The battle between Sydney and Melbourne for coffee supremacy has taken an interesting turn with Marrickville-based coffee roastery, Aroma Coffee, winning top accolades at the Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA).

This is the first time New South Wales has taken the title of Champion Australian Roaster from Victoria since the AICA’s inception, marking a significant turning point in Sydney’s ascension to coffee capital of Australia.

Aroma Coffee managing director Gavin Gam said Sydney’s coffee culture is highly competitive, full of passionate industry professionals and driven by savvy coffee drinkers with an educated palate.

“Sydney-siders know a good cup of coffee is more than a shot of under-roasted espresso with lukewarm milk poured on top and they’re not afraid to say so. They appreciate the full-bodied flavour of quality espresso, which only comes from ethically sourced sustainable coffee beans that are well roasted and freshly ground,” he said.

New South Wales also took out Champion Filter Coffee, won by No. 1 Ruby Street, and Champion Espresso, won by Danes Coffee. Victoria had a win in the Champion Milk Based Coffee category, with Carousel taking out the Best in Class trophy.

“Winning Champion Australian Roaster feels like I’ve just won Miss Universe. There’s so much I want to do for the coffee industry, but my main mission is to bring back the realism to coffee,” Gavin said.

Read this issue’s Masterclass feature to hear Gavin discuss the most important elements of a good cup of coffee (page 54).