Grounds Coffee Roasters

“Best filter coffee subscription in Melbourne — consistently exceptional”

I've been on Grounds' fortnightly filter subscription for 14 months and the quality has never dipped. Each delivery comes with detailed tasting notes and brew guides specific to that batch's roast profile, which I genuinely read and use. The Ethiopian Yirgacheffe they sourced last quarter was exceptional — the most complex filter coffee I've had at home. The beans always arrive within 48 hours of roasting as they promise. The subscription portal is easy to use — I've paused twice for holidays with no hassle and swapped my roast preference once with zero friction. The Fitzroy cafe is lovely too — the V60 bar service is unhurried and the baristas are genuinely knowledgeable. One of Melbourne's best.

“Direct trade sourcing is the real deal — the farm transparency sets them apart”

What I respect most about Grounds is their transparency on sourcing. Each origin page on their website shows the farm, the producer's name, the altitude, processing method, and the price per kg they paid vs Fairtrade floor. For their Colombian lot they paid 42% above Fairtrade minimum. This is verifiable commitment, not marketing. The coffee reflects this — the Sumatran Mandheling is one of the best low-acidity coffees I've found for my espresso setup. Their Smith Street cafe has some of Melbourne's most technically proficient baristas. The food menu is good quality but the coffee is clearly the priority. Happy to pay slightly above market price for the sourcing ethics and quality consistency.

“Ordered 3kg for our office — arrived perfectly fresh, team loves it”

Ordered a 3kg bulk pack of their house espresso blend for our office. The order arrived in two days, packaged with nitrogen-flushed bags and sealed valve. The coffee has been a hit — our team has stopped buying from the downstairs cafe chain. The office kit they include (dosing card and brew guide) was a nice touch. The price per gram is reasonable for the quality tier. I will say the website checkout flow has some friction — had to re-enter my delivery address despite being logged in, and the promo code field was not obvious. Small UX issues that did not stop me ordering again. Will be setting up a recurring office subscription.

“Best butter chicken I've had at a cafe”

Didn't expect a coffee roastery to nail an Indian classic, but the sauce here is genuinely silky and well spiced, not just sweet cream. Chicken was tender, not dry like some rushed versions. Portion was generous for the price and came out quickly even during a lunch rush.

“Surprisingly excellent, will order again”

Ordered this on a whim while waiting for a coffee order and it turned out to be the highlight of the visit. Good char on the chicken, sauce had real depth rather than tasting like it came from a jar. Staff were friendly and checked in without being pushy.

“Good effort, portion was small”

Flavour was solid — potato masala had a nice mustard-seed kick and the coconut chutney was fresh. My main complaint is the portion felt more like a side dish than a main, and I was still hungry after. Would order again but maybe alongside something else.