Sun shining in Radelaide today so took the opportunity, trusted wingman by my side as is the norm, to leave the safe compounds of my eastern suburbs plane tree lined boulevards and ventured way out west, well one suburb over from North Adelaide anyway; Hawker Street, Brompton. Hawker Street Cafe has been on the radar for a few years now, having visited once before my caffeinated past time took a drastic left hand turn into compulsive obsession. Bob Dylan in the background is always a good start. Ordered the obligatory soy flat white from the 2 group Boema, not literally, obviously. Quickly arrived to my wing man enforced seat out the front and visually looked the goods with basic art work to boot. Quite strong initially on the pallet, just the right temperature for soy milk, which is a pleasant surprise. Subtle ongoing bitterness yet lacked that continued punch, OK for an afternoon fix, but would struggle to get you through the morning though. A nice coffee in a pleasant suburban location.

Hi again Coffeegeeks. Came across this interesting, yet contentious article for the Melbourne coffee set by James Panichi. Put simply, Melbourne coffee "goes from the disgustingly bad variety served in the cafes of Lygon Street's Little Italy to the gut-wrenching, undrinkably bad at Melbourne Airport." Allbeit from the point of view of this self appointed coffee expert.

It has taken a long time but at last you can find great coffee in New York City, writes Monica Glare, Sydney Morning Herald

East Village

"Abraco Espresso, 86 E. 7th Street This Melbourne-style hole-in-the-wall cafe has enjoyed good reviews since it opened in 2007. It is tiny and has no seating; instead, you lean on the bar or stand in the street. A cappuccino is made with a double shot but the barista will happily oblige and do a single shot. East Village, once the home of Irish and Eastern European migrants, now is the hub of the New York fringe culture scene, inhabited by artists, musicians and students."

Gramercy

"71 Irving Place Coffee & Tea Bar, 71 Irving Place This atmospheric cafe with its mood lighting and French bistro-style chairs has lots of 1850s Gramercy charm. The cafe caters to the American penchant for fancy drinks and coffee concoctions, with 15 different hot drinks in three different sizes. When the woman in front of me ordered an iced, soy, skim, caramel latte, my expectations for a good coffee were not terribly high. But the sampled cappuccino was actually a nice, mellow brew and went well with the freshest croissant from the Balthazar Bakery in SoHo. They serve great sandwiches, soups and waffles, too."

Alas, We did not make it to Abraco on our recent NYC sojourn, most certainly penciled in for the next trip, yet we can certainly attest to the fine caffeine extraction from the funky, tattooed baristi of Ninth Street Espresso, Alphabet City.
We were equally blessed to have 71 Irving Place Coffee & Tea Bar a five minute walk from our
Hotel, past the privately owned Gramercy Park, which we used religiously each morning to fuel the daily foot slog.

Fellow cafenatics, as per the wise words of Lee Marshall from the Sun Herald, here then, for those who fancy going native in true Lorenzo of Arabica style, are the Ten Commandments of Il Culto del Caffe

1 Thou shalt drink only cappuccino, caffe latte, latte macchiato or any milky form of coffee in the morning - and never after a meal. Italians cringe at the thought of all that hot milk hitting a full stomach. An American friend who has lived in Rome for many years continues, knowingly, to break this rule. But she has learnt, at least, to apologise to the barista.

2 Thou shalt not muck around with coffee. Requesting a mint frappuccino in Italy is like asking for a single-malt whisky and lemonade with a swizzle stick in a Glasgow pub. There are but one or two regional exceptions that have the blessing of the general coffee synod. In Naples, you can order un caffe alla nocciola - a frothy espresso with hazelnut cream. In Milan, impress the locals by asking for un marocchino, a sort of upside-down cappuccino, served in a small glass and sprinkled with cocoa powder, hit with a blob of frothed milk, then spiked with a shot of espresso.

3 Which reminds me, thou shalt not use the word espresso. This a technical term in Italian, not an everyday one. Espresso is the default setting and single is the default dose; a single espresso is simply known as un caffe.

4 Thou can order un caffe doppio (a double espresso) if thou likest but be aware that this is not an Italian habit. Italians do drink a lot of coffee but they do so in small, steady doses.

5 Thou shalt head confidently for the bar, call out thine order, even if the barista has his back to you, and pay afterwards at the till.

6 If it's an airport or station bar or a tourist place where the barista screams "ticket" at thee, thou shalt, if thou can bear the ignominy, pay before thou consumest.

7 Thou shalt not sit down unless thou hast a very good reason. Coffee is a pleasurable drug, but a drug nevertheless, and should be downed in one, standing. Would thou sit down at a pavement table to take thy daily Viagra?

8 Thou shouldst expect thy coffee to arrive at a temperature at which it can be downed immediately as per the previous commandment. If thou preferest burning thy lips and tongue or blowing the froth off thy cappuccino in a vain attempt to cool it down, thou shouldst ask for un caffe bollente.

9 Thou shall be allowed the following variations, and these only, from the Holy Trinity of caffe, cappuccino and caffe latte: caffe macchiato or latte macchiato - an espresso with a dash of milk or a hot milk with a dash of coffee (remember, mornings only); caffe corretto: the Italian builder's early-morning pick-me-up, an espresso "corrected" with a slug of brandy or grappa; and caffe freddo or cappuccino freddo (iced espresso or cappuccino) - but beware, this usually comes pre-sugared. Thou mayst also ask for un caffe lungo or un caffe ristretto if thou desirest more or less water in thine espresso.

10 Anything else you may have heard is heresy.

Obsession

Can't help but notice the similarity to the Twilight cover in this pic of coffee beans, except these are more palatable.
My obsession lies not with the sparkly undead, but with the dark, creamy goodness of a caffeine fix.
I seek the perfect brew... and so the wandering begins.