Drinking coffee should be more like wine; you should be able to taste the difference and appreciate what the barista has been able to pull from it. Everyone needs a solid appreciation of coffee.” ~ Evan O’Hanlon, Superfine Cafe owner

They met in the (romantic) dining halls of the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) and fell in love over their love for coffee. But who would have thought that four years later this world-competing pair would use the very determination that gets them over the finish line as their inspiration to open their own cafe?

Superfine is the culmination of paralympian Evan O’Hanlon and Olympian racewalker Zuzana Schindlerova’s passion for the bean responsible for the happiness of coffee lovers worldwide. Nestled in at the bus interchange on the corner of Mort and Bunda Street (near the well-established Tonic), it’s easy to miss this humble pocket of cosiness. But it’s ok, we’ll forgive you if you’ve mistaken one for the other!

Designed with its original location in mind, somewhere out toward Yass, Superfine is a relatively young coffee nook waiting to be discovered with its understated interior and no fancy trims. Yet it oozes character and personality.

From the seating to the table tops, the signage and knick knacks scattered about the exposed feature wall, each and every element of the cafe has a story, much like its name. When Zuzana and Evan first began to scout out locations two years ago, it was to the west of Canberra where they ventured.  Yet despite their chosen real estate options falling through, the name stuck and so Superfine it became.

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“The name is based on the wool industry as in super fine wool,” begins Evan. “But through research for uni assignments, the story about Canberra’s settlement came out and so we thought it fit really well.”

According to the story, Canberra’s European settlement was based on the wool industry in Australia and tells of the Campbell family from the Duntroon area, who had a ship that they “leant” to the government (more like they forcibly took it) when Australia was suffering in the Great Depression.  The government wanted to sail to India to pick up food and bring it back to Australia but they sailed it half way and wrecked it, which meant the government now owed the Campbells money. But it took about 15 years of petitioning to get anything from the government in the form of compensation.”

Eventually the government gave in, offering the family a set amount of land in the Limestone Plains (Canberra) and a flock of sheep for livestock.

The fit-out resembles the rustic shell of a wool shed sans the shearers and wool bales, but brings to the surface a simplistic design with purpose, heart and character. Just sitting at the table is a novelty as Evan explains how each piece in the cafe was made and collected along the way.

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“The big pieces of curved timber are from the AIS,” says Evan. “In the gym they’d be sitting on the ground, one on each end and you put your big 20kg weights that are on the end of your bar, on them so that they roll into the centre.”

Running his hand along the bench underneath him, Evan laughs at the ‘junk’ that makes up the cafe’s furniture.

“We did everything ourselves,” he says. “I made these at home from packing timber that my brother-in-law (a builder) had laying around, but it’s good because it makes the milk crates higher to sit on, otherwise they’re too low.”

But it’s the walls that are by far the most sustainable and creative. Taking sheets of plywood and sacks of old, stale (and expensive) coffee beans, Evan and Zuzana found a more affordable way to achieve the look they had in mind.

“We pulled lots of espresso shots and used the coffee to paint the plywood,” Evans explains.  “It created this nice dark stain on the wood and really works with the look we wanted to achieve.”

Like any design or renovation project, there were a few things a little beyond their capability that required the help of professionals including the corrugated iron wall. A design concept that proved foreign to the ‘two old guys’ (aka contracted builders) with its exposed beams and frames on display to customers.

“They were like ‘You wanna put the inside of the wall on the outside?’,” mimics Evan, “We said ‘Yep, that’s right!’ and now they love it and say they’re going to do it everywhere.”

But when it comes to a cafe, it can be the cosiest place in the world so long as there is good coffee to enjoy too. Just as well Superfine serve up a pretty good grind then, right?

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While it seems the current trend is to blend, roast or source coffee that has a low carbon footprint, Evan says that when it came to choosing a supplier it was simply a matter of who they knew.

“We work with Toby’s Estate Beans; they’re big in Sydney and are rapidly spreading around the world. We actually know him personally,” says Evan. “So when we decided to open the cafe, there was no question who would be the coffee supplier.

“Toby’s pursuit of perfection is very similar to ours.”

At the moment, Superfine runs just two blends — a black (Ethiopian Limu) and a white (Woolloomooloo) blend but the smoothness of both are incredible.

The Woolloomooloo blend is Toby’s first blend he ever made and it has up to nine different beans in it.  A really, really nice white coffee made specifically for milks coffees, it incorporates aged Indian beans and has a strong flavoursome body that is luxuriously heavy. The Ethiopian Limu is the second of the blends and is a black coffee with clear lemon hints and citric acidity with plenty of florals, berry and tropical fruit hints throughout.

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Sometimes though when you indulge in a good coffee, you want to nibble on something yummy too. Freshly made every morning, Zuzana is the culinary mind behind the delicious but small selection of breakfast bites and treats available over the counter each day. Waffles, slices, cold pressed juices and more, they’re all guilt-free too. So if you’re looking for a nutritious, quick and easy breakfast on the run, drop in to Superfine and pick up a Chia, banana, yoghurt and maple syrup muesli bowl to go…You really won’t regret it.

The perfect little hangout for anyone looking for a new place to try, hide away or catch up in a low-key setting with friends…Superfine is warm and friendly, buzzing and cosy. It’s even great for an out of office meeting without all the distractions. Don’t be shy, drop by and say hi to Zuzana (and Evan when he’s not competing, study or just building stuff—he’s one busy guy) because if you ask me it’s all Superfine at the bus interchange…

Oh and if you’re feeling generous why not pop a coffee up on the Karma Coffee board too?!

The essentials

Place: Superfine Cafe

Where: Cnr Mort and Bunda Street (bus interchange), Civic

When: 7am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

Menu: Coffee, tea, frappes with a small selection of nutritious snacks.