Cafe Culture

Ok, so being a small-town girl (haha, who in Tasmania isn't - unless you're not a girl), I am intrigued by the cafe/coffee culture that is rife amongst some of my friends, particularly the ones that go to my church. I love these people. I love to observe the unspoken rules and taboos associated with buying coffee, and I wish I knew half of what there is to know about good coffee, but I will never understand it, and so I just listen and observe. I have been intrigued by this for quite some time, but tonight I had a full education in coffee connoisseurism and what is and just isn't done. So I thought I'd make a note of what I have learned:

1. There is an unspoken, but widely agreed upon 'best coffee in Hobart' - clearly Villino.
2. As for the second best coffee in Hobart - well this depends on your priorities. Do you value service first? Or is quality all that matters?
3. Villino can do no wrong. They ARE coffee.
4. Your loyalty to a cafe is of prime importance. If you change your alliegance, you should explain to the losing cafe why you are taking your custom elsewhere. Preferably put this in writing (ok I made that part up).
5. If a cafe owner goes to the effort of delivering coffee to your workplace, just for you, they really value your loyalty, and you should consider this factor when choosing where to buy coffee.
6. Service is extremely important - you have to feel like they want to be your friends. They should know your name if you regularly go there.
7. Baristas need to use the correct implement to make latte art. Like, don't use a pen.
8. If you're practising your latte art, it's important that you just use slightly older coffee - the kind that's not good enough for drinking.
9. Do not have sugar in your coffee.
10. It's important to know your tea as well. You should own at least 20 varieties of leaf tea, and know the key ingredients of each (this isn't so important - but I think it shows diversity to be versed in your tea knowledge in addition to coffee).
11. Do not even use the word "instant". That is not a real word.

I think I'm learning. Too many times I've made the faux pas of admitting that I like instant coffee. Which isn't such a bold statement, as I'm sure a lot of people do. But there is apparently some very good coffee to be had in Hobart, so maybe I will start dropping by Villino a little more often.