“Although coffee cultures are different everywhere, coffee is like a universal language,” Lachlan Ward says. It’s the day before ST. ALi’s 2-day pop-up at Fineprint Second Street, and Ward has travelled to Hong Kong to bring Aussie coffee culture to the city’s vernacular.

“You can almost turn up anywhere as a coffee brand, and it proves to make sense and be welcomed,” Ward observes from experience. The sentiment rings true for the young ST.ALi CEO who has overseen the company’s expansion to Bali and Manila in the past year, adding to its existing locations in Jakarta (eight years and counting), Brisbane, and the seven venues in their Melbourne home turf. 

One of the first speciality coffee brands in Melbourne — widely known as the coffee capital of Australia — ST.ALi has been an industry leader since 2005, cultivating direct relationships with farmers, roasting in-house, and brewing coffee.

This afternoon, we’re seated in Fineprint’s newly expanded outdoor area and my mind filters through the scrapbook of cafe scenes I’d snapshotted in my head. In Saigon, there were multi-story cafes packed with teenagers chatting and sipping coffee, even though it was late at night. In Seoul, fashionable shoppers had iced Americanos in hand as though the coffee were part of their outfit, and almost every boutique had a dedicated drink caddy by the door for people to rest their drinks before entering. In Hong Kong, ‘cafe hopping’ has become the bread and butter of any regular Instagram user’s feed, thanks to the plethora of cafes opening. When there’s people, there’s coffee; when there’s coffee, there’s people.  

However, coffee-drinking in Australia feels much less contrived and far more natural. Ward attributes this to the community. “Coffee is a product that commands a lot of loyalty, and it’s habitual and addictive. Your locals and regulars become your friends and confidants. They even become a counselor.” Ward says. He paints a picture of those living by the beach, waking up at 5 am and getting their coffee fix, as well as regulars who have been going to ST. ALi venues ever since they opened almost 20 years ago. 

When it comes to café food, avocado toast often finds its way onto the menu, almost as if out of obligation or simply to meet customers’ expectations. But what Ward believes to be another one of Australian coffee culture’s distinct qualities is the restaurant approach to café food, “brunch and breakfast are taken very seriously in Australia”. 

At ST. ALi, the value of the menu lies in the remarkable variety of food it offers. The kitchen serves up homemade granola and polenta porridge alongside savoury Asian delights like congee with braised pork cheeks, ST.ALi XO sauce and spring onion, in addition to barramundi wings – deep fried and coated in Korean chilli sauce – paired with a side of apple and kolhabi salad. The omelette can be done the “French” or “Tokyo” way, depending on whether the day calls for cheese, ham, and epi baguette or smoked eel, pickled enoki, and nori plus bonito flake butter. 

At the same time, the “intangibles” matter just as much. “Cafes are about people — where people feel comfortable hanging out, chatting, meeting their friends, and striking up a conversation with the staff. I think that’s the most important thing.” While acknowledging how coffee machinery has improved over the years and how details in design have become central to cafes, especially in Korea and parts of Asia, Ward still thinks that the human connection makes a great cafe truly memorable. After all, what good is a gimmicky ‘Instagrammable spot’ after you’ve posted it once? Does flavour matter as much when poor service leaves a bad taste in your mouth?