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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n It was the story that made me choke on my morning brew. My smooth, best-in-class, Melbourne-made, flat white.<\/p>\n The piece, in case you missed it, written by journalist James Panichi, attempted, unsuccessfully, to make the unmakeable case for why Melbourne\u2019s claim to the coffee crown was \u201cdemonstrably false [and] has been willed into existence by marketing spivs\u201d.<\/p>\n Dripping with more bitterness than a Wangaratta truck-stop espresso, Panichi described Melbourne\u2019s coffee as ranging from \u201cunpleasant to the utterly undrinkable\u201d, dismissed our addiction as hype, our passion as pretension.<\/p>\n He also had the gall to argue that Tuscan airport coffee from a paper cup is superior to a finely balanced Melbourne latte. A $2.10 espresso that makes a vodka shot look generous is better value too, apparently. Eppur si muove aside, Panichi<\/a>.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the value. Italian coffee is known for being microscopic. Even the French think they\u2019re miserly.<\/p>\n A 25 millilitre espresso at that price is not better value than a 200ml Melbourne flat white. If it was the same price per millilitre here as in Italy, we\u2019d be paying almost $17 a cup. And if you dare ask for a seat in the cafe, they\u2019ll jack up the price further. Panichi omits that inconvenient fact of Tuscan life.<\/p>\n And the bitterness of the coffee is clearly designed to counter the smoothness of the milk. Not for espresso.<\/p>\n The piece prompted a wave of impassioned letters and comments.<\/p>\n So who published this outrageous opinion? Well, we did.<\/p>\n Why did you run it if you were so infuriated by this misdirected attack?<\/p>\n An understandable question. We frequently run opinions we disagree with.<\/p>\n The Age\u2019s Opinion section is not a place where we push our own editorial line of personal views on the world. It\u2019s a space we want to serve as an incubator of debate and sensible discussion. A place where people with interesting, thoughtful or entertaining opinions can have their say and challenge our subscribers, without pandering or ideology.<\/p>\n My coffee outrage was confected for rhetorical purposes, I\u2019ll admit (Italian coffee is great too). But the point I am trying to make about running opinions with which we disagree is a serious one. And it applies to the most serious topics we cover.<\/p>\n If we fail to challenge you then, in my view, we fail you.<\/p>\n In a world of algorithms that tell us what we want to hear and social media silos that surround us with like-minded people \u2013 I fear tolerance of differing opinions is diminishing. Other publications big and small have taken up the cudgel for one cause or another. To most, dissent is tokenistic at best.<\/p>\n It would be easier, in some ways, to repeatedly run pieces that appeal to the opinions of the majority of our audience or support a particular world view. Many major outlets treat their opinion sections this way. If we joined them, who else would allow a diversity of opinions to appear in their pages, free from partisanship or self-interest?<\/p>\n We aim to keep our commentary diverse and avoid groupthink. It can do more than challenge, however. We also want it to be lively, engaging, heartwarming and thought-provoking.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why we have columnists such as Waleed Aly<\/a>, Niki Savva<\/a>, Kylie Moore-Gilbert,<\/a> Kate Halfpenny<\/a>, Stephen Bartholomeusz<\/a>, Shaun Carney<\/a>, Sean Kelly<\/a>, Neil Mitchell<\/a>, George Brandis<\/a>, Jenna Price<\/a> and Victoria Devine<\/a>. And talented staff journalists including Chip Le Grand<\/a>, Katy Hall<\/a>, James Massola<\/a>, Shane Wright<\/a>, Jacqueline Maley<\/a> and Peter Hartcher<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s why we run pieces such as these, which featured on our pages and homepages this week:<\/p>\n The Age does things differently to other publications. And that\u2019s by design. Our Opinion section is no exception.<\/p>\n So if you disagree or feel moved to comment on something you read in those pages, good. That\u2019s the idea.<\/p>\n Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e8a669966c7c59773952a695e491990782826012.jpeg\")
James Panichi argues that Melbourne coffee is overpriced and overrated.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/57f81a4c4224867f66454fed389e0e763ec1fb9e497b4390d9fc4792598668bf.jpeg\")
The Age\u2019s diverse stable of columnists includes, clockwise from top left: Waleed Aly, Kate Halfpenny, Niki Savva, Peter Hartcher, Jacqueline Maley and Chip Le Grand.Michael Howard<\/p>\n