One of 100 great things to do in Melbourne for under $10
the White Hat guide

Coffee

Coffee is a personal taste. What is a great cup of coffee for one person may taste terribly bland to one or hideously strong to another.

Therefore it is important to state one's preferences at the outset.

I prefer strong Italian-style coffee. That's not surprising, because it was basically the Italians in the 1950's that taught us there was more to coffee than the insipid fluid known as instant coffee. 

Coffee bars such as Pellegrini's in the city and Don Camillo's in West Melbourne remain essentially unchanged since the fifties and made us feel we were part of La Dolce Vita.

If you prefer your coffee weak and milky in the American style you can always try a railways cafeteria or an overseas chain store. Expect to pay double the price for coffee of half the strength and possibly served in a polystyrene beaker, but if the logo is more important than than the taste, the option is available.

in recent years, several Starbucks outlets have sprung up in Melbourne, but to date they are occupied mainly by  tourists and overseas students. In fact several (including those in Chapel Street and Toorak Road) closed in 2004. Melbourne takes its coffee too seriously to settle for an insipid international brew. But then again we used to take our hamburgers seriously - maybe we have to wait and see.

Fortunately, good coffee is now available all around Melbourne. Even previously unlikely places such as Asian restaurants and pubs now have espresso machines. And at most you'll be able to order staples such as long black, short black, cappuccino, latte, macchiato, mocha etc.

But there's more to a good cup of coffee than having the right equipment. The barrista needs to know his or her trade. Fortunately there are many places in Melbourne where this is the case.

Here are some places we recommend:

• Pellegrini's
• Any Italian cafe in Lygon Street, Carlton