The Reformatory Caffeine Lab

"Surry Hills' Caffeine Lab Brace yourself; this is not your typical java joint. The futuristic space—which features a slanted concrete floor, caged lights that run the length of the ceiling, and the outline of a comic strip on a solid black wall—looks like it could be Batman's driveway. Instead it's owner Simon Jaramillo's coffee lab, or reform school if you will. A fourth-generation Colombian coffee farmer and an overt Joker fanatic, Jaramillo aims to change (or at least aid) the public's understanding of coffee. This means tasting notes are written on the chalkboard beneath the coffee's name, and customers are invited to ask questions about the high-tech filter cones, chemex vessels, the spacey looking cold-brew contraption, and the custom espresso machine imported from Italy. Each style of coffee is also served a different way. Flat whites arrive in a mug with a diagonal-cut opening to enhance the aroma; the signature cold drip is delivered in test tubes, well, just for fun. For even more fun, ask Jaramillo about the cupping and roasting classes he runs in Botany Bay."