In the hectic honeysuckle of Melbourne’s East, Cru+ café has turned heads with its creative, Asian-influenced coffee-centric creations. Jay Lee runs the café, but it’s owned by Sam Wang. Together, they have pulled in an extremely diverse clientele, hungry to taste the unique beverages created that use traditional culture but play with presentation and flavor. Cru+ sells an average of 400 coffees per day, which is just phenomenal. This positions them right in the middle of a trend towards innovation across Australia, with customers increasingly adventurous for new and complex coffee options.
Jay Lee highlights the influence of Japanese flavors on their menu, stating, “It’s given the customers something they can’t experience before, inspired by Japan.” Their small café cranks out all of the popular drinks. Sip from an iced roasted hojicha latte or Earl Grey iced latte with salted cream, and your taste buds will thank you. The other star drink is the kinako latte. This caffeine-free alternative prepares a base with roasted soybean powder and herbs and features the booming trend of Asian-inspired drinks sweeping Australia.
Sam Wang notes that Australian customers have distinct preferences: “Australian people like more balanced acidity and less sweetness in drinks,” he explains. Conversely, he explains that Korean / Asian customers tend to prefer products with some sweeter, creamier profiles. This dual approach enables Cru+ to appeal to the masses without sacrificing creativity or authenticity in its flavors.
The café’s success is part of a larger trend identified by Kate Richards, Australia’s senior client development director. She emphasizes the importance of aesthetic appeal in today’s market, stating, “Trends like Instagram-worthy lattes are exploding in popularity right now.” In this episode, she breaks down how social media is changing the game when it comes to consumer behavior. Just last month, impressions of drinks such as pistachio matcha lattes on TikTok quadrupled.
Richards describes the evolving expectations of consumers, noting, “Consumers want drinks that suit their mood, their energy levels, their diet, and their personal taste.” She dubs it “beverage theatre.” With the introduction of Asian flavors and techniques into traditional methods of coffee preparation, appearance is now as critical as flavor. She argues that drinks today offer consumers an experience beyond the caffeine hit—namely, texture and shareability.
Cru+ server Phillip Sim stresses the jungle-goddess violinmaker precision required to concoct such complex clatters. As he explains, making these beverages “is time, technique, and precision.” He observes that the need for Asian-style coffees is on a consistent uptick. Fostering flavors This trend plays perfectly into the café’s mantra of always innovating.
Even as Asian-inspired drinks take hold, the classic coffee drinks continue to dominate. Sam Wang admits that traditional choices such as long blacks, lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites continue to make up the vast majority of sales at Cru+.
