CBD – Coffee By DiBella (199 Grey Street, South Brisbane, QLD)
CBD Coffee by Di Bella, ironically located in South Brisbane, is a mighty fine coffee shop indeed…
The store is a popular spot for allsorts, from the likes of raggedy bed-headed students to the professionally-presented office workers. It seems a genuine love of CBD‘s coffee is the great leveler.
The premises are located along the business and office building side of Grey St, close to the corner of Grey/Tribune St and have been in operation for over a year.
I wouldn’t consider it a café per se, even with the presence of savoury foods. Sure, there are chairs and tables occupying floor space, but I would still maintain that coffee is the core product and would therefore be best defined a ‘coffee shop’ given that the proportion of take-away patrons is noticeably higher than those dining in.
The shop fascia is made entirely of divided windows. These windows coupled with the sun shining through the store-front, make it too glary to see into the coffee shop from the outside at any time of day. I think spraying some anti-glare onto the windows should do the trick… If the interior was actually visible to the naked eye from the outside, it may urge CBD virgins to give their coffee a whirl.
The actual shape of the POS/prep area relative to the entrance is a bit odd. Upon entering the store, you are immediately confronted with the counter, leaving a narrow walkway as you make your way over to be served. Something tells me that some former tenants of this site had operated some kind of ice-creamery or gelati bar given the side bench feature those deep window-topped fridges akin to an ice-cream vendors’.
It’s an eccentricity of mine that a visit to a coffee shop is a largely sensory experience for me. Walking in, my nostrils were willingly and involuntarily hospitable to the earthy aromas of the coffee being prepared. I’m of the thought that a quintessential café needs to not only smell like coffee but also extend on that with the colour scheme. There’s nothing quite like it when you experience the scent of the coffee and the interior matches with an unabashed saturation of a coffee/chocolate brown colour (walls, floor, furniture, fixtures, fittings etc). The POS counter-top and the top of the bar-stool bench have a warming cream-marble treatment. The tables, chairs, walls, floor and POS area are a lovely organic earthy, woody-brown colour. There are also a few chairs and tables outside should you wish to dine-in al fresco.
The presence of several merchandise displays dotted around the floor featuring coffee and barista kits, adds a further touch of character and cosiness to the place. I’m also not impartial to the “sssccchhhhh” sound emanating from the Wega brand coffee machine – it’s somewhat comforting in the morning before commencing a full day of work.
So far, I’ve been won over with sight, sound and scent, so what of the taste, texture and temperature of the coffee?
It’s easily one of the smoothest and most velvety coffees I have ever tried. Regardless of who ends up making the coffee – it is spot-on each time. The Di Bella blend also tastes the way coffee should – strong (without being overpowering), substantial, rich and full-bodied. The staff seem to get the correct coffee:water:milk ratio perfect and the temperature is always drink-ready. For those who impatiently like to down their coffee quickly, you won’t burn your mouth or tongue on these babies! Suffice to say, they have certainly refined coffee-making down to an art. I had the pleasure of ordering a large decaf soy cappuccino with no sugar (to some, it may seem a pointless, bland drink – but I don’t care). The very first coffee I bought from CBD, unbeknownst to me, had no sugar yet it tasted so flawless. I didn’t need to add any sugar from that point on. Clearly, each cup of coffee is like the owner’s baby – nurtured with a lot of love and care. TLC, you might say.
Like all things in life (a coffee-to-go is no exception) waiting time applies. My thinking is that having to wait is a small price to pay for a divine cup of coffee. The staff kindly places multiple copies of the current day’s newspaper (in addition to free street-press) on the counter top of the stool-bench where those who have ordered normally stand and wait, allowing room for those placing an order at the counter – an effective idea that have those waiting something to peruse and preoccupy themselves with. The newspapers are handy because they take your mind off the waiting time, they inform and entertain and they are also a preventative measure against that uncomfortable silence that ensues when you would normally expect to see customers habitually surrounding the prep area of a food or drink vendor waiting for their order to be made so that they can be on their merry way. I notice customers (and I include myself in this) tend to just vacantly stare at the people preparing their food/drinks. Forget unnecessary staring – the customer’s gaze is firmly held by the headlines of the newspapers provided – instead of observing and fixating on, for example, a staff member’s visual peculiarities such as the awkwardness of their gait, the state of their uniform or perhaps a gap in their teeth.
CBD also sells its various namesake Di Bella coffee blends direct to customers, ensuring that they have the option of continuing the Di Bella experience at home. CBD take their coffee retailing seriously – so much so, that they have dedicated a whole side counter for the blends to be dispensed for sale. They price the blends according to weight, strength and aroma.
I could go on and on about their coffee, but CBD also provide cold drinks including a range of beers and wines. In the case of the cold drinks, they are strategically presented – stoically sitting atop a silver ledge behind the staff member so that drinks on offer are visible to the customer (at the customer’s eye-level) when they order at the counter.
The refrigerated glass cabinet adjacent to the register - also at eye level – is also put to good use housing a mix of sweet and savoury take-away or dine-in foods. These fridge-foods would appear really appetising to a famished customer. Unfortunately, as is so often the case with food/drink places, they either ignore the gluten-intolerant (as though they can’t be bothered to cater for them) or they embrace them wholeheartedly. CBD, at the time of writing this review, offer two small gluten-free cakes that are really delicious (moist, not crumbly). They also offer the token Gluten-Free Byron Bay Cookies on the POS counter. Incidentally, I would have also liked to have seen some savoury foods that are gluten-free beyond a garden salad. I know that at one stage, CBD sold sushi rolls but the minimum order quantities for sushi rolls were excessive for the likes of a coffee shop, leaving many of the rolls unsold – therefore it wasn’t altogether financially viable for them to sustain the availability of sushi to customers. I think if you are prepared to offer gluten-free foods, you should ensure that you do so with some thought to variety and range in addition to a combination of sweet and savoury eats. Hopefully they will source a few more gluten-free foods in the future – I’m counting on it!
The service is efficient however the staff’s personalities are a little stiff and wooden for my liking. At least the staff is trained in both making coffee and operating the POS system. As being witness to those working in hospitality, occasionally some staff are only skilled in their one designated task. All three staff I see when I visit the store, have both served me at the register and made my coffees without any problems or difficulties at all, touch wood. I am impressed though, that the staff remembered my name and my order after the first few visits (for the purpose of calling out the name of the customer who has purchased of take-away coffee). I had forgotten that I told them my name, and was surprised to hear them call it out.
As far as pricing is concerned, I am in no way resentful buying a coffee from CBD because the prices are surprisingly quite reasonable. As such, you are neither paying for a bad coffee, nor are you paying a premium for a quality coffee. The price:quality:value equation certainly adds up for me.
Like most legitimate coffee shops, CBD offers customers a Coffee Rewards Card where the 10th coffee is free. Unfortunately, most ‘free’ coffees I ‘earn’ as a result of customer loyalty at various take-away coffee establishments end up tasting like dirt or bark – essentially no different to the ones I pay for…
Whilst there may be no such thing as a free lunch, there is such a thing as a free coffee – and I just know that when I get to my 10th coffee from CBD it will be the best ever. No pressure…
CBD Coffee by Di Bella sports the logo and branding of the Di Bella coffee brand. Coffee of this caliber obviously needs a brand to match.
Di Bella coffee’s branding is simple, classy and integrated. The logo is a simplified coffee bean shape to clearly indicate the business they are in, looking not unlike a lower case elongated ‘e’ tilted at a 45 degree angle. Golds and blacks are used to denote an air of prestige.
This logo appears on the napkins, take-away coffee cups, sugar sachets, frosted on the outside of the front window (from the knee, down), relief on the walls as well as the staff uniforms and name-badges.
CBD Coffee by Di Bella (the store itself) uses its own brand name with the likes of their dine-in/take-away coffee menu on a board attached to the wall in addition to the welcome mat, placed squarely at the entrance.
The logo also carries over to the stamp that the staff uses to stamp a customer’s Coffee Rewards Card. However, an anomaly is apparent; the business card quotes Di Bella Coffee’s tagline of “The Ultimate Coffee Experience” – that’s ‘experience’ with an ‘e’. Now look at the rewards card with the tagline “The ultimate Coffee Experience” – that’s ‘experience’ with an ‘a’. Why? Typo perhaps? Also, the address of CBD Coffee by Di Bella’s website (according to the business card) – supposedly http://www.coffeebydibella.com.au – does not exist.
I have frequented this coffee shop regularly on weekdays (on and off) since June this year (2009) and the experience has been pleasantly consistent. Despite some rather minor shortcomings, it is evident why those seeking a coffee-to-go prefer to frequent CBD by Di Bella rather than their very average sad-looking competitor directly across the road from them (I’m not naming any names)…
Overall, a uniquely impressive independent coffee shop which obviously results in repeat-purchases from highly content customers. I concur with Di Bella Coffee’s tagline of “The Ultimate Coffee Experience”…
Quick info…
Rating: 9/10
Website: www.dibellacoffee.com.au
1 Comment
The rudest lady who serves you is unfortunatly also the owner. Other customers behind you get served their coffee before you even though you order and when you order any food, you are promptly and rudely told by same said owner “I only do coffee” clearly she only does rude as well. My advice go the the Garage at South brisbane, nice people, nicer coffee and quicker service. You will not be getting my money anymore thanks to your consistent rudeness.