Brother Baba Budan

Now, I don't want to blow Melbourne's horn or anything, but if you want a good coffee, nay, a great coffee in Australia, then Melbourne is the place to go. And I think you'll find that only a Sydney Sider would disagree with me...and only because they're totally jelly of us (seriously, all they have is some weird spiky house thing). Iv'e frequented more cafes than I can recall, sipped on more lattes than is good for ones health and been served by too many apron-wearing bearded Hipsters to count. So, where exactly is my favourite coffee, you ask? It's taken me years to discover my favourite coffee hole, but after visiting Brother Baba Budan, located on Little Bourke Street, regularly and being served the consistently great house blend of Seven Seeds coffee, my final decision has been made. Oh yes, this is Samson Girls final call people.

Firstly, let me share with you a little history, my fellow coffee fiends, as to the origins of the, er, somewhat unusual name. Brother Baba Budan was an Islamic scholar in the 17th Century who, in an act of great bravery, smuggled seven seeds of fertile coffee out of Yemen on his return from a pilgrimage in Mecca. Wearing the seeds around his waist he eventually raised them in India, where the plants thrived. What a G...or should I say what a B?! Geddit! And furthermore this explains the appropriate name of the ever so delicious Seven Seeds coffee, also to be found at some of Melbourne's other most renound cafes of Seven Seeds (duh), The Premisis, Dead Man Espresso, De Cleu and Patricia.

Brother Baba is a tiny little shop, as in blink and you'll miss it small, but it brings in big crowds. It does a roaring takeaway trade with the Business Peeps, but if you can, go for a seat at the communal table, or else pull up a pew at the bar seats. The focus here is the coffee and they serve it blended or single origin, directly sourced from the farmers all around the world and then roast on site at Seven Seeds. When I visited last, there was an interesting Single origin Costa Rica espresso and on offer for filter a Kenya Kiangai or Panama Esmaralda. There is a dedication that seems to go into every coffee here, and you can tell that you're in the coffee-stained hands of some very competent baristas. There isn't a food menu, but no matter, because pastries from Brioche by Phillip will cover you for the mid-morning munchies and really, the coffees what it's all about here anyway.

So that's it, my friends. Samson Girl is won over by the easy to drink, smooth Seven Seeds blend, brewed perfectly at BBB. We all have a fave coffee haunt, but if you've never been here before then I recommend stepping out of your usual cafe-shaped box and giving it a try. After all, poor Brother Baba took one for the team and hauled his arse all the way from Yemen just so you could get the perfect latte. Thanks mate.