Corey Diamond says there are two standards of coffee in Western Australia – his, and everyone else’s.
Corey Diamond says there are two standards of coffee in Western Australia – his, and everyone else’s.
And while the local coffee culture and the product have improved in recent times, it has been a frustratingly slow process for true afficionados of the bean.
But Mr Diamond believes the time is right for someone to take the art of coffee to the next level.
Of course, he says he is that person.
To this end, Mr Diamond has just opened what he calls the Mecca of artisan coffeehouses in West Perth. ‘Epic Espresso’ is his vision, from the ground up, of what an exemplary coffee destination should be.
It is the result of many years of research, dedication and hard work for the former schoolteacher, who admits to becoming hooked on the science, culture and romance of coffee.
Mr Diamond says when he bought his first take-home espresso machine, he knew he had to change jobs.
His passion soon drove him through the local coffee ranks, until he became an accredited judge of the Australasian Speciality Coffee Association, operating the successful Core Espresso in the CBD for two and a half years.
But, with Epic Espresso, Mr Diamond has lifted the bar even higher. Inspired by the grungy, raw and urban look of Seattle’s lauded coffee scene, Epic’s exposed beams and light rails provide a real coffee ambience.
“I wanted to create something with a distinctive look, a place that would be memorable” Mr Diamond says.
And the business is already off to a flying start. In its first few hours of trade, the local coffee lovers came out of the woodwork, eager to try a brew from Perth’s new player.
And their verdicts have been unanimously positive; quickly published on numerous online websites and chat-rooms, they have hailed Epic a success.
And, in his first week of business, Mr Diamond has averaged about 50 Ristretto coffees a day. Ristretto are a single extraction of very strong coffee, often called the connoisseur’s choice, and are a true measure of the success of a coffee artisan.
To listen to Mr Diamond talk about coffee is inspiring. At the outset he takes the position that coffee is “science meets art” and should be treated accordingly.
“There are a hundred steps that go into making one cup of coffee,” he says. “If you get them all right, the end product is memorable. But if you miss just one, it is forgettable. It’s that simple.”
And to help him get all of those steps right, Mr Diamond has invested in what he claims is the world’s best coffee machinery.
His coffee machines, usually the focal point of the operation, are Synesso machines. These rare, hand-built artisan machines are truly astonishing.
Currently there are only 170 in the world, and Mr Diamond has two of them.
Similarly, Epic uses Italian crafted Mazzer Robur conical burr grinders. Running on three-phase power, these grinders transmit less heat to the beans so as to release more aromatics from the blend.
Epic uses two bean blends, with both roasted fresh locally by 5 Senses Coffee.
As well as the Epic Custom blend, Mr Diamond features a different single origin coffee each month to showcase the differences between the world’s coffee growing regions.
No doubt drawing on his days as a teacher, Mr Diamond puts his talented group of baristas through an unequalled level of training to become, what he calls, the most gift ed group of coffee artisans in WA.
And the key – if there was one – to Mr Diamond’s success is his willingness and desire to take an everyday event like a cup of coffee and make it memorable.
“Not everyone can afford the best car, or the biggest house,” he says. “But coffee is an everyday luxury and everyone can afford the best coffee.”
There’s no real point comparing Epic’s coffee to that offered down the road, or even in the next suburb. To truly find comparison you must contrast it with the best product from the baristas in Melbourne, Vancouver and Seattle.
