Now Open: Elementary Coffee’s New Cafe and Roastery Lands in Torrensville

If you’re looking for Elementary Coffee owner Brad Nixon, you’re likely to find him in the glass-walled room behind the bar at the newly opened Elementary Coffee Torrensville, putting his new favourite piece of equipment to work. The machine is a 12-kilogram Probot roaster, which is more than double the size of the roaster they used at the CBD store for almost seven years. Nixon gushes about it with equal amounts of excitement and relief.

“We were very much under the pump with our five-kilo roaster at Young Street; it was a nightmare,” Nixon tells Broadsheet with a chuckle. “Finally having this new roaster has been incredibly beneficial.”

Nixon and co-owner Carly Humphreys had been looking to expand into a new roasting venue for quite some time, but Covid and the ensuing lockdowns and financial turmoil changed their focus from growing to simply surviving. “Coming out of Covid we were just trying to get back onto our feet,” says Nixon. “Obviously having a cafe in the city during that time was difficult, but we were also looking for a roastery space that would also serve as a cafe for at least four years. So, when this place came up a little while ago … we couldn’t pass up the chance.”

To curate the new space, Nixon and Humphreys brought on board Rhea Koumi of Umoki Studio and furniture-maker Matt Pearson. Their brief was to re-create a similar vibe to that of their Young Street store while taking advantage of this venue’s vastness. Pink pastels and lush greenery are the name of the game with the warehouse-esque space, its sky-high ceiling with corrugated steel and exposed wooden beams overlooking the central bar and barista area where coffee is always the star of the show.

Nixon is thrilled with the welcome they’ve received in their first month. “I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” he says. “The locals are really getting around us… It seems to be a really young, energetic area.”

Testing out trends and pushing the boundaries of coffee culture is at the forefront of what Nixon and Elementary want to accomplish with this new cafe, constantly looking at techniques that are being developed on the east coast of Australia. Launching with their upcoming summer menu will be a new reserve coffee list that sees Elementary experimenting with frozen coffees; the beans are frozen to create a better grind and, in turn, a more elegant filter and pour-over coffee.

The innovation doesn’t stop at coffee though. Although Elementary’s CBD store pivoted to a takeaway-first approach during Covid, the team at Torrensville has challenged itself to go further. The “pan fried sando” (fried mortadella, peppers, pickled zucchini, provolone, pork jus and an optional fried egg for the true sickos) has been an early standout, as has the waffle served with lavender cheesecake.

Native ingredients elevate the menu – think finger lime or myrtle-smoked kewpie mayo – and vegan and vegetarian options are plentiful. Nixon’s personal favourite is the vegan scramble with locally sourced mushrooms, onion jam and charred greens served with burnt shallot salt on sourdough.

There’s hope that al fresco dining will be possible in the new year, a development that Nixon wants to celebrate with the launch of a thoughtfully curated wine and cocktail menu, pending a liquor licence.

Elementary Coffee Torrensville

2 Jervois Street Torrensville

Opening Hours:
Tues to Fri, 8am–2:30pm
Sat & Sun, 8am–2pm

elementarycoffee.com.au