Elixir HQ Coffee - It's Roasting HOT!

I'd heard about Elixir HQ Coffee at Stafford from hubby who works at Everton Park, and they have quite the little gossip station there. They know all the comings and goings about all the local businesses - and hubby, knowing what a caffeine fiend I am - was pretty excited to be the first to tell me about them opening a cafe hub.

Yes, thats right - My name is Joy and I'm a caffeine addict. Or rather, a semi-reformed one. I have made massive progress since my years in London where I was known for inhaling a good 12 cups a day - now I'm down to 2... 3 if I'm having a bad day. But still - if I haven't had my fix by 10 am I'm guaranteed a migraine... so the addicition has definately not eased its hold on me yet.

So while hubby was away throwing himself out of planes and swimming with sharks (Yes, I'm married to an extremist) I took the opportunity to go and suss out this new comer. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have no sense of direction, so TomTom and I set off to find Elixir and sample it's wares.

Good thing I had my GPS or I would have been screwed. At the very least, I would have turned around and gone home. Surprisingly they are in a very industrial area of Stafford - so much so that I literally only found them because I wound down my window (heavy tinting on the work cars!) and followed my nose. There is no smell quite like freshly roasting coffee in the morning - thats for sure!


I had a lovely chat with the staff while they made my coffee - they have been open since Tuesday and are quickly finding their feet, pleasantly surprised by how busy they have been - although he admitted that the first few days was completely overrun by family and friends wanting to show their support!

They were fairly quiet when I showed up and one of the young Kiwi baristas offered to show me around - they have a whole Retail section up and running in addition to the Roastery and now, the Cafe as well - talk about hitting every niche!

So can they walk the walk? Yes. My coffee was goosebumpy good. Bracing in the first mouthful, but mellow for the rest of the cup. I have rarely had the chance to drink coffee that had such complex flavours - especially for the price. My large cappacino was $3.30. A bargain by anyone's standards!

More than anything I was floored by the attention to detail that these guys have put in place. The baristas have been trained and tested to within an inch of their life, and the machine that they work with is a $20k coffee-making Magican imported from Florence. Each handle has the capability to change the temperature that each shot is made with - and this, in accordance with the fluctuating Brisbane temperatures - needs to be adjusted several times a day to make sure that the coffee is being served at it's best.

God I love it when people try. Customer Service is such a dying art form, that when you see people trying this hard to make a mark - you just want them to be successful.

The only question I have now is... How far is too far to drive for really good coffee? I live on the other side of town...

Contact:
Elixir HQ Coffee (Their website needs a bit of work - but give them time)
12 Hayward Street
Stafford