Wolfgang Specialty Coffee brings brilliant brew to Spring Hill
The inner-city coffee scene is as competitive as it gets in Brisbane – meaning any new entrant has to know their stuff if they want to make a mark. Leave it to The Black Lab Coffee Co. team to know exactly what it takes to impress. The flourishing Brisbane-born roaster has opened a bevy of venues across town over the past few years, earning a cult following thanks to its people-oriented service model and excellent coffee to boot. The group’s new cafe – Wolfgang Specialty Coffee – opened in Spring Hill in June, and looks to continue The Black Lab’s upward trajectory as one of the city’s savviest caffeine distributors.
For The Black Lab Coffee Co., opening Wolfgang Specialty Coffee on 149 Wickham Terrace in Spring Hill was more of a return than a fresh introduction. Years ago the space housed Cafe Amadeus – a coffee spot operated by The Black Lab head honcho Sam Holman’s mother. More recently Sam himself operated Cafe Amadeus’ successor 2 Black Birds, but sold the venue to focus on expanding The Black Lab’s thriving portfolio of venues, which includes The New Black in The Valley, Paddington’s Blackout and forthcoming brew bar BLK BOX, over in West End. When the tenancy was offered to Sam again, he felt the time was right to make a return to The City, bringing The Black Lab’s specialty focus along with him. Sam has teamed up with Brendan McCrystal to run Wolfgang Specialty Coffee, the co-owners giving the space a sprucing (new furniture for the interior, a new breakfast bar for the patio, new shelves, new lights, a new coat of paint) and reopening to the public back in early June. Brendan is overseeing the day-to-day operations of the cafe, bringing his unabashed passion for the coffee craft to the fore with an offering that caters to time-poor commuters and coffee enthusiasts alike.
When it comes to coffee, the team at Wolfgang aren’t here to muck about. A space-age Sanremo Opera 2.0 multi-boiler coffee machine is on deck, with The Black Lab’s Platinum blend available for espresso-based orders. The latte lot can grab their regular beverage and bounce, but the team at Wolfgang are eager to ensure that those seeking a specialty sip are catered for as well. The coffee bar boasts gear for V60, cold-drip and batch-brew too, utilising some of The Black Lab’s single-origin roasts from Colombian and Ethiopia or, in the instance of a cold-brew, made on the Nitro Espresso blend. Not a coffee drinker? No problem – smoothies, HRVST ST’s cold-pressed juices and kombucha from The Probiotic Kitchen are available as a non-caffeinated option. Wolfgang’s ambient cabinet is stocked daily with an assortment of morsels to munch on the move or snack on while sitting. Freshly baked sausage rolls and croissants are joined by the likes of toasties, wraps, bagels, danishes, banana bread and cookies from local maker BNE Biscuitry. Finally, an on-site retail section houses all the gear one would need for home coffee consumption, from take-home packs of beans to brewing apparatus (and even some The Black Lab-branded merch).
Wolfgang Specialty Coffee is now open in Spring Hill. Head to the Stumble Guide for more information.
The Stumble Guide is our comprehensive Brisbane dining guide with more than 2400 places to eat, drink, shop and play.
