Coffee Quest #11 and #12: Dukes & Tulip Coffee
Located near the famous Degraves St, Dukes Coffee Roasters and Tulip Coffee are barely five minutes away from each other. For both of them, I got a very nice single shot long black to try.
But first of all, Dukes was cramped. It was full of people, the heaters were on full blast, and everyone was wearing shorts. It was an immense contrast to Melbourne's winter (which is rather mild this year, or so I'm told).
Duke's organic blend was nice and tart. It was full-bodied and had a nice aftertaste. I could taste a certain crispness to the fruity notes, and I very much enjoyed this one. I'd definitely like to try it again with milk.
Tulip was even more unique - their house espresso blend is very tart. When I sniffed it, it flushed my nose full of a nutty cake aroma (almost like almond cake), but the taste was a drastically more sour than your regular stonefruit tasting coffee. It was also more...floral? It's the kind of coffee that tastes closer to tea notes. It also lingered far longer in the mouth than Dukes coffee. So far, Tulip is the most unique coffee I've had in Melbourne; my partner said it reminded her a bit of soy sauce.
But given the chance, I think I'd drink Dukes more, simply because it lends itself to repeated sips, whereas Tulip was a hit with every single taste. Its intensity, while welcome, made me take breaks. It's something to sample and try, but probably not for me to keep drinking? Don't get me wrong, it's still a highly interesting cup, and I'd recommend people try it, but for those after medium/dark-roasted milk-chocolate tasting blends, Tulip is absolutely not for you.