With two successful venues in the Sydney CBD and more than 15 years’ experience under his belt, Batch Espresso Owner David Smith and wife Nok wanted to try something new when they opened their third location.
“We’ve got much more of a specialty coffee focus at the new Clarence Street café, with a lot of varietals and single origins on the menu,” David says. “Our York Street venue has a nice 20-seat dining area and full kitchen, and Pitt Street – my first location – is by a train station and busy five-way intersection, so it serves a lot of takeaway coffees.
“People have become more educated about coffee in the city and we wanted to cater to that market.”
Alongside espresso-based coffees prepared with a Modbar AV, Batch Espresso Clarence St features cold drip, cold brew, Marco SP9 filter coffee, and batch brew using different single origins roasted by Campos Coffee.
“A lot of the time, customers will come in with an idea of what they like and we invite them to experience new flavour profiles with samples by different methods, sometimes creating a new sensory experience for them,” David says.
“Every now and then, you’ll get someone who really takes to new coffee. We’re running a Geisha at the moment that I’ve been giving people just to try. They don’t believe it’s coffee. It has an almost sweet juice profile which really gets people interested in new possbilities.”
At the time of writing, single origins on offer across the various brewing methods included coffees from Guatemala and Colombia, and Port of Mokha’s Peaberry Lot from Yemen. Campos’ Superior Blend also continues to prove popular with customers.
“The Superior Blend is a perfect match for Sydney. That milk-based blend just nails people’s taste preferences here,” David says.
“I’ve been partnered with Campos for 10 years and they’ve really looked after me the whole time. I like that they’re staying on top of the game and producing outstanding quality coffees and sourcing new single origins each week.”
The Clarence St venue maintains a warm atmosphere with soft lighting which David says complements the coffee.
“For this shop, we built a theme around the equipment and adapted the café to the area. We worked with Giant Design Consultants to create a kind of warm bunker feel with a solid terrazzo [marble] counter,” David says.
The café serves a concise menu consisting of healthy breakfast standards, creative sandwiches, and pastries from local, family-owned suppliers Tuga and Mezzapica.
“We keep the food simple but done well. We have quite a good line of yoghurt, bircher, and chia cups, with vegan options that we make onsite,” David says.
“At York St we offer a wider menu, with our roast pumpkin, grilled chicken, and halloumi salad being one of the favourites.”
Despite the three venues having different audiences and offerings, David says they each emphasise good customer service, which has led to Batch Espresso’s success.
“Good service is a key part [of hospitality] that I think has been forgotten a bit these days,” he says.
“I like having people come into my shops to mingle, make new friends, and enjoy the entire experience. It’s truly important to me that customers have an enjoyable and perhaps educational experience, laugh a bit in the mornings, and have a good time.”
Batch Espresso
151 Clarence Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000
Open Monday to Friday 6am to 5pm
(02) 9231 4672
