Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

A shout out to the guys at The Steam Engine!

My darling friend Allison works in Chatswood and every few months we meet up in her neck of the woods for lunch and a much needed debrief. The food varies a bit – for such a culturally diverse area, it can be surprisingly ordinary at times – but it doesn’t really matter because we’re actually there for the coffee.

The relief is almost palpable as we plonk ourselves into a couple of the dozen or so seats at The Steam Engine and order our brews – a cold pour over for Al and an iced decaf latte for me…

What makes The Steam Engine special though, isn’t just the coffee (although it’s very, very good). It’s not even the free sparkling water they have on tap.

For me, what’s truly impressive is how hard they work at minimising their eco-footprint. On their shelf sits a stack of 365 coffee cups, a reminder of how much waste ends up in landfill each year from a single takeaway coffee per day…

I’ve seen bags of spent coffee grounds outside the shop for gardeners. They bottle their cold brews in glass jars which folks bring back for washing and reuse. When we were in last week, I asked for sugar and expected a paper sachet. Instead, I was given a spoonful of raw sugar in a tiny metal jug. It’s the attention to small details like this that shows their commitment and mindset.

And here’s their latest clever idea – if you forget your KeepCup, they’ll sell you a $2 glass jar with a neoprene sleeve made from recycled old wetsuits. I think they’ll even lend them to locals who forget their reusable cups…

If we want to minimise our impact on the planet, we have to focus on more than just what we do at home (although that’s obviously the best place to start). We also have to make considered choices and support businesses that are trying to operate thoughtfully and sustainably. So if you’re in the Chatswood area, do pop in for a coffee at The Steam Engine. Just make sure you take your own cup! ♥

. . . . .

The Steam Engine

Shop 25A, The Interchange
436 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood

Mon – Fri 6am – 4pm
Sat 7am-3pm
Sun CLOSED