There are roasters that are good, and there are roasters you build a bar around. Market Lane falls into the second category. We've been pouring them from the beginning at MORI, and the relationship is worth explaining, because it shapes every cup that leaves our bench.
MORI is a speciality coffee café in Blackburn, Melbourne. Market Lane is our house staple, and alongside it we rotate small-batch single origins that stay in-café only. Here is why we set it up that way.
How we found Market Lane
What we can say plainly is what we were looking for. A roaster whose coffee we would still be happy pouring in a year, not one that impressed us once. Market Lane has been roasting in Melbourne since 2009, works seasonally, and roasts in small batches until a coffee runs out and a new one takes its place. That last part matters more than it sounds, and it is worth explaining.
What a "staple roaster" means at a café like MORI
A staple roaster is the coffee a café pours by default, every day, without the customer having to ask. At MORI, that is Market Lane.
Choosing a staple is a choice for consistency over novelty. It would be easy to rotate roasters every few months and always have something new to announce. It would also mean our flat white tastes slightly different depending on the week you came in, and that is not a trade we are willing to make.
The people who come in every morning are not ordering an experience. They are ordering the same coffee they had yesterday, and they would like it to be the same coffee. Earning that trust is unglamorous and it takes months. A staple roaster is how you do it.
The rotating single origins, and why they stay in-café
Alongside the staple, we run small-batch single origins through the bar. Beans from specific farms and regions, in small volumes, changing as the season changes.
These stay in-café only. That is deliberate. Small-batch means exactly that: there is not much of it, and when it is gone it is gone. Rather than list something online that sells out mid-week, we keep the rotating selection on the bench where we can talk you through it, brew it properly, and tell you what happened to it in the roaster.
If you want Market Lane at home, our retail beans ship Australia-wide from the Shop. The rotating single origins are the reason to make the trip.
What small-batch sourcing actually means
"Small batch" and "single origin" get used loosely, so here is the practical version.
Single origin means the coffee is traceable to a specific farm, co-operative or region rather than blended across several. Small batch means it is roasted in small volumes, so the roast can be tuned to that particular lot instead of averaged across a large one. Seasonal means the offering changes through the year, because coffee is an agricultural product with a harvest, not a shelf-stable commodity.
Origin shapes the cup before we touch it. Altitude, varietal, processing method and harvest timing are doing most of the work. What a good roaster does is get out of the way of that, and what a good bar does is not undo it.
Ask the person making it
The best thing about a rotating bar is that it gives you something to ask about.
Our team knows what is on and why. Ask what is on filter, and you will get a proper answer: where it is from, how it was processed, and what to expect in the cup. Not a lecture, and not a shrug.
We are not precious about coffee. We are just genuinely interested in it, and happy to talk if you are.
Come and taste what is pouring this week. We are at Suite 2/1 Main St, Blackburn VIC 3130, open Monday to Friday 7AM to 3PM, Saturday 8AM to 2PM, and Sunday 8AM to 1PM.
Take MORI home if you would rather brew it yourself.
FAQ
What coffee does MORI serve? MORI pours Market Lane as its house staple, alongside rotating small-batch single origins that are available in-café only. We brew both espresso and filter.
Who is Market Lane Coffee? Market Lane is a Melbourne speciality coffee roaster founded in 2009 by Fleur Studd and Jason Scheltus, roasting seasonally and in small batches from its Brunswick East roastery.
Can I buy MORI's coffee beans online? Yes. Market Lane retail beans ship Australia-wide from the MORI shop. The rotating single origins stay in-café only.
Where is MORI? Suite 2/1 Main St, Blackburn VIC 3130, Australia.
