Di Bella coffee. 50 Holt St, Surry Hills. Open only a few weeks, this place has been decked out with a spectacular array of coffee-making tools, and a broad range of coffee sampling options. Strict council regulations mean that there’s not much of a street presence: it’s only the “roasting warehouse” wording on the external signage that would make you think there’s anything to see here.
Step inside, though, and you’ll have a much clearer idea of what’s on offer. A 30kg roaster (much smaller than the 60kg and 120kg that they use in their Queensland store to take care of the wider distribution to cafes) is mostly for show during trading hours – I’d say it would heat up the room too much.
Order a coffee from the takeaway counter on the street, and they’ll make the coffee here: I’m looking forward to a chance to go back and try a sit-down coffee or two.
If things become too crowded at the main coffee-making station, there’s a second one completely set up towards the back of the store.
And if you’re curious about cold-press coffee, they’re more than happy to show you the process in action.
My decaf latte is really good, as I was hoping. This adds even more character to the already excellent coffee scene in Surry Hills. If you’re in the market for any kind of coffee machinery, you’ll want to have a look at this place.