Around The Blend

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday July 4, 2008

Rachel Olding

It's cofee, tea and chocolate time at the rocks during the Aroma festival. Rachel Olding reports.

THERE'S no denying Australians love coffee. Per capita consumption is 2.4 kilograms a year and rising, with the food-service industry brewing 1.26 billion cups a year, amounting to more than $3 billion in sales.

It is a figure that has been steadily growing since Sydney's love affair with the coffee bean and the tea leaf began in The Rocks more than 100 years ago.

In 1904, the Andronicus brothers established Australia's first chocolate shop and coffee business, roasting coffee daily in their store on George Street. Two decades later, the Bushells Tea warehouse at The Rocks became the first purpose-built tea production store in the country.

This weekend, the best coffee, tea and chocolate traders return to The Rocks for the 11th Aroma festival.

"It's the Sydney lifestyle that makes us such lovers of coffee and tea," says event manager Karen Graham. "Sydneysiders enjoy being outdoors, especially near the harbour and The Rocks heritage quarter."

The event has grown to become the largest coffee festival in the southern hemisphere, featuring the best in gourmet coffee, chocolate, tea, spice and sweets. It will have more than 100 stalls and is expected to beat last year's attendance of 100,000 people.

Aileen Young, co-owner of boutique coffee brand Velluto Nero, is not surprised that Sydney has grown into a city of coffee connoisseurs and caffeine addicts.

She roasts the special coffee in the front window of the Velluto Nero Clarence Street cafe and will take it to the Aroma festival.

Boutique roasting is "definitely becoming a trend because consumers are becoming more educated about getting fresh coffee," Young says.

"Australians are leading the way in terms of coffee and having local micro-roasteries. We've had visitors from Europe who are trying to emulate what the Australian coffee industry is doing because they have a huge focus on live roasting."

Young aims to seduce the Aroma festival's masses with Velluto Nero's espresso blend, which won the Champion Espresso title and a gold medal at this year's Sydney Royal Fine Food Show.

Festival-goers will be able to try a range of coffee blends in sample sizes for $1 a cup.

"And no doubt go home buzzing," Graham says.

THE ROCKS AROMA FESTIVAL

Sunday, 10am-5pm, The Rocks, 9240 8500, free, see www.therocks.com.

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home