DC Coffee Roasters

The Verdict

Melbourne’s coffee scene is getting so good you don’t even need to leave your car anymore. People will now bring perfectly extracted, specialty grade coffee to your driver’s window while you try to guess the Secret Sound on breakfast radio. And it’s all happening at DC Coffee Roasters in Preston.

These guys have been grinding and roasting since 2002, and they’re now stocked in over 120 cafes all over Australia. But this is the first time they’ve opened up their Preston HQ—a rare opportunity to buy direct from the local roaster, and you can even keep the engine running.

You’ll find DC’s new Drive-by roastery on Bell St. Approximate daily traffic: 28 billion (give or take). You can either park the car and get your coffee brought to you, or wander over to the small standing zone and have a chat to the baristas behind the silver La Marzocco machine.

Here’s where it gets good. Not only can you pick up 4 x large lattes for the HR team back at the office. You can also buy ground beans direct, either in 250g or 1kg bags. Just pick your blend: All City, B-Side, Monsoon, Duke, Single Origin etc. The guys can give you some pointers if you’re after a particular flavour profile. Full props for the colourful bag art too.

If you’re planning to make this coffee commute on the regular, consider bringing your own KeepCup. DC also stock 8oz and 12oz Frank Green cups if you need a cheeky upgrade. You can even top them up via your phone for easy payments.

Obviously if you swing by DC during rush hour, things are gonna get busy. If you’d rather park the car, hop out and have a chat, consider coming after 10am when the Preston traffic has died down from ‘Feeding Frenzy’ to merely ‘Grinding’.

Image credit: Jenna Fahey-White