Words: Dan Bonello   Photos: Tim Bardsley-Smith

There is something trivially rewarding about getting on a first name basis with a barista. It ticks a box for me, and boosts the ego a little. I tend to put these caffeine scientists up on a pedestal, especially if they’re on the tools at a highly recommended location. They know infinitely more than I ever will about how to extract that ideal first drop. 

The truly seasoned baristas stand almost proudly lopsided, their bodies telling the story of years spent tamping ground beans, huddling over a soon to be swan or rosetta and reaching into the back of a shin height fridge for another bottle of cold milk. It is a repetitious game. 

With a 12-day stint in Adelaide, I was keen to collect a list of the most highly recommended coffee spots in the city of churches. Elementary was a clear stand out. While being relatively new, as they just opened six months ago, they still sat positively high on the list. Being only two blocks from my work location at the Tour Down Under also made it the easiest option for me to escape and pretend I was a local. After one visit I was hooked. 

I was greeted by a barista so lean that in my mind it seemed conceivable that he subsisted purely on coffees that he had poured. The quality of the coffee that followed almost confirmed this theory, and that living purely on coffee this good might actually work out. He asked me what I was after. However, I wasn't prepared to make it that easy or brief. I explained that I was in town for work and that I had been told that visiting this open warehouse roastery-cum-cafe was a must. I asked what was good and left the rest up to him. We introduced ourselves and he told me to grab a seat. 

Not once during any of my following visits would I have to refresh him or any of his colleagues on my name. The service was genuine yet casual every time I visited. Shortly after I had sat down I was delivered an exceptional cup of carefully crafted filtered coffee with a printed card explaining from what altitude the bean had been picked and brought down from, how it had been roasted and what flavours I should be expecting during the consumption of the brew. This was no elementary business, this was 12th-grade chemistry accompanied by fine stock printing paper.

Every aspect of Elementary is well thought out and they haven't missed a step. From the tiny flowers decorating the vegan matcha pancakes to the labelling on the in-house cold brew that sells out most days. The venue is well lit and has high ceilings that exaggerate the warehouse feel, while still being small enough to fight the stifling January heat that the riders of the season's opening World Tour race were confronted with.

Located in the heart of Adelaide's CBD means Elementary is closed on the quieter weekend days and this allows for much of their signature roasting to be undertaken. Bike parking is street side, but the glass windows that line the entire front of the cafe provide ample security for the wary coffee swilling cyclist. The menu is kept simple so dishes can be produced to a standard that will make it a struggle to order something different if you return. This also allows for more focus on their true passion and that is fine quality coffee. 

If you find yourself in Adelaide, look up Elementary. Better yet, roll down for a coffee. You will be rewarded.

LOCATION: 9-17 Young Street, Adelaide, SA, 5000