First Look: Acoffee Opens a New Store for the First Time in Eight Years

Coffee was always supposed to be a temporary thing for Acoffee founder Byoung-Woo Kang (who goes by BW). In Korea, he had a part-time job as a Starbucks barista to support his photography practice, but when he moved to Australia 2009 he landed a job at Market Lane’s first store, in Prahran Market. There, he learnt about roasting, started to develop his own style and fell for the drink and all its complexities.

“I love drinking coffee, but I love the process of how coffee is made more,” Kang says. “I’m fascinated with the roasting side and how small things, like a 0.5-degree change, makes a big difference in flavour.”

In 2017, he opened his first shop, on Sackville Street in Collingwood. Now he’s opened a second Acoffee shop, this time in the CBD, at the base of Hyde Melbourne Place hotel.   

The new space shares the slick and simple design of the Collingwood original, where a stark fit-out and bare white walls reflect the roastery’s philosophy of simplicity and transparency. But the city shop is also designed as “an escape from the busy streets”, Kang says, with lots of wood panelling to create a warmer feel.

There are three choices of espresso and three for filter. Acoffee’s signature espresso blend, Dansaekhwa – named after the 1950s Korean monochrome art movement – has a dark roasted profile that Kang says emphasises the Brazilian beans’ rich chocolate and brown sugar flavours. Batch brew is bottled at Collingwood and comes in a beer bottle with a cup of ice on the side.

Specialty drinks include an einspanner, a Viennese drink of espresso topped with sweetened whipped cream, and the Cameo, Acoffee’s black tea blend of Assam and Earl Grey, brewed for 20 hours and served iced with fresh cream on top. A caramel-infused genmaicha and house-blend matcha are also available.

The newly opened CBD store will also have an expanded retail offering, meaning coffee rookies and aficionados alike can get personalised recommendations from Kang and his staff. “I want to be able to give guidance to people who want to make coffee at home, depending on what they like,” Kang says. 

You can also take advantage of his expertise at the Collingwood roastery’s classes. “There were many trials and errors involved, and so many hours of experimenting in what I do,” Kang says. “I wanted to share what I’ve learned about coffee, because when I started, there weren’t a lot of resources that people could learn from.”

Acoffee Melbourne
2/130 Russell Street, Melbourne

Hours:
Daily 7am–4pm

acoffee.com.au
@acoffee_melbourne