There can be very few things in life more satisfying than a good cup of coffee.
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And the enjoyment doesn’t always come just from the drinking.
Coffee can provide that little pick-me-up we need, especially on Monday mornings.
It’s a reward for cleaning the house, or a job well done, or is the centrepiece for how we unwind with our friends and family.
For some, the satisfaction comes from finding the perfect brew in a new city or at a new cafe – smooth and sweet or tart and strong.
It can come from the process of making it, the precision it takes to manipulate the beans into the perfect cup of Joe.
At-home pod machines have become alchemy sets with the combination of pods we use to make interesting concoctions (homemade mocha, anyone?)
Coffee has become much more than what we drink, it’s become very much a part of our culture.
Gone are the days when the humble flat white was our only coffee option.
That culture has reached fever pitch in the cities, with hipsters insisting on drinking their favourite brews from the skin of a hollowed avocado.
While we haven’t seen anything that kitschy in the Riverina (yet), we have noticed that metro cafe culture creeping into the region.
One local establishment will serve your favourite cup of coffee in an ice cream cone.
We are all for experimentation (although it might take some time to convince us to drink coffee from an avocado) and being innovative and we often lament that the country should have the same services and perks as the city.
But is this going too far?
In 2006, a barista was not even recognised as a job but then in 2016, it was revealed in the census that there were more than 37,000 baristas in the country.
The demand for good coffee, flavoured coffee and innovative coffee has definitely risen, with Riverina baristas revealing that the region definitely has its share of “coffee snobs.”
Is it a case of seeing these trends emerging and wanting them in our own backyard?
Do Riverina residents like coffee this much or have we succumb to the pressure of the big cities?
What’s the best flavour you’ve made at home or what’s the weirdest coffee gimmick you’ve seen in the Riverina?
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