From cappuccinos to flat whites, and skinny lattes to macchiatos, we all have our coffee of choice, and for many of us it is an important part of our morning routine.

Australians love their coffee. Look around any city street or retail strip in the suburbs and not only will you see an abundance of cafes with baristas busily making coffee, but also queues of people waiting patiently for their brew of choice.

“Australia leads the way in terms of coffee culture. We may not drink the most coffee per capita, but the rest of the world looks to Australia for innovation, culture and what we’re doing with espresso-based products. What’s special about Australia is that you can get good coffee just about anywhere and the competition at a café level is so high,” said Richard Bettles, National Sales Manager, Pablo and Rusty’s.

Mr Bettles has worked in the coffee industry for 12 years as a barista and small business owner, and now in sales running a national wholesale team for Specialty Coffee Roaster, Pablo & Rusty’s.

“Australians are not just getting their daily coffee hit at cafes,” Mr Bettles added.

“Retail coffee sales for the home barista are going through the roof. The home barista is now often a connoisseur with access to amazing coffee blends. They use high tech machinery and precision grinders all to ensure the perfect cup of coffee at home,” he sai

History of Australia’s love of coffee

Coffee was brought to Australia on the First Fleet in 1788. Coffee seeds and plants were picked up in Rio de Janiero on their way to Sydney Cove and were first planted at Government House. However, the climate did not favour the bean and it failed to become a commercially viable crop.

Coffee houses or palaces sprung up in Australia in the early 1830s as a product of the temperance movement where alcohol intoxication was criticised and complete abstinence or teetotalism was promoted. Coffee was seen as a better, more sophisticated option to alcohol.

The coffee houses were unsuccessful too, unable to stay afloat financially, and by the 1890s Depression, many of them had closed or were forced to apply for liquor licences.

“When Australia was colonised our cultural heritage had us drinking tea but we love to take on something new and make it better, like we did with our wine industry. Coffee was introduced by the Italians and Greeks after the Second World War and we have created our own culture around it,” said Mr Bettles.

Be your own barista at home

“It’s a really exciting time for the home barista and not just because they can make café quality coffee on their kitchen bench; machines are being designed to integrate into the design of a home kitchen,” said Mr Bettles.

“At Home’ machines are making better and better coffee which means we can drink great coffee in cafes, in our houses and in our workplace.”

Miele offers benchtop and built-in coffee machines. The built-in coffee machines suit either fresh beans or a Nespresso capsule system. Select Miele coffee machines can make up to 20 different variations of tea and coffee options, for ultimate versatility.

Key features of select Miele coffee machines include:

Automatic descaling and rinsing functions: effortless maintenance

Low noise levels: Miele coffee machines are barely audible

Heated cup surface: pre-heated cups available at any time

OneTouch and OneTouch for Two: make one or two cups of coffee at the same time

ComfortDoor: an exclusive Miele feature that allows easy access to water tank, waste container and drip tray.

“Miele’s coffee machines are easy to use, clean and maintain. Imagine at the end of a dinner party offering your guests a restaurant quality cup of coffee of their choice? Entertaining made easy with Miele,” said a Miele representative.

Click here to learn more about Miele’s coffee machines.