Order Coffee in Perth

Sometimes when faced by the bewildering number of coffees on the menu board at cafes in Perth, it’s easy to bug out and just order the first thing on the menu. We thought we’d help guide travellers (and locals) through the intricacies of ordering a coffee, and point out some of our favourite places to get a caffeine fix. It’s the LP guide to coffee in Perth. Cheers.

Types of Coffee

Espresso (Short Black)

A single shot of strong black coffee, ideally with a thick reddish-brown foam, crema, floating on top, and served in a small demitasse cup.

Long Black

A long black is a double-shot of espresso pulled over hot water so as not to disturb the thick crema of the espresso, and served in a long glass.

Cappuccino (Cap)

“The Cap” is an Aussie icon. Made with espresso, hot milk, and milk foam with a sprinkle of chocolate powder on top, it’s been the default take-away coffee in Australia for decades. Long before double-shot lattes, frappes, and flavoured infusions made their presence felt, the cappuccino was available from just about anywhere that served hot drinks. Indeed, most road-side eateries with week-old food simmering in a bain-marie will still be able to whip up a fresh cappuccino with thick, chocolate-sprinkled foam.

Latte (Caffe Latte)

A Latte is a shot of espresso that has been poured into a long glass and filled with steamed milk. It’s then topped off with foamed milk.

Flat White

An Australian original, the flat white is made in the same way as a latte, but served with slightly less foam in a china cup.

Long Macchiato (Long Mac)

This is one of the few coffee orders that will differ greatly depending on the coffee shop you order from. Most trained barista will serve you an Italian-style long mac: a double shot of espresso with a small amount of milk floated on top. Also common is a double shot of espresso in a long glass which is then filled to the brim with heated milk. Try your luck, or ask before you order.

Short Macchiato (Short Mac)

A short black served in a small glass or demitasse cup, with a dash of cold milk added.

Affogato

A shot of espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Great for those with a sweet tooth!

Anything else?

If you’re feeling health-conscious, add “skinny” to the front of any order (“Skinny latte, thanks) to have it made with skim milk. Likewise, “Low-fat” will ensure you get low-fat milk. Most coffee shops also offer soy milk these days, just ask when you order.

For those visiting from overseas, in Australia the French Press is referred to as a “Plunger”. Asking for a French Press will likely elicit blank looks; ask for “plunger coffee”. Americano is also unfamiliar to most Australians.

The Best Coffee in Perth

There’s a lot of great coffee to be had in Perth, here’s a couple of our favourites.

Tiger, Tiger is hidden away, just off Murray St in town. Here’s a great review on Abstract Gourmet.

ExoMod at 615 Beaufort St, Mount Lawley (opposite Planet books) has great coffee, free-wifi, and is super for people-watching on Beaufort St. Try their one litre mega-coffee if you dare. They also have a loyalty card that lets you get your eighth coffee free.

Infusion is in Plaza Arcade in the city and if you’re walking up the arcade you’ll smell it before you see it. They sell all the usual coffees, and also flavoured coffee, biscuits and nougat. There’s not a huge amount of space, but there’s free wifi, plenty of flyers for upcoming music events and a great vibe.

If you’ve got any favourites we’ve missed, let us know in the comments.

Corporate Culture

For those travellers wanting a shot of corporate culture, Starbucks hasn’t yet made its presence felt in Perth, but the Gloria Jean chains are slowly worming their way into shopping centres around Perth. The largest is inside the Borders bookstore opposite David Jones on Murray St. For a slightly more home-grown corporate alternative, try one of the many Dome or Cino to Go franchises scattered around the city.

Free Wifi in Perth

If you’re looking for free-wifi, there’s a map of hotspots in Perth on Hotspotr and Whirlpool has this list of free wifi hotspots for Australia. Two areas of note are the Mount Lawley strip: Exomod, Caffissimo and Pony Club, and the Fremantle South Terrace area.

Coffee Blogging in Perth

We’ll add these as we come across them:

• Cafe Grendel – “is mostly about coffee, about making coffee and drinking coffee. Thus it covers a broad spectrum of life because after all, life is what happens between each coffee.”

Elsewhere in Australia

If you’re in Melbourne, the Melbourne Coffee Review has hundreds of reviews of coffee shops in Melbourne and a neat “3 bean” rating system. Elsewhere, Ozi Barista is certainly passionate about coffee and has notes on coffee making Australia-wide.