Smoothe, South Melbourne

Address: 77 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne
Beans: Di Bella
Rating: 7

Even if nobody else came here, they'd still get a steady stream of business from the ANZ staff in the building. But they do a good job with their coffee anyway, it's one of the better places in South Melbourne this side of Kingsway.

Dancing Goat, Melbourne

Address: 280 King Street, Melbourne
Beans: Veneziano
Rating: 8.5

Gotta say I went out of my way to try the coffee here, having heard so much about it. And yes it was good, but not quite great enough for me to keep going out of my way for. If I was in the area of course, this would be the cafe of choice...

The Maling Room, Canterbury

Address: 206 Canterbury Road, Canterbury
Beans: Self-sourced and roasted
Rating: 8.5

Rather chaotic on a Sunday morning, but I guess that's to be expected. Still, the coffee didn't take too long to arrive at our table, and it was more than worth the wait. One of the best suburban lattes, I think!

Jasper Coffee, Prahran

Address: Prahran Market
Beans: Self-sourced and roasted
Rating: 8.5

These guys have got themselves a high-traffic area, to say the least. But I wonder if their business has been affected by the arrival of Market Lane. There's really not much to choose between the two, although Jasper probably comes across as a bit more down to earth...

Auction Rooms, North Melbourne

Address: 103-107 Errol Street, North Melbourne
Beans: House Blend
Rating: 9.5

Oh. My. Goodness. How good is the coffee here! My latte was close to perfect, and the food was good too. Doggone it, if I lived a wee bit closer, I'd be here every day...

Mart 130, Middle Park

Address: 107 Canterbury Road, Middle Park (Tram Stop 130)
Beans: Genovese
Rating: 8

This innovative location is no longer a secret, and they still make good coffee. Genovese is my brand of choice at home, but I don't do justice to these beans, unlike these guys. Goes well with corn fritters too!

Switchboard Cafe, Melbourne

Address: Manchester Unity Arcade, 220 Collins Street, Melbourne.
Beans: Supreme
Rating: 8.5

If there was a 'Best Use of Space' award for cafes, Switchboard would be a clear winner. It's just a couple of friendly blokes making use of a couple of tiny holes in the wall. The result? Great coffee!

Deadman Espresso

Address: 35 Market Street, South Melbourne
Beans: Blended and roasted by Seven Seeds
Rating: 9.5

Deadman's a wee bit of a detour from where I work, but it's certainly worth it. Absolutely love the coffee here! Now if only I could find a job even closer...

Cafe Moderno, Chadstone Shopping Centre

Address: Chadstone Shopping Centre
Beans: Di Bella
Rating: 5.5

I was picking up a pair of shoes from a shop here at Chaddy, and decided to try a latte at Cafe Moderno. I'm not usually a big fan of the mall cafe, but thought they couldn't really go wrong with the Di Bella beans I spotted on the shelves. Well, I was wrong.

Eclectic Tastes, Ballarat

Address: 2 Burnbank Street, Ballarat
Beans: Espresso di Manfredi
Rating: 7.5

Road trip! We ended up in this fascinating place not far from Lake Wendouree. Lunch was good, but that's not really the point here. The coffee was better than I expected and the service was friendly too.

Postal Hall, Melbourne

Address: 116 Russell Street, Melbourne
Beans: Bristot
Rating: 8

I did some freelance work for a company nearby some time ago, and I used to look forward to my daily latte from this cafe every morning. Friendly, efficient service, very popular among the office inhabitants in the vicinity. I wish I was working in the city again!

Mitte, North Fitzroy

Address: 76 Michael Street, North Fitzroy
Beans: Atomica
Rating: 8

This cafe has already garnered a significant reputation for its food, but its coffee is just as good. It's another one of those 'you've gotta know it's there to go' kind of places, cosily situated at a street corner surrounded by homes. Well worth a visit, with better coffee than a lot of those cafes in Clifton Hill just around the corner.

Not All There, South Melbourne

Address: 194 Wells Street, South Melbourne
Beans: Veneziano
Rating: 7

Gets really crowded on weekday mornings, due to the sheer superiority of its coffee over the (admittedly mediocre) competition in the neighbourhood. And once you've been there more than a couple of times, they remember your name and how you like your coffee. Yup, it's the classic 'I'll have the usual, please...'.

Market Lane, Prahran

Address: Prahran Market

Beans: Self-sourced and roasted

Rating: 9

One of Melbourne's best! Gets pretty crowded, but they handle orders quickly and efficiently. You can tell they're incredibly passionate and knowledgable about their offerings. I only wish I lived or worked a wee bit closer...

Willim, Malvern.

Address: 90 Union Street, Malvern.

Beans: Five Senses

Rating: 7.5

Not a bad little spot just off Glenferrie Road. Coffee was pretty good, but the place was pretty quiet considering it was a Saturday morning. I hope they get more business, for their (and Malvern's) sake.

Here's where it begins.

One latte a day - mostly in Melbourne, where I live! - from a different cafe each time, with one and a half teaspoons of sugar in each one. (If you must know, one's usually not enough and two's too much.) Scored out of 10, based on nothing else but my take on it. Nothing scientific, no deep analyses, just a quick and easy guide for anyone who needs it.