S.M. King enjoys a good cup of coffee. Do you?

There are those who love little more than their sun-up hit of Nescafé. There are those who rush for the Grande Latte gridlock of Starbucks. Then, there are those who actually enjoy actual coffee. If you’re not of this latter group, please stop reading immediately. I have no time for those who do not pay the coffee bean its immaculate due.

And, yes. That includes you who fouls the purity of a cup with Butterscotch Biscotti Syrup. This is not coffee. This is a mere adult pretext for mixed lollies. Syrups are wrong. Franchises are wrong. And, unless you’re a foot soldier desperate for a hit before liberating Poland, the World War II invention of instant ‘coffee’ is an unacceptable relic.

 If you are not drinking quality Joe, you’d better have a good excuse. Melbourne doesn’t provide much shelter from caffeine of quality. We’ve been a happily jittery city for over half a century thanks to two formidable forces. First, the mass production of espresso machines. And, second, the wave of mid-century migration from Italy.

Thank goodness. Not only did Italo-Australians save the nation from indigestion, Osti frocks and overdone vegetables, they demonstrated how to run steam through coffee grounds. And, as you hardly need be told, much of the happy clutter of our café culture remains Italian. Acquum Cucina Italiana in North Melbourne and Caffe e Cucina in South Yarra are two places I’ve recently felt comfortably Italian and properly caffeinated. Of course, Brunswick’s recent eruption into the espresso-hood plainly owes much to the city’s Italian heritage.

However, in case you hadn’t heard, it’s Yemen that provides inspiration for our true Coffee Church.

On those mornings where your own Bialetti or Gaggia just isn’t hitting your reptile mind hard enough, you go to St Ali’s. And you worship.

Named for a Sufi mystic, this lair roasts and prepares coffee beans with true piety. The problem, of course, with such a religious experience is that it ruins you for life. Everything tastes muddy after the dark sacrament of South Melbourne.

Specialty, single origin coffee sourced directly from growers around the world is available to buy and imbibe on site. Not only is this cup the shiznit taste-wise, but it’s ethically sourced. St Ali’s high priest, Mark Dundon, purchases coffee and grows trade relations that are sustainable in every sense of the word.

Mr Dundon is one of an emerging band of principled coffee snobs. This is a primary reason to visit this property and investigate other programs of decent trade. Lest you think that the origin of your coffee is of no consequence, I urge you to read Raj Patel’s scathing review of the global food market, Stuffed and Starved. Printed last year, this book convinces your taste-buds that only the ethically sourced bean will do.

Our coffee culture in Melbourne was borne of the bonds of community. So, it seems only fitting that a place of small-scale, great style and high ethics should lead us into another century of caffeine appreciation.

Wherever you are when you buy your beans or order your shot, remember the principles of your pleasure.

Celebrate the Bean
2 March 11am - 6pm
Waterfront City, Docklands Drive
Melbourne Docklands