There’s a running joke in travel forums about spotting Australians overseas—just look for the person with a permanently disappointed expression queuing up for yet another disappointing coffee. It’s not really a joke, though. It’s more of a national tragedy that we’ve collectively agreed to laugh about rather than seriously confront.

I stumbled across a discussion recently about how Australians seemingly can’t function without decent coffee when traveling, and honestly, it hit closer to home than I’d like to admit. The original poster mentioned getting headaches and losing focus when unable to find fresh ground coffee abroad, and the comment thread spiraled into this fascinating rabbit hole about caffeine dependency, ADHD, withdrawal symptoms, and the curious fact that Indonesia—literally where much of the world’s best coffee comes from—treats exceptional coffee as casually as we treat tap water.

There’s something deeply satisfying about watching someone truly get Melbourne coffee culture, especially when that someone happens to be a WWE superstar turned Hollywood actor with 16 million Instagram followers. John Cena’s recent coffee commentary has been doing the rounds online, and honestly, it’s the kind of validation that makes this city’s caffeine-obsessed residents beam with pride.

What struck me most wasn’t just that he knew his way around coffee terminology - though his technical breakdown of flat white preparation was impressively spot on. It was the way he pronounced “Melbourne” without that grating American “Mel-bourrrrn” that makes every local wince. Small details matter, and Cena clearly paid attention during his time here.

I’ve been scratching my head over something that came up in an online discussion recently. Someone mentioned they’d started inviting colleagues for coffee runs at work – you know, the classic “anyone want to grab a coffee?” moment that breaks up the afternoon slump. Simple enough, right? Well, apparently not. It turns out some of their colleagues, particularly those of the opposite gender, were hesitant because they thought it might be perceived as… a date.