I love a good cup of coffee.

I am boycotting a certain chain of coffee stores that make pretty ordinary coffee and also support a questionable charity and refuse to heat a baby bottle in the microwave or give you boiling water to do it yourself as it is against store policy, there is actually a sign on their counter in Belconnen Mall stating this. A big thumbs down in my book.

This has got me thinking about where you do get good coffee.

I get great coffee at Della Rocca in Kaleen.

Muffin Break in the mall also make a pretty good coffee and they are much more baby freindly. However I usually get a double shot.

I also like a coffee shop that has comfy chairs for breastfeeding as I don't like to be shut up in the dingy parents room to breast feed.

Please help me in my search for a good brew.

Hi,

I know alot of places wont heat bottles as it is a OHS issue (I know stupid). Have you tried Jamaca Blue (outside cinemas, I think thats the name) at the mall or coffee guru does decent coffee.

The coffee shop in Mitchell opposite Kid City makes the very best coffee indeed. They also sell supplies.

I try to avoid places that have young staff and are franchise stores. No offence to the 15 year olds making them, but making a good coffee is a serious business that requires lots of experience. It's usually the poky little cafe that has been in business for a very long time that makes the best.

Anyway the one at Mitchell gets my thumbs up, they also make a beautiful hot choc.

ETA - We often go there for lunch and take our own, they have never had a problem with that and I would imagine would not have a problem heating a bottle or B/F. When we have a large group we sit in an alcove off to the side which would be perfect for a mothers group.

i had a few really good coffees recently but i forget where though i have quite different taste in coffee to the majority! (i don't like mine strong, and contrary to popular belief that's the way they are in italy and i loved the italian coffees!)

I have seen in many foreign films coffee being served in a huge cup (almost like a soup bowl), that is the kind of coffee I want one day

Anyone had one?

when i went to visit my penpal in italy breakfast was a quite large milky coffee with hard sweet biccies to dip in it - but i never had big coffees like that in a cafe. (but i was mostly in one area up north and only travelled around for a few weeks and only as far south as capri)

Chat, the place at the Watson shops used to do a coffee bowl and you could order a crossant (sp?) to dip in it. Not my cup of tea coffee, but DP loved it. Not sure if they still do it though.

I have a serious coffee addiction. Cream in civic do a nice one, as does Cafe Essen. Beppe's at the Belconnen Markets do a lovely one too and you can always get a takeaway and take the kids to the Mushroom with your coffee

Nicole

My dh is a bit of an addict, and likes Mako or Coffee Guru at Gungahlin.

Personally, I find GJs at Gungahlin and Borders to be very family friendly , but I breastfeed so have never had to ask for hot water. I really love the way they offer free babycinos - I had coffee with a friend who brought 4 children, and they were charming about supplying one (paid for) cappucino and 4 (complimentary) babycinos.

We used to be able to get fantastic coffee from the cafe near dh's work, but since they lost their barrista the quality has plummeted so we make our own .

My place! The coffee is fair trade and organic, the location is child friendly and the price is very good!!!

I don't go out for coffee much as I find it a moral minefield!

Bean in the City make great coffee (the best I have ever had!) but the seating is outdoors and not a lounge chair!

And I know it sounds harsh, but the way around heating babys milk is to offer it lukewarm and let baby get used to that. I resorted to that and DS was fine with it. Or BYO small wide necked thermos as my cousin does.

~Sorceress~ I think arniet may have been talking about GJ in the original post so doubt that she wants to frequent that... I'll leave my opinion out of this as it could open a whole can of worms... I'll stick to the subject... coffee

Currently I can't drink coffee and I am missing it terribly... Although Gungahlin has soooo many coffee chains so it is not hard to find a decent (I didn't say good necessarily) coffee there.

Aparently 'My Bone Cafe' has good coffee according to DH and it much better than a manuka establishment we went to on Sunday morning which will remain nameless.

It is really interesting to hear everyones opinions.

I also breastfeed so warming bottle is not a problem for me but I still think not heating bottles or giving hot water is a bit ridiculous even with OH and S concerns they could give hot water not boiling. I think it is great when people help out mothers especially if you are patronising the shop anyway.

I also know some people who take hot water in a bottle and by the time they make up the formula it is the right temperature.

Where is My Place? I like the idea of fair trade coffee and I recently went to Starbucks and Brand Depot and was reading about what they do to support growers in Guatemala.

I had a nice cup of coffee at Guru in Jamison today. I don't have coffee too often as I try not to have too much caffeine but as I was a coffee addict I still have one when I am out and about.

I totally agree about coffee making being a skill and sometimes you get a good coffee somewhere and the next time not so good as it was made by a different person.

I lived in France for a year and we used to have coffee in bowls in the morning with brioche at home, but little cups for espresso in cafes.

I will have to try Chat in Watson too. I don't really go to Mitchell but if I do I will give the one in Mitchell as I do go occasionally to get my old Volvo serviced!

I just thought of a another good place for coffee which is the Front at Lyneham shops.

Thanks fort the tips ladies. I might have to go and get myself one on the weekend!

And they do dip croissants in them on the movies

Yes, I forgot about the GJ dodgy charity thing, but they really have been very friendly at Gungahlin and Borders when I bring in hordes of children - but the Belco Mall one is not nearly as nice...

Actually, I'm rather spoilt at the moment - the children's school has just opened a cafe that serves GOOD organic freetrade coffee to "members of the school community". I can drop the kidlets at school then get my coffee fix!

All I will say about the GJ thing is.... pls don't believe EVERYTHING you read in the media...

Tara (am going back in my box now)

I absolutley love the coffee at Black Pepper in Belconnen! In fact they are my favourite coffee location in all of Canberra, and I too have a SERIOUS coffee addiction!

I go there at least once a week for my coffee fix and all the staff are friendly and familiar. One of the co-owners is a wonderful guy who would offer some of the best service hospitality can offer

We always take the kids there and Ayden, Liam and my neices are treated really well. They even have Mums and Bubs days on Tuesdays. Until 11am I think you get 10% of your total bill.

Yep, I Black Pepper!

I can also highly recommend Tonic in the city. They are across from the old Greater Uninion Cinema and also make a fantastic coffee!

I personally think many, many places here make an awful, burnt, too hot, icky coffee - very dissapointing

Your thread reminded me of those cards you get stamped when you buy a coffee, then after say 10 you get a Free one.

I used to meet up with a friend for a coffee at muffin break every week for a while before she moved to the US. I went there the other day and i had a card that had 7 stamps on the coffee side and about 4 on the muffin side. They told me those cards were "finished" and gave me a card with 5 spaces to fill with ONE stamp on it! Humph! Did i feel gypped or what? Its really no big deal, i havent been there in ages, and i guess i go there because i have the card, but im going to take advice from this thread and go where the coffee's good, not just because i happen to have their card in my wallet.

My/our personal favourite is coffee from Charmers in Manuka. It's a pretty old fashioned kind of place but we have never had a bad coffee there. Always tastes nice, always the right temperature. Only bummer is it isn't really pram friendly, but they do try and accommodate you.

My biggest gripe about getting coffee out these days is paying $3.95 a cup and then you have to go back to the counter to pick it up and then they serve it to you in a paper cup.

If I'm paying $3.95 (or more) I want it delivered to my table, in a ceramic/China mug and I don't want to have to sprinkle my own chocolate on the top (like GJ/Starbucks).

For that reason when we are out (and not near Manuka) we go to Michels Patisserie, Coffee Club, Coffee Guru type places and generally avoid the aforementioned two.

Regards

Karen

PS As for heating bottles, I always carry a plastic cup with a line drawn on the side and get whoever to fill it up to the line to dunk the bottle into it. The water comes directly from their coffee machines, so there shouldn't be an OHS issue, as I think by law most coffee machines (sorry baristas) only make coffee at a certain temperature to avoid people burning their mouths.

But that's the best part - at least according to my children who will spend a loooooong time choosing their sprinkles , and I like being able to add just as much chocolate as I like on top .

Well, my temptation is to not comment at all and move to another post. BUT, being half coward and half coffee lover makes me jump in and contribute. I go to Gloria Jean's at Belconnen Mall almost every day.

The service is good, staff know us by name now. The coffee is just the way we like it because we are VERY SPECIFIC when we order. Extra hot, extra shot, however we like it. I prefer a paper cup as it is clean and hasn't been used before or hand washed in questionable circumstances. (water not hot enough usually) I don't mind going to the counter to pick up the coffee. You can carry it over to the new play area if you need to supervise the children.

I also frequent GJ's at Borders and GJ's at Woden. Service and coffee is consistent at all three GJ's stores.

Most are independently owned and their only association with Mercy Ministries is a little donation box on the counter. No one is forced to contribute and I haven't seen any hard evidence against that charity anyway. Mostly just rumours and we all know how reliable the media is on that score!

Enjoy your coffee where ever you find it : )

Lynn

I think I have opened a can of worms with my comment about boycotting GJs and I am sorry if I have offended anyone. it is a personal choice where you buy coffee and any product.

I am glad you commented Lynn and agree with you comment about not being forced to donate to Mercy Ministries. If anyone is interested there is a lot of information out there about this charity and it is for people to make up their own minds about.

Morals and ethics are a personal thing and the choices I make are what I see as the right thing for me. I do not fault others for buying coffee from GJs or anywhere else that is your right and choice.

I am also sure that not everything I do is ideologically sound.

Anyway I am very sorry if I have upset, offended or annoyed anyone.

Thanks Lynn - I agree. I didn't want to comment for fear of opening up a can of worms... not everything that the media reports is correct.

Tara

My DH thinks the coffee at Cafe Gaudi (Woden Plaza - near the front doors up the supermarket end) is the best he has tasted. They have tables and chairs, but it is relatively comfy and spacious (we regularly take our pram).

I tend to avoid chains anyway, regardless of what charities they choose to donate to. I prefer to support small, local, business.

At present the only place I get to go for a coffee is Gizmo's at work. They're not too bad. Which is bad for my bank balance...

DS is off with a mildly gunky eye today , so we're going to the markets when he wakes up. We might try the organic coffee place at Belco markets this arvo - I've heard it's good.

Arniet - My Place is at my home, in the Belco 'burbs. As I said, I don't go out for coffee as I find it a moral minefield. Plus it's just too darn expensive and stressful!!

Canberra Chick I think you and dh work at the same place - this is another coincidence given you both went to the same uni in the UK.

I love Coffee Guru - but only the Weston one, the Tuggeranong one downstairs outside and sometimes the Woden one (they can be a bit hit and miss).

How I miss good coffee. Moved to Texas two months ago and the coffee here is terrible. Anyone want to come and open a good coffee shop for me?

Laura

I understand about the coffee in the USA. I have been there on holidays twice and could not find a decent coffee anywhere!! I think part of the problem is that they all use low fat milk over there and I like mine rich and creamy. I even found it hard to find butter or full cream milk over there. Everyone I know in the USA eats lots of "take- out" and they don't seem to cook much at all for themselves. I have friends in Houston and Nashville so maybe it's a southern thing?

good luck finding some good coffee, maybe you need your own machine at home to achieve it though? lol

I love going out for a coffee over here, always great coffee and a great opportunity to catch up with friends (we all have families and home businesses).

L