Doublshot Sunbury is one of my preferred local cafes, it’s always possible to get a seat, never too loud and the coffee is good. I’ve never really taken the time to assess the coffee in depth before, consider it against other good coffees or properly review it. It’s always just been a social occasion with more focus on the experience than the coffee itself – but coffee should be an experience in itself, so today I had my analytical mind in gear to properly assess how good the coffee is.
As we entered the cafe which has been closed on and off recently due to staff shortages, I felt some hesitation when I saw it was staffed by 2 people I’ve not seen before. A new barista is always a concern. The customer service was pleasant enough and cafe had an enticing coffee aroma I’ve not noticed at Double Shot before (or maybe it’s just the first cafe I’ve been to in 7 weeks?).
Our coffees were ready in just a few minutes given there was no one else waiting, just enough time to suss out the milk was Milk Lab despite Alternative Milk Co being available to purchase for take-home. As we started walking away I noticed the coffee wasn’t too hot which is always a good sign with a new barista so I promptly took a sip and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the coffee. The milk was perfectly warmed, I’d say almost to exactly 60°C, silky smooth and frothed to perfection – all presented in a simple white disposable cup with a Double Shot stamp and black lid. At first glance I was disappointed to see the lid wasn’t compostable before I realised the entire cup is recyclable which is a nice change from a lot of disposable cups.
The beans – Doubleshot use Motobean Roasters “Racer” blend – a hangover from when the cafe was very first opened as Brew Machine in 2020 which was a coffee and motorcycle parts shop, before changing ownership to a homely women who covered it in tat, and finally to the great barista with the Link tattoo who rebranded as Doubleshot. Now, Motobean Roasters worked with the theme of a coffee and motorcycle shop, but I’m sceptical of the quality of bean. On this occasion the coffee had a decent initial taste, but it faded with every sip as I walked around Sunbury with the family. By the 5th or 6th sip I’d say I was enjoying the routine of having a coffee and the novelty of being out of the house more than I was enjoying the coffee. At the end of the day, beans are the most important part of a coffee, it doesn’t matter how good your barista is, they can only work with what they have. I’m not saying Motobean beans are bad, but they’re not great – and in the best city (yes, I’m considering Sunbury part of Melbourne) in the world for coffee, decent beans aren’t going to cut it.
Maybe I’m being harsh and I should have ordered an extra shot. Maybe I expected a double to be standard on a large coffee and only got a single? That might be the issue here, but I just feel like what was a very good barista was let down by their beans on this occasion. I’ll still frequent Doubleshot as the best cafe in Sunbury but a change to an A-Grade bean like Coffee Supreme, Campos, Wide Open Road or Padre – that would make Doubleshot irresistible.
3.5/5
Matt Power
15 October 2023
