Code Black Coffee was established in Brunswick in 2012. It sources green coffee locally and at origin, roasts it and bags it for wholesale delivery and its own retail counters, and aims to respect the full chain of work behind each lot and honour the producer in the final product. The slogan is “Made for Humans”. The wholesale side, running since 2012, supplies cafés across Australia and overseas, lets buyers develop their own blends, and trains baristas.

Brunswick HQ is still the roastery, café and retail shop in one. The full line-up is served there, from the core blends to a rotating list of single origins, as filter, pour-over or a tasting flight, with a seasonal menu. Flinders Lane is the Morning Bar, a café with a dedicated brew bar for limited and rare coffees. The newest café is in Cremorne, a deep-black, chrome-lined room serving brunch, a Coconut Cold Brew and a Dirty Pistachio made with pistachio-coconut milk and pandan. North Melbourne is a brunch café, South Melbourne sits opposite the South Melbourne Market, and three espresso bars with retail shelves cover the CBD: one across from Southern Cross Station below the Savoy Hotel, one on Southbank between Crown Casino and the Red Stairs, a “life-sized Code Black Coffee Box”, and one in the foyer of the 360 Collins tower.

Code Black Coffee Haus, next to the North Melbourne café, opens by appointment and houses the training facility. Home barista courses in espresso, latte art and filter brewing run with a maximum of three people per class, and industry courses are offered to café owners and professionals.

The retail range is organised into blends, single origins sold in separate espresso and filter roasts, decafs, and a Rare Series of small lots roasted one bag at a time on a ROEST. The current retail range is listed below with the roaster’s own tasting notes.

Locations

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  1. Code Black Brunswick HQ15-17 Weston Street, Brunswick VIC 3056BrunswickOpen in Google Maps
  2. Code Black Flinders Lane189 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000Melbourne CBDOpen in Google Maps
  3. Code Black CremorneCorner of Fitzgibbon Street and Dover Street, Cremorne VIC 3121CremorneOpen in Google Maps
  4. Code Black North Melbourne119 Howard Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051North MelbourneOpen in Google Maps
  5. Code Black South Melbourne321 Coventry Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205South MelbourneOpen in Google Maps
  6. Code Black Spencer Street630 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000Melbourne CBDOpen in Google Maps
  7. Code Black QueensbridgeQueensbridge, between Crown Casino and the Red Stairs, Southbank VIC 3006SouthbankOpen in Google Maps
  8. Code Black 360 Collins StreetFoyer, 360 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000Melbourne CBDOpen in Google Maps
  9. Code Black Coffee Haus123 Howard Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051North MelbourneOpen in Google Maps

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Code Black Coffee