Nu Noir Coffee Boutique
377 Oxford Street, Mt Hawthorn
Ph: 0419 462 588
www.facebook.com/NuNoirCoffeeBoutique

The Nu Noir Story – Serious Coffee

The story of Nu Noir Coffee Boutique began many years ago, when owner Alessandro Cariotto was just a child. Following his father into Fremantle’s Old Papa’s Café where he delivered fruit and veg, little Alessandro would be given a babyccino with just a sniff of espresso. Years later as a teenager, Alessandro began working at Old Papa’s saving for a pair of sneakers and he will tell you this is really where his interest in coffee began. He noticed that even though the coffee was made the same way it always tasted different. “That’s where I started to get curious about coffee because I used to see the difference in results”.

Over time, Alessandro’s experience as a barista grew and so did his frustration at the lack of information about the craft of making coffee. And so, as a young man, disenchanted by an industry that lacked respect and knowledge he left for a spell, turning in a different direction, yet always believing that one day he would return to the industry on his own terms.

That day came many years later when Alessandro was offered the opportunity to be involved in a small café. By then, he had seen how the industry and society’s coffee culture had shifted. No longer controlled by the large coffee companies, the industry had evolved to a more collaborative model where baristas were becoming coffee roasters and based their business models on coffee education; the pursuit of excellence in coffee making and consumers were becoming more aware and selective in what they were spending their money on. This is what resonated with Alessandro as he began delving into the world of coffee, learning as much as he could to catch up on an industry he had been away from for so long. He valued the insights he learned. Getting closer to the source, seeing how coffee was roasted and refining his craft, Alessandro felt he was finally getting the answers to the questions he had all those years earlier and this was the turning point for his career.

Alessandro became the Business Development Manager for Phillip at Di Bella Coffee, one of the country’s top coffee suppliers and credits Phillip as being one of his main mentors in the industry, “in coffee roasting knowledge, he’s in a class of his own”. It was with Di Bella Coffee that Alessandro stepped out and opened The Roasting Warehouse in Fremantle. This modern-day coffee roastery café was a one stop shop offering breakfast, retail and education. But for Alessandro it was only part of the journey. While he felt he had learnt all he could about roasting and coffee making, he felt the extraction methods weren’t as sophisticated as they could be.

In 2016, Alessandro sold Roasting Warehouse and went to work with Veneziano Coffee Roasters, “probably one of the best coffee company’s in Australia”. Working with them Alessandro received training from world-class baristas and realised there was a lot more to understand about making coffee. And it was this understanding and his education that was the tipping point to opening Nu Noir Coffee Boutique. Not only had Alessandro worked with Veneziano Coffee Roasters, he also trained, becoming a specialist in his industry.

And that brings us to where we are today, to Nu Noir Coffee Boutique on Oxford Street in Mt Hawthorn. Here the focus is on the coffee and customers are offered a range from traditional to boutique coffees. This is where you come to be educated – to experience a whole new level of coffee.

The name explains it all – Nu Noir means ‘naked black’ and is a tribute to the naked espresso shot. The overall mission here is to bring back the beauty of drinking an espresso coffee, giving one an experience with every shot produced, without the need to add sugar and/or milk to cover up the flaws of traditional coffee one is accustomed to. The secret is in the traditional style of brewing and unique machinery that is used.

Sure you can eat here too, but food is the accompaniment and there’s a small selection on offer. For something savoury enjoy a Breaky Wrap filled with egg, ham, hashbrown, spinach and a touch of sweet chutney. It is one of the best I’ve tasted. A classic Ruben Bagel is hearty and delicious toasted, while the Arancini balls are filled with gooey beef ragu. If you have a sweet tooth, help yourself to a Nutella and banana filled croissant. The traditional cannoli are a lovely sweet treat to go with your choice of brew or for something more fulfilling, a giant chocolate muffin goes down a treat.

The location of Nu Noir on Oxford Street in Mt Hawthorn is a deliberate choice in this story too. The area takes Alessandro back to the early days of business, where owner/operator businesses all supported each other. Alessandro tells me that it’s here you find tradition and life, rather than commercial production and he believes people are still looking for that artisan appeal, where you know that you’re in touch with the person making the coffee.

This is how Alessandro likes to do business and this is reflected in the partnerships he makes. Putting the relationships at the top, he has deliberately sought out small owner/operator local businesses to work with, those he can just pick up the phone to and have a conversation about what he needs. He feels strongly in the strength of community, “If everyone’s supporting each other in an area, everyone is better off. If your kid needs a job they come and work with us. Let’s go back to the values of the 60’s and 70’s and bring that back”.
All of the coffee on offer at Nu Noir is made with a high graded bean and the various single origin coffees available are from some of the world’s most exotic coffee growing countries. The coffee extraction process is done using their La Marzocca Leva machine and the price range is between $4.50 and $50 a cup. If you are a coffee connoisseur then make the time to come in, learn and experience the Nu Noir way. You will never view your humble cup of coffee the same again.

By Sarah Schmit