Well behaved Beans? The Good Bean Espresso Bar, (Sunshine Coast QLD)

degusted 10/8/11 – for espresso and ristretto.... and a BYO pie :)

Their coffees are good, and the atmosphere is what I look for in a cute local dealer – a rustic bare minimum, but somewhere to sit, chat or read the paper over a good cuppa.

 

Surprise surprise... The older and more weathered half of The Degusters likes a good coffee occasionally. Especially when on holidays.

There is an amazingly short supply of good cafes around the Mooloolaba area that we could find... Sure, there are plenty of breakfast/lunch eateries that also do coffee, but it seemed few places just focus on coffee. Very unlike Melbourne in that respect (perhaps it was just us - perhaps some locals could steer us in a better direction??).

Speaking to the friendly barista here at The Good Bean Espresso bar, I was told that the Sunshine Coast is perhaps around 5 years behind Melbourne's coffee and cafe trends. I reckon that might be about right, but I also think this gap will close as more and more southerners move north chasing the sun, and once more locals and visitors start to get behind the independent "caffiene dealers" and gain the confidence to take their patronage further from the currently popular "Gloria Bucks" and "Star Jeans" -style franchises.

Sitting and observing, there seems to already be the beginnings of a niche following at this little coffee shop – which is pretty much a hop step and jump off the beach, behind the Mooloolaba surf club. I heard one local say that his mates recommended he pick himself up a ristretto, but that he wanted it in a cappucino... Cudos to him for trying something different (a shame to have diluted the product into milky boringness, though each to his own).

The shorty was good, as was the ristretto. Both were worthy of a second, and if I had discovered this place earlier I would have gone back a few more times. The difference in flavour between the espresso and ristretto was marginal, and I think most people probably would not pick the difference (unless comparing side by side).  I do wonder how they manage their grinder settings with an open-plan shop and the potential for ever-changing ambient humidity..

My fingers are crossed that next time I'm in the area this place will still be open, still pulling good shots, and keeping itself a year or two ahead of the local coffee scene - both as a destination for caffiene addicts, but also to build just this sort of relaxed cafe culture in the area.