Carl Renshaw
Your guide to coffee in Launceston
Ryan Farrington from Sileo Media
Northern Tasmania’s coffee culture is about making each cup count, and here’s why.
Tasmania's coffee scene is all about the craft, not the quantity (although no one’s judging – go ahead and order that extra shot).
Launceston is one of two Australian hubs to become a UNESCO City of Gastronomy thanks to its rich foodie experiences and ethos centred around quality ingredients and craft. And the coffee is no exception. Here’s where to get the best coffee in Launceston.
Ritual coffee
Carl Renshaw
The roasters
Ritual Coffee Roasters
Walk into this Invermay space and plonk yourself onto a chair made from in-house coffee sacks. This kind of detail tells you everything you need to know about Ritual Coffee Roasters.
What started as a small operation selling at farmers’ markets has become one of Tasmania's premier coffee roasters – a beloved popular choice staying true to its small-batch roots.
The space is filled with Scandi-modern lighting and the scent of beans roasting, ranging from a chocolatey Strongman blend to passionfruit Colombian. You can watch the process. You can ask questions. You can actually understand what you're drinking. You can even find these coffee pros at the local Harvest Market, a Saturday morning staple serving up Launceston gastronomy at its grassroots best.
Where and when
- Ritual Coffee Roasters: 6/31a Churchill Park Drive, 8am–4pm weekdays.
- Harvest Market Launceston: 72 Cimitiere Street, 9.30am–12.30pm every Saturday.
Tourism Tasmania
Ryan Farrington from Sileo Media
Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew
Over on St John Street, Archana and Tim Brammall changed the game back in 2014. Before they opened Sweetbrew, finding traceable, high-quality coffee in Tasmania wasn't as easy as it is now.
"Thousands of hands touch the coffee bean before it gets into this cup," co-owner Archana says.
Fast forward to today and their second venue, Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew, complements the original – a sociable, colourful roasting house with a hearty all-day Middle Eastern brunch menu to boot. And for a local’s recommendations on what to do while you’re here, check out Archana’s Launceston weekend guide.
Where and when
- Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew: 5/74–82 St John Street, open from 7.30am daily, closing 3pm weekdays and 2.30pm weekends.
- Sweetbrew cafe: 93 Cimitiere Street, 6.30am–3pm weekdays, 7.30am–1pm Saturday.
Coffee, Bread + Butter
Bread + Butter
Pastries, Bread + Butter
Bread + Butter
The cafes
Bread + Butter
This inviting space on Elizabeth Street sources its coffee from Single O: single-origin beans treated with the same respect as everything else they make. Which happens to include some of Launceston's best croissants, all made with Tasmanian Butter Co's cultured butter. Hand-churned, traditional methods, small batches. The attention to detail carries through.
Where and when
- Bread + Butter: 70 Elizabeth Street and 20 George Street: open from 7am daily, closing 2pm Monday–Saturday and 1pm Sunday and Public Holidays.
- Bread + Butter Bakeshop: 65 Cimitiere Street, 7am–2pm Monday–Saturday.
Frankie’s Coffee House
This welcoming George Street space keeps things uncomplicated. Frankie’s Coffee House feels lived-in, with exposed brick, communal tables and a healthy dose of natural light bouncing off the sunshine-yellow coffee cups.
Savour their specialty coffee: Tattooed Nun by Tassie roasters Zimmah. It’s rich and buttery with that dark-chocolate, caramel and raisin flavour. The baristas will talk you through tasting notes if you ask, but they won't lecture you if you just want a flat white.
Where and when
- Frankie’s Coffee House: 42 George Street, 7am–2pm weekdays, 7.30am–2pm Saturdays, 8.30am–2pm Sundays.
Ryan Farrington Sileo Media
Le Petit Chou
This French patisserie on George Street does indulgence the way it should be done. Experienced pastry chef Prosper makes chouquettes filled with diplomate crème – hazelnut versions with praline, coffee with fondant and lemon meringue torched to order. It’s French technique with Tasmanian ingredients.
These precision pastries pair nicely with their coffee, sourced from Lottie Lane in Hobart. Medium roast lets the flavour shine through. Espresso or filter, both work alongside chocolate caramel eclairs and proper mille-feuilles.
Where and when
- Le Petit Chou: 76 George Street, 8am–6pm Wednesday–Monday (closed Tuesdays).
Not a coffee person?
Launceston's caffeine alternatives get the same quality, craft and care:
- Tinka Coffee Brewers does specialty matcha pours alongside their coffee. 147 St John Street, 8am–1pm daily.
- Earthy Eats has turmeric lattes and house-made chai if you're after something warming. 19 Kingsway, 8am–2.30pm daily.
- Or pick any cafe mentioned on this page and try something on their menu that isn’t coffee to hype you up or soothe your senses – tea, matcha, hot chocolate, or the buttery satisfaction of a quality pastry.
Earthy Eats
Sidhonie, Eclectica Create
Rebecca Whatley
Tinka Coffee Brewers
Earthy Eats
Why it matters
Small-batch roasting means monitoring every batch individually, bringing out the best in each bean rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Single-origin focus means tasting the actual difference between regions, farms and processing methods – the unique characteristics shaped by soil, altitude, climate and how the beans were handled after harvest. Direct relationships with producers mean fair pricing and sustainable practices – the farmers growing quality coffee get properly compensated for their work, not shortchanged by a middleman.
Tasmania's clean air and pure water certainly help. But mostly, it's local roasters who care enough to do it properly, building connections from green bean to cup and sharing the distinct story of each origin with every brew.
Coffee in Tasmania FAQs
Launceston's coffee scene reflects its status as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Here's where to find the best coffee in Launceston.
- Sweetbrew and Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew changed the game back in 2014, making traceable, high-quality coffee more accessible in Tasmania while roasting beans on-site.
- Ritual Coffee Roasters in Invermay offers small-batch roasted beans with everything from chocolatey Strongman blend to fruity Colombian single origins.
- Bread + Butter sources from Single O roasters, serving specialty coffee alongside handmade croissants crafted with Tasmanian Butter Co's cultured butter.
- Frankie's Coffee House serves Zimmah's Tattooed Nun blend in a warm and relaxing space.
- Le Petit Chou pairs medium roast coffee from Hobart’s Lottie Lane with precision French pastries.
Hobart's coffee culture thrives across the city's neighbourhoods and waterfront. Here's where to find the best coffee in Hobart.
- Villino Coffee opened in 2007 and is tucked away on Criterion Street in Hobart's CBD, offering a cosy, welcoming space for specialty coffee roasted fresh daily at their Moonah roastery and cafe, Wondr.
- Six Russell in Sandy Bay serves handmade sourdough and seasonal pastries alongside Single O coffee and a rotating list of guest roasters – get there early if you don’t want to miss the pastries.
- Bright and friendly Abercrombie Coffee in North Hobart features a standout house blend from Villino Coffee with a rotating single-origin menu for batch brews and espresso, plus locally made ceramic cups and brewing equipment to purchase.
- Lost Freight Cafe halfway up Kunanyi / Mount Wellington serves coffee by Single O alongside locally sourced food with vegan and gluten-free options, offering a unique wilderness cafe experience right next to atmospheric walking trails.
Single origin coffee comes from one specific location – whether that's a single farm, region, or country, allowing you to taste the distinct characteristics of that place. This focus means experiencing the difference between regions, farms and processing methods rather than a blend of beans from multiple locations.
Launceston's craft coffee roasters like Ritual Coffee Roasters and venues like Bread + Butter specialise in single-origin beans, treating them with care through small-batch roasting to monitor every batch individually. Tasmania’s passionate roasters maintain direct relationships with producers, so these single origins showcase fair pricing, sustainable practices and the unique flavour profiles each growing region offers.
Tasmania's coffee culture is driven by craft rather than quantity. The island’s specialty coffee scene emphasises small-batch roasting, direct relationships with producers and traceable beans.
Launceston earned recognition as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy partly thanks to its food and beverage culture, which includes coffee roasted on-site at venues like Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew.
From Hobart's Salamanca cafes serving organic fair trade roasts to northern roasters monitoring individual batches, Tasmania's coffee community shares an enthusiasm for the craft. Whether you're after single-origin beans that highlight specific farms or house blends perfected over decades, Tasmania is all about purposeful, quality-focused coffee experiences.
At the heart of northern Tasmania's food bowl, Launceston offers diverse dining and is an official UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
- For brunch, try Sweetbrew and Tatler Lane by Sweetbrew for Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, or Bread + Butter for fresh pastries and cultured butter specialties.
- Saturday's Harvest Market brings farmers and makers to a city-centre car park, offering the region's finest produce.
- Fine dining options include Stillwater Restaurant in a restored 1830s flour mill serving Cape Grim beef and seasonal produce, while Black Cow Bistro specialises in premium Tasmanian beef.
- For dinner, Mudbar Restaurant celebrates paddock-to-plate dining with produce from its own farm, Bluestone Bar and Kitchen offers a 'feed me' menu, and Blue Social Eatery roasts food over a firepit.
The provenance-focused scene means short distances from paddock to plate throughout the city's cafes, restaurants and bars.
