Cup of Truth

I was only in Melbourne for a week, and went to Cup of Truth 3 days in a row. The guys who work here are super friendly & talkative, and it was clear from visiting this is a place that has a solid base of regular customers for a reason. All 3 visits the bf and I got different types of espresso, all three delicious blends served at the perfect temp with that nice rich mouth feel that good espresso should have.
The first day we stopped by we grabbed a cookie and that, like the espresso, was insanely good. I wish places like this existed in my hometown!
Tip for first timers: cash only, make sure you bring some with you.

I must walked past this place many times without noticing. After ten months of passing through flinders St I’ve been hoping to find fantastic coffee I could grab between train connections. Glad to say I finally found it! The lads are great, friendly and super quick even with a crowd around, and mindblowingly know the regulars orders just as they throw cash in the mug.
No one comes close to this coffee standard within range of flinders St, I’ll be visiting again!

Cups a place where you appreciate the small things after you’ve been a few times. Main one is that the coffees usually in your hand within a minute of ordering it, there’s no convoluted ordering system, clunky EFTPOS payments — just quick, excellent brews.
The guys talk up a storm too, which is a great break from every place on Degraves/​Flinders nearby.
Take the tunnel underneath Flinders St and get in!

I’m on a quest to visit all the great Melbourne coffee haunts listed in a great book I was given for Christmas. Cup of Truth is one of them. It’s a little tricky to find the first time, down the stairs in an underground tunnel connected to the Flinders St Station. Enter via the stairs on Flinders St adjacent to Bonbons bakery. The barista was friendly and helpful and my flat white was exceptional. Apart from a subway bench around the corner there was nowhere to sit, but this is a great place to remember for a specialist quality coffee on the run.

That was a mighty fine cup of coffee I just had. Reason #5487 I wish I worked in the city. Damn you for not being open on weekends!
I was going to give 4 stars but sod it, the service was so pleasant and jovial I threw in another for good measure. It is Friday after all.
Nothing else to say. Good coffee. Go. Go now.

If your not afraid of going thru the maze underneath flinders st station you will find this little gem of a café I was very impressed with the coffee I had.
The barista seemed like a really funny guy which I always love it makes you feel comfortable & It makes you want to come bak.
There was a selection of muffins, cakes & sandwiches which all looked yummy I will have to update once I’ve tried somthing.

You could be forgiven for thinking Melbourne has an underground subway system with a visit to Cup of Truth. Making use of what little underground space we have in the Campbell Arcade strip, the boys at Cup of Truth are giving up their precious right to daylight to create a fun, vibey hole-​in-​the-​wall coffee spot.
Bring cash and be prepared to place your cash in the ‘cup of truth’ and take your change to avoid slowing down the guys behind the machine as they churn out the espresso for eagerly awaiting caffeine addicts. The service is super friendly/​chatty and fast for their popularity.
The coffee ticks all the boxes. I had the Columbian single origin when I stopped by, but they also have their own blend going on house.
Easily the best coffee stop within close vicinity of the Flinders St Train Station, a perfect way to ease the commuter blues.

For what it is, Cup of Truth is as good as it gets. Located in the tunnel that is the Degraves St exit in Flinder’s Street station, they produce a high quality cup of coffee and are bloody good at it. The barista was a great bloke too, happy to have a chat. He spoke of their new arrangement with Axil to produce an exclusive blend to amaze all who indulge in their coffee, and on first taste it was very good!

Within the deep dark tunnels, beneath Flinders St station lays a magical world of dingy alleyways and super hispter hippy stores. Once you waltz through the laneways take a turn, spin side ways three times and you will find the truth.
The Cup of Truth.
Having recently meet the man big man barista Craig (not his real name) at MICE2014, i was heavily informed that Cup of Truth made the best coffee in Melbourne. And in the top four of the World. With a laugh and a shot of ginger ale I brushed off Craig (not his real name) claim to coffee fame.
Well, I salute you kind sir. You did serve me up some of the best coffee I’ve ever had in Melbourne. Equally impressive with your smile and sassy service after a crazed Monday morning rush.
Take your time and find your truth. If in doubt get a cookie. Always get a cookie.

In the Matrix, Morpheus offers Neo the choice of Red or Blue.
On a particularly frigid morning, in an apparently empty underground subway tunnel, I was presented with an equally existential choice: Black or White?
I went with White.
And down the rabbit hole I fell, to see how deep it really went.
COT has a rotating lineup of beans from local roasters. Axil was plugged in on a recent visit. The coffee’s expertly made, and was enough to jolt me awake to reality without the bitter tinge of regret.
The cost is a bit more dear than its above-​ground competition, but that is the price you pay for the Truth. As Morpheus says: «Remember — all I am offering is the [cup of] truth, nothing more.»
The location can be difficult to find. If it helps, I am fairly sure Neo and Agent Smith once engaged in an epic battle for humanity’s future here. The Wachowski brothers would approve.

Great coffee, just stay on the good side of the original dudes or face a knife in your back as you walk away…

How much can one say about a hole in the wall coffee joint? Staff are friendly and not pretentious hipsters. Coffee’s great. It’s slightly more expensive than most, but worth it for the convenience and taste.
It’s in the arcade below Degraves St… so try not to get too lost.

Nice place.
Took me a little while to find it as I did not realise it was underground…
Good coffee, I love these little take away and standing room cafés like here, Sensory Lab and Patricia. I’m going to make sure I stop by here every time I get off or on a Flinders Street Station.
Find this place if you can and give it a go, the coffee is great.

Great service, very smooth, balanced and consistent Soy Latte and fruity Short Mac single origin, just great!

Piccolo takeaway, chose the special — Costa Rica bean, delicious with a smooth buttery feel and slightly bitter finish.
Highly recommend this café and its minimalist approach. Come here if you want an excellent coffee without a bite (although there are plenty of places around to grab something to supplement your brew of choice of you need a feed).
Just go here! Fin.

Cute little ‘hole in the wall’ coffee shop with an ‘honestly cup’ for payment. It can be a bit hard to find if you don’t know where it is, but the coffee is worth looking for.
Directions: Find the corner of Degraves St and Flinders St; take one of the stairs down into the subway; locate the intersection, where the three entrances meet the station barriers; Cup of Truth is on the North-​West corner. It is small so don’t walk right past it. Enjoy.

Gotta love an underground coffee place where you can grab one to go or stand around pretending to be a coffee genius talking about «notes». I enjoy the rotating selection of beans and love that you just throw your money in «the cup of truth» when you’re ready to pay.
Simple things done well are amazing, and Cup of Truth nails it every time.

A hole in the wall that you may miss in non peak time. However for those exiting Flinders Street Station in the Degraves St will certainly hit upon it due to the massive crowds surrounding it.
If you are regular, Courtney and Jono know your order straight away, meaning all you do is pop your money in the large cup and enjoy the banter the guys have with their regulars.
Apart from the standard roast usually via Axil Roasters in Hawthorn, the guys shake up the single origins with a rotating line up of guest starts including Marvel, Proud Mary ect. Cold drips are usually done after the morning peak.
Very Melbourne and if anybody remembers the metro barrista/​barrister ads — you’ve found the star of the show.
Highly recommended for those coffee lovers out there.

Simply Radical! An Underground, underground coffee
merchant of supreme excellence. It only has very limited seating
but the staff are always on point and ready to involve you in the
coffee making process, albeit explaining it. It’s got a really
cool location too. I remember one time, idly sitting behind
the counter, as a large contingent of school kids passed,
giving them five’s (along with the owner.)
It can be tough work muscling in on a free seat or territory,
The staff mentioned in the first review are great too, it gets
busy, so finding a quiet time is paramount. But good coffee
though.

It’s oh so cool, oh so Melbourne. And whilst these are usually unequivocal deterrents for my patron-​ism, I decided to try it out on my way home from uni.
Sadly, or perhaps thankfully, it was really great coffee. I say sadly because they seem just a little bit arrogant there. And I say thankfully because it’s a great place to pick up your coffee on a hectic jaunt to work. I always feel so sorry for the people crowding around Coffee HQ — what a terrible way to start your morning.
So I’ll give it 4 stars, subtracting one for their attitude. I guess it’s hard not to have one when you operate out of a place so small it could double as a pocket.