If it were ever doubted, it was proven today – Sydney is obsessed with coffee. In the city, there is a café (or a Starbucks) on practically every corner, so it’s no wonder that I navigate my way around based on where the coffee is.
The Aroma Festival is an annual event held in Sydney’s historic Rocks district. It has expanded in the last few years to include tea, spices and chocolate as well as coffee. What a turnout there was today! The weather was fantastic, much better than for last year’s festival when it rained... And really, what better to do on a beautiful Sunday in winter than sample coffee and tea from dozens of roasters and suppliers, as well as chocolates, cupcakes, cookies and fudge from many more.
After a cup of coffee and a wander around, we found ourselves looking for something sweet. Sydney has well and truly embraced the cupcake trend, with numerous cupcake bakeries popping up over the last few years. However, most of the cupcakes I’ve tried have been kind of disappointing. No matter how cute, they are either dry on the inside or the icing is far too sweet for my liking, and I’m left with the feeling that I could have made it better myself.
Online Cupcakes had a gorgeous display, and we sampled a chocolate flavoured and an espresso flavoured cupcake. For the first time I was surprised at the quality of the product! The cake was tasty with a nice crumb, and even though the icing could have had a more of a coffee kick, it was still delicious.
As far as the coffee goes, we only tried two different ones because of the crowds and my need to actually get some sleep tonight. I wanted most of all to try Toby’s Estate, but every time we walked past, the long line seemed to be getting longer! It just gives me an excuse to visit their café and ‘tea emporium’ in Chippendale – which is something I should have done long ago anyway!
I really enjoyed the Aroma Festival today, and look forward to another caffeine hit next year. The atmosphere was fun, the crowd was as diverse as they come, and you just can't beat a good cup of coffee for only $1 on a winter's day.
6 comments:
I would love to go to Sydney someday...what is it like?
Hi Katie, I've lived in Sydney all my life so I don't have anywhere else to compare it to. I think its a beautiful city, I love the mix of old and new buildings and I love to go down to the Harbour and just sit near the water. The weather is usually pretty good, though it gets very hot and humid in summer. It's quite a big city size-wise, especially compared to other Australian capital cities...both the CBD and suburbs sprawl out a lot.
There's lots to see and do, and heaps of great places to eat. Sydney is very multicultural so you'll find all different kinds of cuisines to try.
People always talk about the beaches but I prefer to get right out of Sydney - either north or south coast - to go to the beach because in summer, all Sydney beaches are so crowded!
Hope that helps, and hope you do manage to visit one day :)
i can't wait to go to the Aroma Festival next year with you! =) should be haps of fun again!...mmm coffee... can't wait!
Jess, absolutely, I'd love to go again next year! It was lots of fun. Thanks for coming along :)
Hi Lisa
I came by your blog via tastespotting. I live in Sydney too! Just wanted to say that Toby's really doesn't have the best coffee and if you are ever in the area you should definitely try Campos (which is in Newtown) instead. Unless of course, you already have :p
The unfortunate thing about Campos though, is that the quality is rather erratic and very dependent on the barista.
I have heard a lot about Campos but I haven't tried it because I live no where near Newtown! But next time I'm in the area I'll make sure to. Thanks!
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