There was a time when Workshop was the place to get your morning brew, and not just because of its “in the dead centre of the CBD” location. They were known for their premium coffee, with award-winning baristas serving up some of the best coffees in Sydney. Those days are long gone. How long it’s been exactly, I don’t know, but I was last there more than 5 years ago, and it’s just not the same anymore. Subtle differences to the interior decor, the look of the baked goods in the window and, yes, even the customers, hinted at that change I keep whinging about. They overfilled my coffee, which is a bit of a feat since there’s a huge big “fill to here” line on the inside of my keep cup. And I’m always sensitive about the coffee shot being obscured by too much milk, so adding more than the suggested line’s worth of milk was a bit of a tongue-clicker for me. Coffee overflowed down the sides of the cup when I screwed on the lid, making a fairly minor, but still inconvenient, mess. No cafe has ever done that before. And not only was the coffee so far removed from the top-tier standard I remembered, I couldn’t even finish it. That’s how bad it was, especially since I was in the city early in the morning with two babies and I needed that caffeine so badly! As for the BB, it was from a recognisable supplier, which I happen to like. I like the flavour, and I like the way the cut surface kinda goes smooth and crispy. But I think that’s really just a personal preference thing and the BB itself isn’t really anything remarkable.
Sad times. Goodbye old Workshop. Goodbye Sydney coffee boom. Hello mediocrity.
Coffee: -1
BB: 0