coffee anthology - brisbane cbd. this might be the nirvana of coffee places available in brisbane. at the very least, it has some of the best coffee that can be found by searching up and down the inner-city streets; this time though in the ignored margaret street. adding on to that, the interior has cosy yet spacious feel. like any self-respecting coffee specialty house, all the nick-nacks of coffee are on display and for the aficionados who want to test it out at home this doubles as a small store. finishing it all off, is the icing on the cake - friendly service. once you place your order, whether it is to go or dining in, you are given a complimentary glass of chilled sparkling water while you wait. it is tiny aspects like this that leave the impressions much stronger.
they really seem to know their coffee here. most places will just willy-nilly assign the default blend unless mention is raised about either "the house blend", or special requests to try a single origin espresso or whatnot. here, it is slightly different. they zero in on what particularly is suited to your tastes or preferences and assign a blend at that. at any given time, the place has several different blends available from all different brewing companies and roasteries. a primary blend that is often there is courtesy of uncle joes.
both times i have gone here as of writing - spoiler alert, this is due for returns without a doubt - i have had the ghost rider blend from proud mary. first time around that i got it was likely due to the stunned look on my face wondering which blend would be suited to my order of a double shot cappuccino. the ghost rider blend was simply perfect for the choice of drink: on a level appreciating the notes and flavours of the coffee bean, from the id perspective to simply wanting something with a huge kick towards it and by the method of bringing the entire concoction together. it was well extracted, creamy and smooth plus the most of all, it was delicious. second time around, the young barista there asked if i were going more for a fruity kind of taste or more of a chocolate flavour:a preference for the latter had the ghost rider blend in my cup for a second time. it had a not-quite subtle taste of toffee and was pretty darn strong.
as well as plenty of great coffee options (including cold drips and pour overs), coffee anthology also offers a good range of edibles to have on the side with the coffee. these include salads, sandwiches and all kinds of sweet bakery items; they all look to be great quality as well. for the purposes of testing, i got a caramel slice the first time around. this was delicious, and was made fresh on the premises. it was creamy, and had a good biscuit base with topping that reminded me of caramel nougat. top that all off with a layer of dark chocolate and you have something that is good enough to share (and i did).
for the coffee lovers everywhere, the term "must try" does not do it justice. in fact, a better term would be to put it on the bucket list. it is really that good, and that distinct to be called out among the many places for city dwellers and beyond the city limits. with a keen dedication to continuously offer different blends, there is certainly a good reason to connoisseurs of coffee to keep coming back. the team appreciate feedback openly, and are aware about all the platforms where they can be reviewed. from this little black duck, there is nothing but being impressed: the barista adam is friendly, and just constantly goes with making the coffee - he is up for a chat and knows the ins and outs like the back of his hand.
until now, brisbane did not truly know good coffee; one day this is going to be the standard, for now it is the yardstick in which to measure how coffee should be - here and abroad. long live coffee anthology.