Campos Coffee, Newtown

I am a compulsive research traveller. Before I step on the plane, I like to trawl through travel guides, websites and blogs for interesting places to visit. I like to look out for places with interesting concepts or are off the beaten track, read other traveller's experiences and flick through their photo albums.

When I researched for cafes in Seoul last year, I hunted for cafes that were visually appealing rather than for the quality of their food and drinks. But in the time between the two trips, my taste buds finally grew up and I began taking an interest in and appreciating a good cup of coffee. My research, this time around, naturally centred on cafes that took their coffee more seriously than their decor.

It didn't take much for me to discover that in Sydney, Campos Coffee was the coffee of choice. Campos is situated in Newtown and is slightly out of the way from Sydney Central but we didn't let a thing like distance hamper us from getting us a cup of the best coffee in Sydney. (Also, it helps to have a friend who has a car.)

From my travel notes, my impressions of the coffee was that it was "full-bodied" and "very strong". And to my surprise as I was reading the website to write this post, I actually got it right! The coffee they had in November is described as "The body is full and lively on the palete." Not bad for a coffee newbie.

For a big-time coffee house, Campos in Newtown is located in a fairly small space. There were only about 5 tables in the back and counter seating by the windows. We walked in during a lull and managed to snag a table but as we drank our coffee, others were coming in non-stop and had to settle for takeaway cups. This is not a place where you can sit and linger over your coffee and not feel guilty.

By the way, you know a coffee house is serious when they actually have a spare roaster to put out on display.