Toby's Estate Coffee and Tea, Chippendale

I've been a fan of Toby Smith and his team's coffee roasting skills for many years now. I've also looked up to talented baristas in Sydney and many of them have trained or worked for Toby's Estate. It's not a surprise as the founder Toby Smith and his business partners are all about the pursuit of the best quality specialty coffee.

Their Chippendale cafe located at their main hub on City Road has recently gone through renovations. I was in the area last Saturday and thought I should pay them a visit. The space had a homey modern Scandinavian look with a touch of industrial fittings. The sight of bags of coffee beans, food and the scent of coffee aromas were so enticing that it filled my heart with excitement. I felt like giving everyone a high five and so I did (only in mind though, to the song "Happy" by Pharrell). The menu consisted of sandwiches and creative modern Australian cafe dishes.

Glazed, cinnamon sugar and jam brewnuts from Brewtown Newtown

One of the first things I noticed before entering the premises was  the Brewtown brewnuts ($5 each). Did y'all know that Simon and Charles of Brewtown met while working at Toby's many years ago?

Kenya Inoi - filter coffee

I started the visit with a beautiful filter coffee from Kenya Inoi. It had a nice peach acidity with notes of cocoa and almond. There was also faint notes of currant at the back of the palate.

Panama Santa Teresa La Cabana Gesha - short black

I was given a complimentary short black of Panama Santa Teresa La Cabana Gesha which was roasted for espresso! Yes, you read that right! It was the first time I've heard or tried a Gesha that's not roasted for filter. It was so gorgeous! It had toffee & floral aromas. It was sweet on the palate and it had a medium acidity level. It also had fruity, honeysuckle & jasmine notes.

The Cronut Stack

Last but not least was a special that I hope they keep as a regular in the menu. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to "The Cronut Stack"($16.50). It consists of cinnamon sugar brewnut, poached egg, grilled haloumi, hash brown, spinach and bacon with hollandaise sauce. This is one of the most glorious things I've had in my life.

As expected from an organisation that owns and runs a coffee farm, coffee school, roastery and cafes (in Australia and overseas!), everything was top notch. The service, coffee and food was nothing short of excellent.

Toby's Estate Chippendale Café

32-36 City Road

Chippendale NSW 2008

Ph: (02) 9112 1131

Opening hours:

Monday-Friday 7:00am – 4pm

(Take Away from 6:30am)

Saturday-Sunday 8am – 4pm