Adelaide Hills

NEW CAFE: Caffiend Coffee Company Has Come Down To The CBD

By Madeline Hosking

Posted on August 9, 2018

New Cafe: Venturing down from the Adelaide Hills, Kostas Trakas will captain the latest specialty coffee addition to the CBD.

A much-loved cafe of the Adelaide Hill’s town of Hahndorf, Caffiend Coffee Company has started a new chapter on Synagogue Place, Adelaide. Kostas Trakas is the mastermind behind this specialty coffee cafe and roastery, and will provide a welcome addition to the Rundle Street area. The cafe has now opened its doors and is offering $2.00 small coffees, and $3.00 large coffees until THIS Sunday!

Alongside Trakas, you can see the majestic Marlene, the coffee roaster, who will be providing Adelaide with freshly roasted beans sourced from some of the world’s finest growers. “We’re going for something pretty different this time to the existing Caffiend in Hahndorf,” said Trakas, “…we’ve actually moved our coffee roastery to Synagogue Place, so we’ve got a live roaster in the corner of the shop and expanded our coffee offering to boot!”

The new location, although similar in size to its original home in Hahndorf, boasts a large alfresco which will enable twice the amount of visitors. “We’re also going to be using the space as a co-roasting and education space outside of cafe hours. Other baristas and cafe owners can come through and rent our roaster to produce their own product, to give them more control over what they’re doing in their own cafes.” said Trakas. The outdoor area is nicely shaded and provides a private and secluded area for patrons to enjoy their coffees and food without the hustle and bustle of people and vehicles rushing past.

Mark Barun, of the Coffee Barun, initially taught Trakas the fine art of roasting, and furthered his experience at Monastery Coffee, before embarking on his own adventure into the beautiful world of specialty coffee. “Honestly, I’m most excited to just have the opportunity to get amongst the coffee community in the CBD that I love so much, and have the chance to offer our coffee to a wider audience base,” said Trakas.

Synagogue Place doesn’t have a kitchen, so all prep work will be done daily by head chef Tyson Avery, before being sent down the hill. “It’s all about quick and delicious, to cater to the university students and offices surrounding us – we have an extensive range of grab and go cabinet food and a tailored a la carte menu for those with a little more time,” said Trakas. Do yourself a favour and order the chicken waffle, its a hash brown waffle bowl, southern fried chicken, bacon and maple syrup.

From tasty brews, succulent snacks, and beans roasted to perfection, you can fill your stomach with delectable treats that will tickle the tastebuds. The menu has been tailored for busy city-goers, providing them with much needed sustenance in this constantly fluctuating weather. “Tyson has stepped up to Executive Chef for Caffiend and will be managing the food for both stores and some other things that we have in the pipeline,” Trakas continued.

For those Hills dwellers, never fear, the original site in Hahndorf will continue to be run by manager, Mark Bowler. Avery will continue to provide a creative and nourishing seasonal menu at this location. Bowler has expert knowledge in specialty coffee processes and always has time for a laugh with visitors.
“The city store has fantastic potential as it is able to utilise a lot more outdoor space and will be super dog friendly,” says Mark Bowler, the current manager of Caffiend Coffee Company. At the new store you can see the same name, but with new branding and totally new look, “…We’re going for an industrial, fun and quirky aesthetic,” said Trakas. Locally sourced artist, Wendy Dixon Whiley, has designed the new logo and feature wall art in collaboration with Crafty Design Adelaide.

So, what makes Caffiend 2.0 so different? For one thing, they are the only coffee roastery in close proximity to Rundle Mall, and they also have a larger coffee offering than anyone else in the area, PLUS an extensive retail coffee range for people to take home and brew themselves. Being located only a stone’s throw away from both Adelaide University and the University of South Australia campuses, student housing and Rundle Mall, Trakas says that he’s excited to be surrounded by coffee lovers.

Although Trakas will be missed by his regulars in Hahndorf, the store is in very capable hands, and we wish him all the best with his new venture and we’ve already headed in and sampled some long blacks and skim flat whites. So no matter your palette preference, Trakas has you covered.