Maitland’s best coffee is so much more than a mojo boosting hot beverage…it’s a lifestyle!
Have a quick chat with any of these local legends, when you pop in for a coffee, and see some awesome back stories unfold.
At Maitland’s Cabin Collective, a smoky blend is wrapped up with body art, rockabilly and blues.
“The first words out of every muso’s mouth when they rock up to the recording studio is ‘where can I get a good coffee,’ so we brought in house,” says the creator of this quirky collective where coffee collides with tattoo culture and live music vibes. Dave Bean’s soft spot for ink, his 25 years touring on double bass and vocals, and time on TV as a wilderness survival guru, have found their home in this hidden away corner of Maitland. His outback technique of grinding beans with a whittled stick and roasting over a campfire, gave rise to the smoky, Primitive Roast this cosmopolitan cabin is renowned for. “It’s so in demand I‘ve ramped up my micro batches, made entirely by hand over an open firepit.” Rooms behind the café house six tattoo artists, an upstairs studio live streams touring talent and you can catch a live gig downstairs, once a month.
Grab a good read and groceries along with your coffee, at Readers Café and Larder
Follow your nose to this comfort food haven at East Maitland Library for a chocolatey blend of small batch coffee, custom roasted at Byron Blue Estate using coffee beans grown in the Byron Bay Hinterland. Amorelle Dempster delights in sharing her absolute passion for keeping local food culture like this alive. “We’ve planted a native food garden in the heart of Maitland, where the community can pick from plants that once grew wild at The Levee,” she says excitedly while plating up an enormous date and lemon scone, hot from the oven. Just picked pumpkins, citrus and veggies, from small farms on the outskirts of Maitland are piled high on the café counter and cooked into hearty, take home meals, like lamb shoulder, barley and vegetable soup.
Bread & Water at Maitland Gaol is 100% gluten free, with lashings of caramel and cream!
Best to book ahead at this family favourite, where everything on the menu is guaranteed to be gluten free!
Yes, even those wickedly decadent eclairs that walk out the door with almost every coffee order. Vanessa Wrobel’s frustration with coffee outings being “just too risky or a let down in the flavour stakes,” led to this sweet collaboration with her pastry chef husband. “I want a rich caramel slice or big fat cream bun with my coffee, so we came up with gluten free versions that are every bit as gooey and delicious.” Espresso affogato is a house favourite!
New to The Levee, Birch & Coffee Co are all about giving back
Head to that unassuming little hatch at The Levee for coffee that is seriously good, in every respect!
Owner Maddy Birch swears by Floozy Coffee’s Colombia/Nicaragua blend, ethically sourced direct from farmers indigenous to the region, with luscious raspberry, chocolate ice cream and malt flavours.
Also getting behind our local farmers, Maddy makes magic from what’s found in our region, with daily blackboard specials like Mulberry Custard Crumble. “I feel a real responsibility to future generations, so making something as simple as grabbing your morning coffee, a conscious choice, means a lot to me.”
There’s always something cooking at The Cunning Culinarian
Truly great coffee and cherished family recipes are the cornerstone of Alina Mackee’s food centric heritage. At her opulent High Street oasis, you’re welcome to linger over your latte, made on a dark, malty roast, play a board game of noughts and crosses, devour a decadent slice of honest, made from scratch cake and enjoy the other worldly aromas emanating from the kitchen.
Get to know Maitland’s best baristas and expert chocolatiers, and celebrate all things coffee and chocolate at Maitland Aroma Coffee and Chocolate Festival held in The Levee in August.
