8 Exploration Lane, Melbourne, 3000. Ph 9654 0169
For the last few months I have been getting little drips of information about The League from the crew at Brunswick East Project. I knew it was going to have amazing coffee, but apart from that, I was pretty much kept in the dark. I was told the name, which I think should be in the running for best cafe name of the year, and the location. The city? Right around the corner from a bazillion other cafes including 65 Degress? Hmm. Well remember how i was saying that 65 Degress reminded me of old NYC cafes because it was so busy and cramped ? Well, The League reminds me of the NEW NYC cafes that i visited, that were open, airy and bright and colourful.
Let me repeat the words 'bright and colourful'. For the last few years, most cafes I have been visiting have been sticking to designing the fit out with a desaturated colour palette, using dark woods, white walls and minimal lighting.
It goes in the opposite direction, instead using bright colours, hand-painted wall designs, light woods, muliti coloured coffee cups, muliti coloured stools and best of all custom sprayed lime green Slayers and grinders! Honestly, just the slayers alone are enough to win me over. I don't think many places in the world are rocking twin slayers, let alone custom painted twin slayers! Did i mention the custom made portafilter light feature? Yes that's right, custom designed, which took over 100 hours to make, and looks incredible. You have to visit The League for the slayers and portafilter alone. Don't worry about the coffee.
You will either have Shane (S-dog) or Gito behind the machines, and they are some of the best baristas you will find in Melbourne. Whatever you order, you will be in the safest hands possible. They should have called this place The League of Extraordinary Gentleman.
The League has been designed with both the barista and the customer in mind. And this is the big difference that you will love about it. It changes the way most cafes have been thought about in the city.
There is space for you to stand, sit with a good friend, sit with a friend you don't quite like, sit with 5 friends, sit on the coffee bar from the back and watch them pull shots, sit on the bar and chat to them while they pull shots, sit near a window and be seen or sit away from the window to hide.
So you have people coming over for dinner tonight that you want to impress, so you need to buy some beans and maybe speak to someone about brewing methods on your lunch break, do you? This is where The League shines:
And the best part is, it has its own dedicated section. If you want to speak to someone about coffee, you don't wait in line with the 100 other people waiting for a latte. You wait in line at the retail section where you will have your own personal coffeeirge (concierge? no? not any good?) who will spend the time with you and speak to you about every point of the DIY coffee experience. My coffeeirge for the day was Shane, i told him that I was interested in brewing some Chemex at home, I was expecting a "The Chemex are over there for $66". Well what i got was a seat and a "Give me a second. Shane returned with the whole chemex set up and walked me through every step of the method. Then he got me to do it and corrected my few (many) mistakes.
(And yes, I walked away with a Chemex, Hario Kettle, Scales and some beans.)
Coffee: Padre Coffee
Machines: TWIN Slayers!
For the last few months I have been getting little drips of information about The League from the crew at Brunswick East Project. I knew it was going to have amazing coffee, but apart from that, I was pretty much kept in the dark. I was told the name, which I think should be in the running for best cafe name of the year, and the location. The city? Right around the corner from a bazillion other cafes including 65 Degress? Hmm. Well remember how i was saying that 65 Degress reminded me of old NYC cafes because it was so busy and cramped ? Well, The League reminds me of the NEW NYC cafes that i visited, that were open, airy and bright and colourful.
Let me repeat the words 'bright and colourful'. For the last few years, most cafes I have been visiting have been sticking to designing the fit out with a desaturated colour palette, using dark woods, white walls and minimal lighting.
When you go to The League, if the coffee doesn't wake you up, the beautiful colours will. It is one of the first cafes to buck that old desaturated trend
It goes in the opposite direction, instead using bright colours, hand-painted wall designs, light woods, muliti coloured coffee cups, muliti coloured stools and best of all custom sprayed lime green Slayers and grinders! Honestly, just the slayers alone are enough to win me over. I don't think many places in the world are rocking twin slayers, let alone custom painted twin slayers! Did i mention the custom made portafilter light feature? Yes that's right, custom designed, which took over 100 hours to make, and looks incredible. You have to visit The League for the slayers and portafilter alone. Don't worry about the coffee.
Oh 'the coffee' you ask? Well you and I both know what I think about The Brunswick East Projects coffee. It is sublime. One of my top ranked in Melbourne. Which means that the coffee here is perfect. And, it is. So far I've had a latte, a double ristretto, a cold drip and a chemex. And every single one of them was flawless. An instant favourite.
You will either have Shane (S-dog) or Gito behind the machines, and they are some of the best baristas you will find in Melbourne. Whatever you order, you will be in the safest hands possible. They should have called this place The League of Extraordinary Gentleman.
The League has been designed with both the barista and the customer in mind. And this is the big difference that you will love about it. It changes the way most cafes have been thought about in the city.
Where most cafes have been designed using the concept of an economy class airplane seat, The League has been designed as a private jet.
There is space for you to stand, sit with a good friend, sit with a friend you don't quite like, sit with 5 friends, sit on the coffee bar from the back and watch them pull shots, sit on the bar and chat to them while they pull shots, sit near a window and be seen or sit away from the window to hide.
So you have people coming over for dinner tonight that you want to impress, so you need to buy some beans and maybe speak to someone about brewing methods on your lunch break, do you? This is where The League shines:
They have (probably) the most extensive coffee retail section in the CBD.
And the best part is, it has its own dedicated section. If you want to speak to someone about coffee, you don't wait in line with the 100 other people waiting for a latte. You wait in line at the retail section where you will have your own personal coffeeirge (concierge? no? not any good?) who will spend the time with you and speak to you about every point of the DIY coffee experience. My coffeeirge for the day was Shane, i told him that I was interested in brewing some Chemex at home, I was expecting a "The Chemex are over there for $66". Well what i got was a seat and a "Give me a second. Shane returned with the whole chemex set up and walked me through every step of the method. Then he got me to do it and corrected my few (many) mistakes.
It was the best coffee retail experience that I have encountered and it is in the fast paced CBD. This why The League rocks. They have the time for their customers AND the space.
(And yes, I walked away with a Chemex, Hario Kettle, Scales and some beans.)