Steve Cipura is a former electrical contractor who has always shared a passion for coffee. To make his passion a reality, Steve abandoned his electrician’s van for a La Marzocco FB80, and he’s never looked back. “I’m getting a bit old to crawl through rooftops now, and working on site can be quite monotonous, so I’m enjoying my new-found career change,” says Steve.
“If you love something enough, it shines through in the end product, and that’s exactly what I believed in when I started Kudos Specialty Coffee and Juice Bar.”
Steve opened Kudos on Valentines Day in 2013 in the heart of Launceston. He says he would have opened earlier if his coffee machine hadn’t been dropped in transit. Without the most important instrument to a café’s orchestra, Steve was forced to hold off the café opening until a replacement machine was found. Despite reservations from locals of “another café” opening in the area, Steve says he’s been determined to prove his staying power. “We now have a loyal following from locals and lots of tourists. I’m trying to bring a little bit of Melbourne flair to Launceston,” says Steve. “I visit Melbourne regularly for inspiration. It’s the coffee capital after all.”
For a refreshing and healthy start to the day, Steve serves a range of fresh juices, which includes The Hulk, with kale, celery and green apple, in addition to The Detox and Revive juices.
Kudos uses Villino Coffee’s Synergy Blend, which Steve says is a “rich, sweet and full-bodied coffee with chocolate, fruity and syrupy notes”.
Villino Coffee’s Colombia single origin from farmer Elkin Guzman at El Mirador farm was also available at the time of print. This coffee is very clean and balanced, with mandarin and floral notes. Steve says this Colombian holds particular significance to Villino Coffee’s Head Roaster, who visited this particular farm and brought back 69 kilos of the micro lot coffee.
To add variety, Steve likes to feature a guest roast from time to time, with past favourites including Seven Seeds, Proud Mary, and St ALi. “I get to taste amazing coffee all day every day, so I figure I have the best job in the world,” he says.