If you know us from our beginnings, you may remember our Black Coffee Saturdays.
As the name suggests, these were Saturdays on which we opened our Surry Hills store (normally closed on weekends) to brew and serve only black coffee.
At Sample Coffee, we’ve always been strong advocates of single origin coffee and black drinking styles: espresso, filter, cold brew…
We know firsthand that these can be super delicious and enjoyable, but only when the whole process (harvest, production, roasting, and brewing) is executed with care and attention. But we’re aware that if one step doesn’t align, it can be disappointing, making milk styles a more forgiving and dependable option for the daily ritual.
Aside from celebrating coffee in its simplest form, we started Black Coffee Saturdays to encourage people to try and explore single origins and black styles.
Though, perhaps the right word is not encourage but push; passersby didn’t have any other option: milk and tea were simply off the menu.
Back then, this event felt like something groundbreaking, making it to the trendy local media outlets:
October 2012
Broadsheet: Black Saturdays at Sample Coffee
January 2013
SMH: No skim, no soy: filter coffee back on cafe menu
Over 12 years later, black coffee orders are less rare but milk drinks are definitely the popular option by far.
As for Sample’s mission, it’s still the same. Those young baristas with a bold take on black coffee have grown into a roasting brand with a solid reputation for quality and consistency, particularly for single origins.
We think it’s time to bring it back to our roots, have some fun and celebrate coffee in its simplest format.
For now, as a one-off: Saturday, 19th of July 2025.
RSVP to let us know your coming. (But please note coffee is NOT complimentary: we’ll be operating as usual, with the difference that milk or tea won’t be on the menu.
