October 2020 ~ Men's Fashion

Saturday 31 October 2020

‘Glorified Care Home’ In Northern Italy Lures Young Travellers With Enticing Offer

October 31, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

What would you give to spend your days working from a home office, looking out on uninterrupted mountainous views? Or what if you've had a brainwave business idea but just need a little bit of financial help to get it off the ground? Now, it seems, one small Italian village will pay you for both.

According to CNN Travel, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a tiny, walled-in medieval village in Abruzzo – a region east of Rome – is so starved for residents that it is now offering to pay people to set up a new life and, potentially, a new business.

The offer certainly lends itself to being snapped up by digital nomads, who could use the quaint little town as an alternative remote working location to their local coffee shop or a crowded beach in some tourist-heavy holiday destination.

It might sound too good to be true, and in some ways, it is. There are criteria you have to meet before the villagio will part with cash: you need to either already be an Italian resident, an EU citizen or have the legal right to remain in the EU for an indefinite amount of time.

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You also need to be under 40-years old (prime digital nomad territory) but you will need to be prepared to live in what is currently a glorified care home, with around half of the 115 population being of pensioner age.

So what do you get in return for substituting avocado toast and skinny soy milk flat whites for a town with a lower population than your university classes and a potentially dodgy internet connection?

CNN Travel says the council will "pay new residents a monthly fee for three years, up to a maximum of US$9,500/€8,000 per year", and if you have the next big business idea, you can claim "up to $24,000/€20,000 to help get it off the ground." Although, you'll only get that money if your 'next big thing' falls under one of the approved activities set by the council, these being: "guides, staff for the information office, cleaners and maintenance workers, drugstore owners, or those who can work with, and sell, the area's food."

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Better still, "residents will also get a property to live in for a 'symbolic' rent." As for just how much you can expect to pay for rent is anyone's guess right now. The perfect getaway for digital nomads? You bet.

The scheme was only launched on October 15th and is said to have received interest from more than 1,500 applicants. Unfortunately for the majority of them, Santo Stefano is only looking to take on around ten people – or five couples – to fill its humble abodes, initially at least.

"We want to ramp numbers up gradually, and we have to work with the housing that belongs to the authorities", according to the town's Mayor.

It's not the first time we've seen towns and countries tempt outsiders with offers too good to pass up. The Nautilus resort in the idyllic Maldives islands is offering remote workers an – albeit expensive – desk with an ocean view unlike any other you'll experience anywhere else and Bermuda is offering year-long residencies to anyone who is prepared to move there and use it as a remote working location.

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If Santo Stefano's offer sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime for you – and you believe you can stand out against the other 1,500 applicants – you can submit your application before November 15th. If you get the green light, you'll have to be prepared to live in the town for at least five years. So as "to make sure people don't come, take the money for a year, and leave."

May the odds be ever in your favour.

Crazy Australian Bastard Installs ‘Supercharged’ Sodastream In Kitchen

October 31, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

You don't immediately associate the 70s and 80s as being eras of particularly good food, but one culinary artefact from the period that's worth a look in is the humble SodaStream. A humble invention that lets you carbonate your own water at home, the SodaStream – with its famous 'get busy with the fizzy' marketing campaign – is a bona fide cultural icon. It's also a pretty handy tool to have in one's kitchen.

SodaStream models available on the market today are slim, modern affairs, with a small gas cylinder that's good for about 8 to 9 weeks (that's if you make a full bottle of soda every day, which is some seriously dedicated drinking). Sure, that saves you from having to go out and buy cola or soda water whenever you want a little bit of ~effervescence~, but for some, it's not enough.

Which is perhaps what lead this crazy bastard living in Sydney's famous Bondi to retrofit his SodaStream with a huge CO2 tank apparatus.

While this looks like absolute overkill, there's some method to his madness. Under strict conditions of anonymity, this intrepid bon vivant shared with DMARGE why he decided to 'supercharge' his home carbonation device.

Firstly, the cost factor. It's "cheaper in bulk," he relates. According to SodaStream Australia, you can exchange an empty SodaStream cylinder for a full one at a Coles Express for $19, or you can purchase a new one for $35. Assuming you make a bottle every day, it could cost you upwards of $168 a year to keep up your habit with those prices – never mind the hassle of having to go out and exchange cylinders.

"You only need to change cylinders maybe twice a year," our carbonation champion explains.

"With the adaptor, you can [use] many sizes of cylinder too. Easier to change, and industrial-grade..."

That's the other big reason to modify your SodaStream: stronger carbonation. I have a SodaStream at home and in my experience, even on its highest fizz setting, it's still not quite enough to really satisfy. And the emptier the cylinder gets, the weaker the carbonation becomes.

It's a lot of effort to go to just to get more fizz, but if you're a dedicated soda drinker, a crazy setup like this might just be the solution for you. Just don't do what I did once and try carbonating white wine in order to make ersatz prosecco... The results can be quite explosive (and it tastes fucking awful).

‘Cheeky’ Photos Reveal Awkward Problem With Qantas’ ‘Flight To Somewhere’

October 30, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

Better than a staycation? Qantas this week announced a one-off flight to Uluru.

The initiative follows Qantas' "flight to nowhere" which sold out almost instantly (and which flew around Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast, without ever touching down, before returning to Sydney in the same day).

Continuing the series – and taking off on Saturday the 5th of December – the new "flight to somewhere" goes to Uluru, costs $2,500 ($4,000 for business class) and includes a one night stay (in twin share accommodation) at Sails in the Desert.

The overnight outing also includes a pre-flight lounge champagne breakfast, low level flybys of Sydney Harbour on departure and low level circuits to offer passengers a bird’s eye view of Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

Qantas is partnering with Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia to bring guests the Red Centre experience.

According to Qantas, "During their stay guests will enjoy a hands-on Indigenous art workshop, a Night at Field of Light including a three-course dinner under the stars using native ingredients, with a didgeridoo performance and an Indigenous interpretation of the night sky."

The next morning, passengers will watch sunrise over Uluru and walk to the Muṯitjulu Waterhole as well as a visit to neighbouring Kata Tjuta, before a late morning brunch and a flight back to Sydney.

When Qantas posted the announcement to Instagram many positive comments came in, suggesting the airline keep the route as a permanent fixture and congratulating the initiative.

The announcement has also been met with much media fanfare.

However, judging by Qantas' enticing (but chock full) itinerary, there doesn't appear to be much time for passengers to loll in the luxury provided.

While few will admit to being disappointed by this (it's all about the experience and soaking up cultural icons like Uluru anyway), taking some time to relax is arguably a fundamental part of the resort experience – and something which a flying overnighter will always struggle to provide.

Various cheeky Instagram photos with the hashtag (and geotag) 'Sails In The Desert Hotel' provide a taste of what the Qantas one nighters will likely be missing out on.

From posing awkwardly in the patio...

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A post shared by Pedro Carvalho (@pedroown) on Mar 25, 2020 at 7:14pm PDT

... to swimming in the pool...

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A post shared by Amy 🌻 (@amyracheloc) on Mar 14, 2020 at 6:41am PDT

... to having a lazy afternoon with wine...

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A post shared by Rachael Hardy (@rachaelhardy) on Oct 19, 2020 at 9:00pm PDT

...to yoga...

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A post shared by denbysheather (@denbysheather) on Dec 11, 2017 at 1:57pm PST

... there will be a lot of potential ~lounging~ that goes unexperienced.

Though the stalwarts will say visiting The Red Centre is not about all that anyway (a sentiment we broadly agree with), we imagine there will be a few people who will secretly regret not having more time to lounge by the pool (but too ashamed to admit it).

An awkward dilemma indeed.

But hey: it's a smart initiative, and will hopefully provide Australians with a greater understanding of one of Australia's most culturally significant sites.

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A post shared by Qantas (@qantas) on Oct 28, 2020 at 3:04pm PDT

On that note: Qantas Group Chief Executive Alan Joyce said there has never been a better time to be creative in promoting our own backyard and supporting tourism operators.

“Now that more borders are starting to open, we’re partnering with tourism operators on the ground to offer special flights to special destinations. Even though seats are limited, we think the awareness generated by these flights is a great way to get more people thinking about where they might holiday as we head towards summer," Joyce said.

“As well as a handful of these special scenic flight experiences, we’re ready to ramp up our regular services with very competitive fares to help reunite families and friends by the end of the year."

“Across Qantas and Jetstar, we’re currently operating at just under 30 per cent of our pre-COVID domestic capacity and if borders continue to be relaxed, we’re hoping that will reach about 50 per cent by Christmas. That will be great news for a lot of people in the travel and tourism industry as well,” added Mr Joyce.

We'll book a ticket to that.

Conor McGregor Lands Knockout Blow With Patek & ‘Canadian Tuxedo’ Combination

October 30, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

Never one to veer too far from the headlines, Irish MMA fighter and UFC poster boy Conor McGregor has again found himself in the DMARGE pages for his choice in clothing. We recently saw 'The Notorious' stand out in an all-matching flower-print tracksuit (an extension of the summer trend we've seen from the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Hart and LeBron James) and his latest outing has again seen him teaming his top to his bottom.

Posting an image to his Instagram account to promote his August McGregor clothing line, Conor rocked the notoriously tricky to master double denim ensemble along with a true-to-form Patek Philippe, this time the World Time Ref. 5231J worth a cool AU$170,000. An entirely new interpretation of the company's world timer that was first introduced in the 1940s, this latest model boasts a familiar Cloisonné Enamel dial and a 38.5mm yellow gold case. It's as beautiful a watch as you can expect from the Swiss manufacturer.

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A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Oct 29, 2020 at 5:56am PDT

But for now, we're more focussed on the outfit. Looking more muscular than ever (thanks in no small part to his Mediterannean water-cycle escapades along with countless hours in the gym) – and more thug-like thanks to an all-over shave – the recently-retired fighter pulls off the double denim look, of denim jacket and denim jeans, with absolute ease.

That's no easy task, as the Candian Tuxedo, as it is also known, was long-deemed a fashion faux pas of insurmountable proportions. It's claimed the look was conceived in 1951 in a fancy hotel in Vancouver, Canada where one Bing Crosby attempted to check-in. Instead of wearing a more formal suit, Bing instead wore head to toe denim from Levi's. The concierge initially refused him entry to the hotel because "he looked like a bum". The situation was quickly resolved and Bing was allowed to stay.

Following the mishap, denim eventually broke away from its working-class shackles and became a prominent part of mainstream culture, with more and more denim manufacturers encouraging the wearing of double denim. However, unlike Conor's look, it was (and to an extent, still is) encouraged for people to wear denim of different shades or colours, as opposed to going full matchy-matchy.

That's not to say you can't or shouldn't, wear a denim jacket or shirt with matching jeans, but if you do, make sure you have a more focal piece to break them up, such as a brighter colour t-shirt. Or, in Conor's case, a t-shirt with a large centrally-placed graphic.

His new look has garnered much praise, with comments such as "Dope asf", "Details are something else" and "Proper Denim".

Once again landing a knockout blow.

‘Will Never Happen Again’: Porsche & Sydney Airport Host Once In A Lifetime Event

October 29, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

Sydney Airport is usually a pretty exciting place, with a trip to Australia's busiest airport normally meaning you're off on a holiday or picking up someone you haven't seen in a while. Today, however, it was exciting for an altogether different reason: it held one of the most spectacular car launch events anywhere in the world.

One of the great ironies about performance cars is that you're very rarely ever going to be able to unleash their full potential during day-to-day driving, if ever. But a dearth in air traffic thanks to the pandemic has meant that Sydney Airport's passenger traffic has slowed to a trickle. Bad news for airlines perhaps, but great news for a certain enterprising sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart with a new sports car on their hands.

Porsche and Sydney Airport coordinated with multiple government and regulatory agencies to safely and temporarily close runway 16L/34R, one of two runways that extends out into the Harbour City's azure Botany Bay, for Porsche's 'Launch Control' event this morning, which gave VIP guests and potential Porsche customers the unprecedented chance to send the new Porsche 911 Turbo S down a long, straight stretch of tarmac.

The new Porsche 911 Turbo S is based on the eight-generation of the 'Neunelfer', internally designated the 992. Its 3.7L twin-turbocharged flat-six makes a very healthy 478kW plus 800Nm of torque, does zero to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds, zero to 200km/h in 8.9 seconds and has a top speed of 330km/h, which drivers were able to tickle as they made their way down the 2.2km stretch of runway.

The lucky thrillseekers were able to get the Porsche to speeds in excess of 300km/h – for comparison, a Boeing 737-800, one of the world's most common commercial planes and the mainstay of Australia's domestic fleet – averages around 260/290 km/h on takeoff. If they were sharing the runway with some Qantas pilots, they'd give them one hell of a scare.

'Launch Control' sounds like a relatively simple concept. Get an open stretch of runway, some fast cars, and hope for good weather. But the event almost didn't happen: such an undertaking required a great deal of planning and imagination.

“It started as a far-fetched idea that turned into a reality and once in a lifetime experience... it’s probably never going to be repeated," Belinda Coen, Marketing and Events Manager of Porsche Centre Sydney South relates.

“Logistically there’s so many things to consider, first and foremost safety... a lot of work went into understanding the length of the runway, speeds the vehicle would be able to get to at various lengths and then working backwards … so we could deal with any situation.”

“COVID-19 has taken a massive toll on the aviation industry, and with our passenger traffic down by 97% we were able to consider an event which simply wouldn’t have been possible in normal circumstances," Josh Clements, Head of Media & Communications told DMARGE.

One of the upsides of 2020 has been how it's forced businesses of all shapes and sizes to innovate and take risks. We applaud both Porsche and Sydney Airport for such an amazing collaboration – and for the opportunity to experience some of the world's finest sports cars pushed to the absolute limit of their immense capacity.

Read more about the event here and check out the new 911 Turbo range here.

Expert’s Big Warning For Australians Buying ‘Orphan’ Second Hand Cars

October 29, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

Despite its small size and geographical isolation, Australia has a uniquely saturated car market. There are over 50 different mainstream brands active in Australia – not to mention the countless tuning houses, bespoke manufacturers and importers that also add to the rich mix of cars on our roads.

But not every brand can survive such a competitive market. Over the years, brands have come and gone, with the automotive landscape in constant flux. Some brands have departed the Australian market because they've gone bust globally, like Leyland, Saab or Studebaker.

Others, like Opel, Daihatsu or smart, still produce or sell cars in other markets but no longer maintain an Australian presence, leaving any cars that made their way Down Under as 'orphans'. Whatever the case, there's a surprisingly large number of 'orphan' car brands in Australia.

Despite the somewhat depressing name, orphan cars are often an incredibly attractive proposition. Not only are they a little bit left of field; rare by virtue of their orphan status, but they're often priced incredibly competitively. For example, you can pick up a good condition Rover 75 for around $7,000, which compared to its competitors from the same era – such as the BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Classes or the Jaguar X-Type – is a pretty good deal. But what's the catch?

DMARGE spoke exclusively with Carsales Editor-in-Chief Mike Sinclair, who suggests that orphan cars can often be a gamble.

"The biggest issue with orphan cars is finding parts," Sinclair relates. If there's no longer a dealer or aftersales network to support the cars, it can be a real hassle if anything goes wrong... And some of these cars left the Australian market precisely because reliability was an issue.

"Saab parts [for example] are pretty easy to find, because they had a good dealer network. But Rovers? The Rover K series engines in the Rover 75 are grenades... Good luck."

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It's also worth being wary of cars that might not be from an 'orphan' brand, but because of importing or manufacturing quirks, they stand out in their class. A good example is the Holden Piazza. Only sold for two years in Australia between 1986 and 1987, the Piazza might have had a Holden badge but it was actually an Isuzu. The Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed liftback coupé was both incredibly expensive and received negative reviews for its dodgy handling, and so wasn't a sales success back in the day.

Combine that with a short sales run and a lack of local parts (unlike its Commodore or Camira stablemates, it was made in Japan as opposed to Australia) and the Piazza has all the makings of an orphan car, despite coming from a mainstream badge.

Time will tell if all Holdens then become orphan cars, now that GM is shuttering the brand – although by virtue of Holden's large historical sales network and legacy of domestic manufacturing, things won't be as dire for Holden owners as, say, Geely owners.

Whether or not a car is considered an 'orphan' is quite subjective, and is often a matter of time. Holden might not be considered an orphan car brand in 2020, but in twenty years time when parts and support have dried up, it might be a different story.

Virtually any car from any manufacturer, if old or rare enough, will be a pain to look after. Toyota might be the world's biggest auto maker and they still maintain a sizeable presence in Australia, but you'll still struggle to find parts for a Corona or 2000GT.

But the reality is that not all reasons to purchase a car are practical ones. No-one buys a Nissan R35 GT-R because they need all of its 400-odd kilowatts... So if you see an orphan car that takes your fancy, don't be dissuaded. Just don't buy a PT Cruiser. That's taking things a step too far.

Struggles Of Eating Oysters For The First Time At A Top Sydney Establishment

October 29, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

Sydney is known as an expensive, culture-less city. The LA of Australia. A soulless place of activewear and suits. The domain of personal trainers, recruitment agencies; bankers. A place where students thrive in pockets but ultimately escape to pastures with more milk crates and alleyways (usually Berlin or Melbourne). A culinary fugazi.

However, despite the 'basic' jibes, when the sun's out, the thermometer's singing and Christmas is close, there's nowhere better to be than Opera Bar or its ilk.

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Around the corner from Opera Bar (Sydney's most Instagram-famous oyster shucker), one street back from Circular Quay, The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room offers a classier experience, complete with the option to take your oysters with a Tanqueray gin and tonic granita, which Chef Conolly told DMARGE was inspired by Queen Elizabeth.

"They remind me of summer in an English garden, drinking gin and tonics on the lawn."

I visited at the start of the month to get a taste of their freshly shucked Australian oyster offering, as part of their October Oyster festival, the last day of which is tomorrow.

Though the festival deal is seeing $1.50 oysters being served up everyday between 6-7pm, I visited at lunch where I ordered half a dozen oysters for $30.

Though I had been invited to eat for free, thanks to a Google Calendar malfunction on my end, I turned up a day earlier than invited, and was too awkward to be the guy that tells the staff "do you know who I am?"

Suffice to say, I paid the bill myself, and also got the authentic experience of what it's like to eat at The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room.

Of the six oysters, I ordered two with fermented chilli sauce, two with Tanqueray gin and tonic granita, one with kimchi vinaigrette and another with horseradish crème fraiche.

[caption id="attachment_274807" align="alignnone" width="920"] Table for one...[/caption]

"I'm here for work," I claimed to the staff upon arrival, who sat me down gently, helped me sign in, and politely found me a table despite the booking I claimed to have (I only realised my booking was for the following day after leaving) not existing.

I completed the image of 'rich, lonely weirdo' by sitting down by the window, uncomfortably looking at my phone every two minutes, and ordering the most expensive oysters I could find on the menu – with a side of hot chips and tomato sauce.

Here's everything I learned throughout my debut oyster experience.

It's hard to embrace your inner 'Anthony Bourdain' this close to Barangaroo

Let's start with an admission: I've lived by the coast my whole life, but I'd never eaten oysters before trying them at The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room.

So – though they were presented to perfection – after trying my first one I felt a little queasy (I'm not a huge seafood fan).

Trying to put images of the barnacle-covered Manly ferry out of my mind, I dug deep, searching for my inner Anthony Bourdain or Bear Grylls. Unfortunately, not being in the back streets of Vietnam or a greasy underground French kitchen, this proved tricky.

I tried to summon strength from an iconic Bourdain quote (“It's about danger—risking the dark, bacterial forces of beef, chicken, cheese, and shellfish") but found myself wanting, with the next part of said sentence hovering in my brain...

"Your first two hundred and seven Wellfleet oysters may transport you to a state of rapture, but your two hundred and eighth may send you to bed with the sweats, chills, and vomits.”

The granita is designed to be slurped with the Oyster, not as an 'aperitif'

Panicking after putting the first oyster in my mouth, I got cold feet, slurped the gin and tonic granita, and then was left with nothing but bare oyster in my mouth.

I swallowed, shuddered, and returned to my hot chips.

Drowning them in lemon is not the answer

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A post shared by The Morrison (@themorrisonsydney) on Oct 22, 2020 at 7:00pm PDT

After eating my first oyster proved somewhat harrowing, and after realising I was only 1/6th of my way through the ~~ordeal~~ lavish experience, I tried a new tactic: lemon juice.

I quickly discovered a hint of lemon goes well – exceptionally well, in fact – with the oysters. A great big pool, however, does not.

The longer you go about eating oysters, the braver you get

Around oyster number three I developed the tentative strength to chew.

Barangaroo business people love to move their hands when they talk

As I usually eat lunch in Redfern or Surry Hills, I felt like an amateur anthropologist in The Morrison. Maybe I'm not the weird one after all?

If I ever want to be a food blogger, I need to be more brazen about how I take photos

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A post shared by Alexandru Harrington (@als___adventures) on Aug 6, 2019 at 6:23am PDT

Terrified of being outed as a food blogger, my quick snaps pale in comparison with other shots taken by other patrons who have posted their experience of the restaurant on Instagram (see above).

It's more like a wine tasting than you might think

I even cleansed my palette between dressings with mineral water.

It would be better to have gone with a friend

It didn't feel so much like 'people watching' as 'people watching me.' I can now empathise well and truly with anyone who has ever been stood up.

There is a substantial difference between a high quality and a low quality oyster

The Morrison Chef, Sean Connolly, told me via email, after my lunch, when I asked what the difference was between a cheap and expensive oyster, "When we’re choosing an oyster, we look for fullness and depth in the shell."

"The deeper the shell, the bigger the oyster meat will be. If oysters are harvested too early they aren’t as fleshy. They’ll be skinny and not as meaty with a poor mouth feel."

First time oyster eaters should start off gently

Chef Conolly also told me beginners should, "Start with a small to medium sized Pacific oyster," thinking of them as "training wheels."

"They are mild in flavour and minerality. They are sweet, creamy and less pungent than a Rock Oyster."

In contrast, "Whilst Rock Oysters are great, they are not for the faint of heart," Chef Connolly said.

"They are for the seasoned oyster eater. Being high in minerality and punchy in flavour, they could be more akin to a good blue cheese."

Final thoughts

Despite being mildly horrified at first, being an 'oyster virgin' this kind of experience was probably the only way I could have ever got through six of them. I'm also now ruined for life: if I was this nervous about eating some of Sydney's best oysters, imagine what I'll be like next time I'm offered something that's been hanging around a while at my local beach shack?

‘Versatile’ Japanese Coffee Trend Poised To Take Over Australia

October 29, 2020DMARGE, fashion, mens fasionNo comments

When you think about 'coffee countries', Japan is perhaps not the first to come to mind. Maybe you'd think of countries like Italy, France or Australia, places well-known for their coffee cultures. Perhaps you'd think of Brazil, the world's biggest producer of coffee; or Finland, the world's biggest consumer of coffee per capita.

The Japanese love their coffee too – but they enjoy the bean in a very different way to everyone else.

If you've ever travelled to the Land of the Rising Sun, you'll have noticed how many vending machines there are. Vending machines are ubiquitous in Japan, with around 5 million on the ground today – that's about one for every 25 people. They do more than just serve drinks, too: vending machines in Japan dispense everything from hot chips, fresh eggs, and even lingerie... You know, the essentials.

More pertinently, most vending machines serve up a wide variety of canned coffee. Served either hot or cold, canned coffee is incredibly refreshing – imagine a smooth cold brew, then add just the slightest hint of milk and a bit of sugar. The cans tend to be double-walled, and there's a huge variety of brews, strengths and flavours available. Plus it's cheap as hell: a standard can costs around ¥110 / $1.50.

While it used to be a uniquely Japanese phenomenon, canned coffee is now making inroads in Australia. Normally only available at Asian grocers or other specialist importers, Japanese market leader Boss (owned by drinks giant Suntory) has started selling canned coffee in Australian supermarkets, backed by a huge marketing campaign. Others like British brand Minor Figures and Melbourne-based roaster Seven Seeds have also jumped in on the canned coffee trend, their brews finding their way to Aussie shelves.

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A post shared by Seven Seeds Coffee Roasters (@7seedscoffee) on Oct 23, 2020 at 9:20pm PDT

What makes canned coffee different from iced coffee brands like Dare or Ice Break that have been a staple of Australian milk bars for years? Firstly, many 'iced coffees' are simply flavoured milk containing very little actual coffee. In comparison, canned coffee uses... Well, actual coffee. Plus, the 'flash brewing' method that's used to make canned coffee preserves the flavour of complex brews far better than other brewing methods, producing a more robust flavour. It's also possible to get canned nitro coffee – something the humble milk carton can't handle.

Secondly, canned coffee can be consumed hot or cold – although cold's definitely the way to go, in our humble opinion. They're the perfect solution for Aussie coffee snobs on the move – throw a bunch of canned coffees in an esky and take it to the beach and you're golden. The purity of their flavour also makes them perfect mixers for cocktails.

The only negative about canned coffee is that the 'Aussie-spec' Boss coffee pales in comparison with the real 'JDM' stuff, which is not only stronger but less milky and less cloyingly sweet. We're not sure why the Japanese think that we need our coffee watered down, but thankfully there's still plenty of Asian grocers around the country where you can pick up the real McCoy (for far cheaper too, mind). Rainbow Mountain Blend, anyone?

Saturday 31 October 2020

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Friday 30 October 2020

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Thursday 29 October 2020

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It's hard to embrace your inner 'Anthony Bourdain' this close to Barangaroo

The granita is designed to be slurped with the Oyster, not as an 'aperitif'

Drowning them in lemon is not the answer

The longer you go about eating oysters, the braver you get

Barangaroo business people love to move their hands when they talk

If I ever want to be a food blogger, I need to be more brazen about how I take photos

It's more like a wine tasting than you might think

It would be better to have gone with a friend

There is a substantial difference between a high quality and a low quality oyster

First time oyster eaters should start off gently

Final thoughts

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