Coffee Traders

Have missed this place for quite a while as it sits off main street in Mornington. Found it through Bean Hunter. Thank god I did.

Very small, but cosy, often hard to get a seat (this speaks volumes I think), wonderful - personal - service, small but good menu. And the coffee...

Just beautiful.

Using Ciscos, they have their own unique blend (although I couldnt get out of them what it is!). First up flat white: beautiful presentation - text book rosette -wonderfully stretched, creamy milk, wonderful flavour. You can tell it was made with care.

Next up: espresso. Leaning very much toward the ristretto, rather than aromatic, end of the spectrum - just the way I like it. Beautifully smooth, well balanced, low acidity and short (in a good way - not filled to the top like soooo many other cafes).

I have found my place.

Only negative would be there can be longish waits on coffee as it gets so busy. Having said that, no one waiting seemed to mind.

"Coffee Traders" is a little hole in the wall cafe in a side street off the Main Street of Mornington. Blink and you may just miss it! The facade is covered in ivy and it reminds me of somewhere in Italy or France. The Coffee is superb and very consistent. There are only a few different Baristas that I have seen here and they all make excellent coffee with a lot of attention to detail. I have begun to be able to tell who has made my coffee as to what design is on the top as they all have their unique pattern! The coffee is a good strength and always very creamy, the foam silky smooth. The temperature is always spot on. The menu is brief but I can always find something to quell my hunger pangs. Try the Banana Bread - WOW! The staff are always very friendly and I've noticed they know a lot of the customers by name - in fact, the other day the girl who took my order remembered what coffee I have and I felt very special!! Sitting inside, there are Italian Cafe tunes playing on the iPod and the atmosphere is buzzy with lots of people coming and going. The staff look like they're genuinely enjoying themselves, having a laugh with the regulars. The only downside to this little gem is that it is little and a gem, so sometimes it can be hard to find a seat especially if the weather isn't so good and you don't want to sit outside.