Wake up, you're in Sydney!

Well, we made it. We've been here for four days, exploring this exciting new city.

Now the next step: adapting to Sydney life.

Acclimatising ourselves to the hotter temperature, getting our bearings on the city, and setting things up to move into our new apartment this weekend. So far, everything is going smoothly.

Taken during my first morning run in Sydney.

But one thing that is requiring a bit more of an adjustment: getting used to the coffee.

We've been pretty busy since we got here, so our morning coffee fix has been absolutely essential. But the coffee here is different to what we are used to - and, so far, decidedly worse.

For starters, milky coffee is made with only one shot of espresso. And one shot of coffee doesn't really count if you ask me.

Truth be told, I wouldn't get out of bed for a one-shot coffee.

So if you want something resembling a caffeinated beverage, you have to ask for your latte or flat white 'strong', and it will cost a little extra. 

A long black will have two shots of espresso, as you would typically expect. But beware of black coffee. Like I said, the coffee here is worse than in New Zealand. And black coffee is completely unforgiving. On Sunday, I had a long black that made me want to gouge out my own tongue to make the badness stop. 

So white coffee it is. 

Thankfully for me, almond milk is really common here, more common than in New Zealand. And you'll find lactose free milk offered in a lot of cafes, too. Some cafes use a really delicious almond milk, designed for making smooth and silky coffee - Almond Breeze barista blend. To give Aussie some credit where it is due, it is much better than any of the almond milk I've had in New Zealand cafes.

On our travels so far, we have found two places that produce quality coffee on par with Wellington and that also provide decent almond milk.

Two black sheep - Sydney CBD

This award-winning wee gem is two minutes from our hotel on Pitt St in an underground complex. Its central location is easy to access for travellers and workers, and it is frequented by lots of busy commuters on their way from Town Hall station. Along with tasty coffee, gluten-free snacks are also available. 

Rogue - Surry Hills

The best coffee I have had in Australia, hands down. And perhaps one of the reasons we fell in love with Surry Hills from the outset - we move into an apartment there this weekend. The gluten-free food here is also spectacular (more on that another day), making Rogue a strong contender for our new weekend brunching favourite.

We are still exploring the city and I'm sure we will find more good coffee, especially once we start work. No one demands good - and plentiful - coffee like government employees. 

But these delicious options are a great place to start. 

The best coffee I've had in Sydney - Rogue, Surry Hills.