Coffee culture in Australia

Coffee culture has become a significant cultural phenomenon in Australia.

19th century


According to the National Geographic, coffee came to Australia on the first fleet in 1788, but as traditional tea drinkers, it would be almost a century before coffee became part of Australian culture. Moving into the 1870s, coffee became popular due to the fashionable rise of Parisian coffee shops and the lobbying of the Temperance Movement, a movement of Christian women who protested anti-social drunken behaviour.

Australia has a distinct coffee culture. The coffee industry has grown from independent cafes since the early 20th century.

Late 20th - Today
After the second world war, Italian immigrants were the first to bring espresso machines to Australia.

Cafe culture first flourished in Leichhardt in Sydney due to its high concentration of Italian immigrants. Several Italian coffee names were eventually switched, with the caffè lungho the long black and the espresso becoming the ''short black. ''

In 1952, the first espresso machines began to appear in Australia and a plethora of fine Italian coffee houses were emerging in Melbourne and Sydney. Pellegrini's Espresso Bar and Legend Café often lay claim to being Melbourne's first "real" espresso bars, opening their doors in 1954 and 1956 respectively. This decade also saw the establishment of one of Australia's most iconic coffee brands, Vittoria, which remains the country's largest coffee maker and distributor. The brand has existed in Australia since 1958, well before it moved to the US.

The flat white, regarded as "Australia's greatest culinary export," may trace its origins to Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s. Its popularity has since expanded to other countries, gaining traction in the UK and the US.

The flat white, a shot of espresso with a larger ratio of froth and steamed milk, first became popular in Australia in the 1990s and its invention is claimed by a Sydneysider. The flat white has since become a classis for Sydneysiders. The iconic Greek cafés of Sydney and Melbourne were the first to introduce locally roasted coffees in 1910. Melbourne is sometimes called the “coffee capital of the World” with its plethora of cafés and roasteries.

Local taste and characteristics
Australians tend prefer a less sugary Coffee, preferring a pure rather than sugary variant. Australian cafe culture is said to emphasize the quality of the beverage as well as the quality of the coffee making process. Specialty coffee is in demand in Australia, with numerous boutique cafes. Such specificity coffees are characterised by innovations in either or both roasting and brewing process.

95% of Australian cafes are independently owned establishments.

To this day, international coffee chains such as Starbucks have very little market share in Australia, with Australia's long established independent cafés existing along with homegrown franchises such as The Coffee Club, Michel's Patisserie, Dôme in WA, and Zarraffas Coffee in Queensland. One reason for this is that unlike with the United States and Asia, Australia for many decades had already had an established culture of independent cafés before coffee chains tried to enter the market. Australians are more focused on the specialty coffee culture, focusing on sourcing fresh coffee beans, roasting properly, and brewing the best coffee beans.

Ristretto is a coffee beverage characterised by a smoother flavour because of its higher concentration due to lack of water. The Australian iced coffee uses a cold brew instead of hot espresso. The Australian iced coffee does not involve blending and is able to incorporate different local flavours, ice creams and syrups.

Coffee industry in Australia
Australian coffee industry generates US$5.8 billion in revenue per year.

Australia currently produces a small volume of specialty coffee, harvesting up to 600 tonnes of green beans from about 850 000 trees every year.

Coffee is grown in two main areas in Australia, northern New South Wales and Queensland, due to the subtropical climate of these regions. In the 1870s an experimental coffee plantation was established at Waggrakine, Western Australia, but failed within three years due to the unsuitable climate.