Oh the delights of flying on a budget airline, now for my northern hemisphere friends you think ryanair, easyjet and alike and what a poor comparison they are to here – pay for everything yes and of course no checkin service online so i need to get my shit together and make sure I’m at the airport on time – never an easy task in Rpd world! But that’s where the label of budget airline ends, I got to choose a seat and was even offered an emergency exit row, no sweet talkin the trolly-dolly saying I’m too tall and all that crap you come up with for getting an upgrade or something for free no this was easy street and even better it was on time too! Too many bags in over head lockers not a chance loads of room and as for the non stop sale of reheated packet food, best offer train tickets, charity collections, scratch cards and Christ knows what other toot they have – Nadda noute nothing more than a tea or coffee and that’s your lot, give us your rubbish make sure the free magazine and safety card are left behind and that’s it!!! Bloody marvelous start to the road trip. Tiger airways good work – even if the tail of the plane had tiger stripes on it!!
Then got off the flight, went walkabout for about three days and finally ended up at the city bus shuttle just outside the terminal, ok some budget airlines are similar – thirty minutes later BOOM welcome to Melbourne and I’m freezin my balls off. Seriously this is Austryyyaliyyaa why am I cold where’s the sun gone, is that person carrying an umbrella, where have I come to!?!? Not too worry the forward planner/experienced traveller I am remembered to pack correctly god bless katmando and Amex!!
Let’s say a lengthy walk later via a tram or two, a hop on and straight off the bus and a couple of 180’s later and I arrive at the mecca of Melbourne coffee (so they say) Seven Seeds by a chap called Marc Dundon now I’m never the one to harp on about how good someone else is but for the 99.999% of people who don’t know what I’m on about this chap is a bit of a legend in the coffee world; again words from other people but none the less; the best single source beans, bean to cup all via his ways/process/means/experience – pick it, buy it, roast it, serve it, charge for it and even teach you how to do it, I’d say the boy has done good. No in fact I’m fuckin blown away.
Upon walking into an old warehouse your confronted by a wall of customers 
bikes hanging up (big plus in my book already!) Just to the left an area in the center where he is growing his own beans yes don’t re-read he is growing coffee in the cafe, off from that what can only be described as a workshop with more coffee apparatus than you can imagine! I’m in a very cool slick looking New York style warehouse, for the home crew think Shoreditch or Old Street this place has it, I mean its in the middle of nowhere, from the outside its nothing yet three meters in the door and I’ve stumbled in on a line of 15 people waiting for coffee, the place is packed and the noise and smell of it all amazing! The four rifle bolt clicks of grinder lever to add the perfect amount of freshly ground coffee to the basket, then the grinder kicks into life again with a muted metallic grinding noise which interrupts the conversation of two very attractive looking girls making them talk that little bit louder so I can now fully understand why wife beater tops shouldn’t been worn on the first date!! Then comes the sound of milk coming up to temperature like an 747 on take off a low and deep growl building to a high pitch screech. Within two minutes you have been presented with a one off work of art just for you, always reproduced to try and taste and look the same but never will two cups be exact.
Some say coffee is an indulgence and at $4.00 for a bit of hot water, milk and a few beans you could say it is, but its so much more than that please never let me say or be caught saying its about the experience but it so is – how can you drag someone down a pissy little road, into a warehouse where you have to shout to be heard and hand over four gold coins in exchange for a cup of muddy brown liquid which will only last 10 minutes at the most! Indulgence – hell yea, why do we go out and spend twice that to get a pint in a smelly pub or head to the crazy little local pizzeria? Because we enjoy the event, a circus act of noise, movement, color and smells it might be a cup of coffee but its a show just for you. This one is provided by the team at Seven Seeds and that is why they have nailed it – you actually walk out with less than you’ve gone in with but a little part of you has been fulfilled that you’ve had something which is just for you.
Fuckbucks and the other coffee chains please take note, you will never achieve this no matter how hard you try! Mark Dundon I salute you, I can’t wait to see your other houses and as for the 101 million other cafes in Melbourne I can’t wait to see how you survive in this city all, of a sudden 5 days is not going to be enough time, still with all this caffeine in my system I won’t be able to sleep so I wonder if they have a 24hr cafe I can check out……
the bean hunter 