Stream of consciousness, noun: a freestylin' literary technique
employed by holiday-mode bloggers behind on their copy. Par exemple:
Tuesday-before-Christmas, early o'clock, Un Caffe Bar, Grenfell Street North.
Red machines are new-car slick. Boy barista in driver's seat,
talldarkveryyoung, sports-car confident. Mothery type takes orders, his mother?
Hmm. The Order: One latte and one medium flat white to take away. The Prices:
steepish, from memory. tbc.
Shopspace: channelling
industrial kitchen, the silver benches are concept over comfort. Newspapers
spread, fashionista regulars chatter, MMC and friend hover - attractive
umbrella options are streetside but we're for the road. The Service: quick,
lidless, straight up on shiny benchtop. The Pour: fie, the blank canvas of
artless latte. Lids applied, taken in stride. Streetsip: face scrunch. Ergh!
Sip 3, MMC to Friend of MMC:
'If this was Bean Bar, we would have turfed these by now'. Heads shaking, we
groundbreakingly swap cups, and reach agreement. Flavour: maltmilk. Strength:
varies small -> large, marginally more drinkable in two-shot territory.
Aroma: nil. Overall, far below expectations. What is it that keeps us drinking?
Memories of smooth have-heres at the now-defunct North Tce locale linger. The
fire-engine-red machine is imprinted in our brains. Saved by the brand, UCB.
But which brand?
Refresher on the UCB story?
It's quite simple, really. Un = one. Caffe = Coffee. Bar = Italian for
coffeehouse. An early info-cup detailed(ish) that 'two Adelaide brothers
dreamed of opening "ONE Coffee Bar". And so they did.' Is there more?
Not much. Online, the Tambakis brothers invite consumers to 'experience the
culture'. They boast 'cutting-edge transit design': tick. They use 'the world's
best commercially available espresso'?: here's the kicker - it's illy.
Everybody loves illy.
When
we drink coffee, our tongue gets painted.
As long as it stays painted, it remains tasty! - Ernesto Illy, son of illycaffè
founder Francesco Illy. Thanks to quality and quotables, illycaffè is one of
the top 25 internationally renowned Italian brands. Est. Italy, 1933, it's up
there with handbags and high-street clothing. The numbers stack up. Blend of
nine types of Arabica beans. Exported to 140 countries. Served in at least 50 000
public venues. Whether or not our tongues were painted today, illy sure are
painting a picture.
The lesson: The UCB founders
attribute their success to a 'strong family background'. MMC attributes it to a
strong association with a strong brand. Illy is the first coffee MMC’s family
ever ran through their new ‘90s home machine. It has history. If you illy it,
they will come.
Link: the illy taste
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