It’s like a cellar door, but instead of booze and cheese, you’ll devour coffee flights and a matching dessert at Victoria Park’s new Hop Cafe.
Owners April Chen, Yvette Lin, and Nelson Tsao wanted to create a space that connected the public with a range of WA’s single-origin and specialty coffee roasters,. So their company was born on Albany Highway.
Ms. Chen said showcasing coffee from local roasters would help promote the trend of single-origin and specialty coffees and bring more public awareness to smaller roasters.
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“There are specialty coffee shops worldwide, such as the US, Japan, Korea, and even some major cities in eastern Australia, Melbourne, and Sydney,” said Ms. Chen.
Camera IconHop Cafe owner April Chen. Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian
“However, the cafes here in Perth and WA generally offer milk with espresso.
“We can be a focal point for the burners not near Perth; this way, customers don’t have to travel far to get the coffee beans.”
Hop Cafe welcomes walk-in tastings for $12, where customers can choose up to four coffees and three mini-matching desserts for an additional $4.
It is a self-guided tour, so notes are provided to visitors guiding them through the tasting. They can also scan a QR code to find details of the coffee beans.
Camera IconHop Cafe Victoria Park Walk-in Tasting Simon Santi Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian
A private tasting – including a one-hour tour – offers customers a coffee tasting and dessert to match, as well as the experience of beans brewed in various ways, including decanting, cold brew, and espresso.
Camera IconHop Cafe Victoria Park Private Session Tasting Simon Santi Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian
Ms. Chen said that the taste of the coffee could often be classified as nutty, fruity, or floral.
“We combined the dessert base with the flavor of the coffee to enhance the natural flavor and not overpower it,” she said.
“Citrus with more acidity goes well with fruity coffee flavor, mild acidity goes well with floral, and chocolate goes well with nutty.”
Micrology Coffee Roasters is their specialty coffee roaster, with Pound Coffee Roastery, the company’s long-term partner for their branded coffee.
Camera IconHop Cafe Victoria Park Walk-in Tasting Simon Santi Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian
“We are now focusing on the burners around the Perth region, but we can consider the east coast burners to be local to Australia,” said Ms. Chen.
Camera IconHop Cafe owners April Chen, Nelson Tsao, and Yvette Lin. Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian
Hop Cafe is open daily from 7 am to 3 pm, except Tuesdays.
