Handcraft

Customer service here is terrible. I walked in and grabbed the last table available for myself and a friend I was meeting. Another couple walked in a few minutes later and without asking me anything, one of the workers asked me to move to the counter. I simply said I was waiting for someone. I then ordered a mocha iced coffee, some food and upon tasting the coffee realized it was terrible. I saw them poor store bought chocolate milk into espresso and when I tasted it, it wasn’t even drinkable. I wasn’t going to say anything because I don’t usually like to cause issues, but this coffee was so bad I had to say something. I went up to them, told them how I felt and asked if it was possible to just get a plain coffee instead. I was very polite and non fussy, and they completely shut me down. They told me that it was already made, and they wouldn’t make me another. I had had one sip at this point and tried to explain to them that I’m not a coffee snob, this was just so disgusting that I couldn’t even take another sip. They didn’t care and made me feel like I was the crazy one. They didn’t even apologize… absolutely nothing!
I have been in the hospitality industry for over 15 years and am shocked they seemingly didn’t care AT ALL about customer satisfaction. I told them it was so bad that even if I still had to pay for it I didn’t want it. They just half smiled and took it back. I stood there for a minute wondering if they were going to say anything other than «sorry, it’s already made and we can’t make you anything else» but they didn’t. I sat back down and was pretty blown away at how horribly that was handled on their part.
Not only was this a frustrating experience, but it completely ruined my afternoon with my friend. It’s not just the coffee, it’s the experience!!! Neither of us will ever go back here and it’s a shame because it was a very easy situation to fix but the workers didn’t care at all. My roommates and I go to cafes quite often and this place just lost a few good customers.

Looking for a new quick pick me up, I stumbled into Handcraft. Accustomed to the artisan prices that only go up the more hipster a Café looks, I was expecting not much change from $ 10 for two coffees. The price for a no frills large cap + regular latte will set you back $ 7.50 (dining in) and is well worth it.
You won’t be left crying over burnt milk as the barista has truly mastered the Handcraft of making a good cuppa.

well then i was at Handcraft today with high expectations because of the former reviews and have to say that i think its slightly overrated.
specialty coffees, huh.
it seems at least to be pretty special, the have a little black board that tells you the coffees you can pick from, some are from Brazil, others from Columbia, Ethiopia or Panama, a in depth introduction is on the walls also.
i picked a Columbian one, with notes of Cocoa and Orange Blossom, that i have to say didnt taste.
i wasn’t asked if i want milk with it so i thought that they might be the specialists and just don’t really like to serve milk with it? but no, they just didnt ask me and i didnt order any. anyways, my coffee came in a little glass carafe on a wooden board with a cup, nice touch i thought, no spoon, though (maybe you spoil special coffee with sugar, what do i know?! i didnt find the taste anything that rises my heartbeat, kinda lame, not very hot, and it took a while till i got it. should i just have gotten a latte?
we also had breakfast, my husband the rice fritters that he liked. we also shared the granola, it came with only one spoon and only yogurt, no milk, the granola was very chunky and it was a whole lot of yogurt, all together it was dry, the yellow kiwi was a nice touch though. i also ordered pouched eggs with toast, the eggs were ok, nicely cooked but without any seasoning, no salt no pepper. the bread without butter and rocket with it, with a sprinkle of dressing, all together pretty tasteless.
don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad. it was just NOT special, or extraordinary or oh so good. just not bad. you can get all that about 100 times on Kings street.
if they would step it up a little the place would be a gem!

Think of the sacred ritual of a Japanese tea ceremony. That is how Handcraft does their coffee. They take it pretty damn seriously and if you doubt it, watch how carefully each drink is made. Admire the thick, fresh beige cream you get in a little vial with your coffee, and watch how the owner lovingly pours cream into whatever caffeinated drink you’ve ordered. They have a chalkboard list of beans available– I asked for a regular cold brew (by the way, when ordering coffee in oz. the word ‘regular’ does not apply t o anything. don’t even think about asking for a drip coffee unless you want to get beheaded!) and had to choose from the board. I chose the first one, which the owner explained, was made from a roaster still undiscovered… and yes, it’s $ 100 a bag of beans they were selling each cup for $ 22. I ended up with another less fancy brew. Either way, my experience was excellent and I got a $ 4 cold brew.
Another plus– they have a ton of teas, and wifi! (albeit slow wifi)

Handcraft is still fairly new to me– I always noticed it on my way to my local Asian food market, but never stopped to check it out until recently. I’ve been trying to find the best coffee in Newtown since I moved earlier this year, and I honestly wish time travel were possible because I’d go back and shake myself by the shoulders for having wasted so much time at other cafes because this place is so. GOOD.
Their coffee is always toe-​curlingly excellent, and they’ve got a really interesting range of beans (Sensory Lab, Proud Mary, etc). Their Belgian Mocha? I’ve had literal dreams about it. Their breakfast offerings are also really topnotch– fried eggs on fresh bread with bacon jam? That’s right, BACON jam? Deliciously garlicky corn fritters with home-​made tomato relish? Forget about it.
It’s a fairly small space, but I’ve always been able to get a table. The staff there are absolutely lovely and the barista is an absolute legend. And it’s cheap! I’ve honestly been trying to figure out if there are any negatives to this place, but I’ve yet to have a bad experience. Definitely one of my favourite places in Newtown.