
| Service rating | 8/10 |
| Comments | Some creative blends (the Continental is excellent for espresso machines, but ironically the espresso blend is not as good for that purpose!). Service is friendly and fast (Con Mingos really lives customer service values). Lack of online ordering is the only drawback. |
| Location | Balaclava, VIC |
| Website | www.coffeecompany.com.au |
| Business type | Shop & online |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 9/10 |
| Service rating | 9/10 |
| Comments | Veteran coffee roasters with some great beans to try from exotic, small-volume plantations. Try Organic Espresso for a truly complex and exciting taste, or Espresso Royale for smooth lattes and espressos. Excellent value too. |
| Location | Woolloomooloo, NSW |
| Website | www.tobysestate.com.au |
| Business type | Cafe and online |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 8/10 |
| Service rating | 7/10 |
| Comments | Perhaps Sydney's highest profile coffee roasters. These people really know coffee backwards, although their single origin beans are more impressive than their blends. Good service and packaging, and they always ship fresh roasted beans. Great web site, but online orders are restricted to about half of the varieties available in the shop. |
| Location | Artarmon, NSW |
| Website | www.withams.com.au |
| Business type | Online |
| Bean sources | International |
| Coffee rating | 10/10 |
| Service rating | 9/10 |
| Comments | The current gold standard in online coffee. A philosophy of freshness and fast, well-priced delivery means that you receive coffee that was typically roasted in the last 24 or 48 hours. The service rating would have been 10 if all their blends were available online. And the coffee itself is wonderful - the Super Mocha blend is to die for. |
| Location | Byron Bay, NSW |
| Website | www.zentvelds.com.au |
| Business type | Fax & mail order |
| Bean sources | Australian (Northern NSW) |
| Coffee rating | 8/10 |
| Service rating | 5/10 |
| Comments | A regular recipient of awards at the Sydney Royal Fine Foods shows. No online ordering available - and they once shipped ground coffee when I ordered beans. Fortunately the coffee justifies the extra effort - it's the best Australian coffee I've tasted to date. |