Feb 2024 update: For the second year in a row, Axil Coffee's barista Jack Simpson has just been crowned the Australian Barista Champion at the ASCA National Coffee Championships. Jack will now go on to represent Australia at the World Barista Championship in Busan, South Korea, in early May. Fingers crossed for Jack!
The priority at Axil Coffee Roasters is high-quality, ethical coffee. And when Axil's Anthony Douglas took out the number one spot at the 2022 World Barista Championship, it helped solidify the business as one of the pre-eminent coffee purveyors in a city that takes its caffeine awfully seriously. As per the recent update at the top of this piece, yet another Axil barista has taken out the gold medal in 2024 after also winning the top prize in 2023. In other words, if you haven't tried the coffee here yet – where the heck are ya?
"It is an honour to be crowned the 2024 Australian Barista Champion, and I am extremely thankful for the unwavering support and training that Axil Coffee have given me throughout the process of creating, designing and researching these three specialty coffee beverages,” said Jack.
Jack served up the panel an espresso, a milk-based coffee and a special coffee-based signature drink, all which impressed the judges to the point that he beat out all other Aussie competition. The signature drink aspect of the challenge is a chance for the baristas to showcase their creativity, and Jack rose to the challenge with the help of collaborator and friend, Australia's best bartender Sam Thornhill (Byrdi).
Their creation used a rotary evaporator to separate peach juice into honey and hydrosalt, which was then combined with the fermentation of konoto, and served with a peach and marigold flower aroma cloud. Across the three coffee courses Jack showcased his clever pairing of the Geisha and Pacamara coffees.
But Axil is recognised all over Melbourne for more reasons than just its award-winning baristas. Last February, during Random Acts of Kindness Week, Axil helped rejuvenate the city by handing out 25,000 free coffee cards across the CBD. Each day, the team postes clues on social media for where the team would be handing out free coffee cards at landmark locations.
Axil's environmentally and socially friendly beans are labelled Direct Trade, which means they must meet certain criteria. For example, Axil has guaranteed to pay 25 per cent more than the fair trade price to develop stronger, long-term relationships with the producers.
The Axil empire has continued to expand, with stores popping up across all corners of Melbourne, from Flinders Lane and Bourke Street to Melbourne University, Melbourne Airport, Wesley Place and all the way to Chadstone.
The staff at Axil are always happy to talk shop – where the coffee comes from, how it’s made – but it’ll be a short lesson, as the stores are inevitably busy with regulars and passers-by looking for a cold drip or a batch brew. With crispy pastries, solid sangas and tasty brunch and lunch options available at various stores, Axil is as good a place to grab a takeaway coffee and an almond croissant, as it is to settle in for a morning of reading the paper over rocky road waffles.