Aunty Peg's
Three espresso handles were cut off a Synesso machine and set into the concrete benchtop beside three keg taps, so the room pours espresso and cold brew from the same bar.
Why go
Nolan Hirte opened this in 2014 as the place where Proud Mary shows its working, and the building does five jobs at once: roasting house, coffee bar, events space, retail shop and barista training centre (Broadsheet). There is one bar, three coffees on rotation, and two ways to drink them. The nitrogen cold brew is the piece of engineering worth the trip: Panama Geisha beans held for 52 hours at 4 degrees, then poured from a keg with a texture closer to beer than to coffee (Concrete Playground). Up front there is a wall of V60s, Clever Drippers, AeroPresses and French presses with a bench where you brew on each system before deciding which one to buy. The roasters run in the connecting warehouse while you drink.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the nitro Geisha out of the keg. Whichever of the three rotating coffees is on as filter, made in front of you. The Saturday 10.30am cupping, which costs nothing.
- Avoid: asking for a latte, since the bar is black only by design. Coming hungry, because there is no kitchen.
What locals & experts say
- Lauren Vadnjal, Concrete Playground:
If you wander into Aunty Peg's looking for a latte, you won't find one. But rather than being turned away, you'll be sat down at the bar. You'll be talked through the coffee, perhaps given a taste or a smell (no obligation, of course). And before you know it, you'll probably be sipping a nitrogen-charged cold brew straight out of a beer glass.
She calls itthe ultimate school
for a coffee nerd.2 - Broadsheet, on the house rule:
Just don't expect a latte; Aunty Peg's only serves black coffee, to better highlight the product.
1 - What is missing, stated plainly: no award, no barista competition placing and no chef vote points here. Proud Mary around the corner holds a World's 100 Best Coffee Shops placing, and that belongs to 172 Oxford Street rather than to this address, so it is left out of the case for this room.
Good to know
- Where: 200 Wellington St, Collingwood. Proud Mary's cafe is a separate business at 172 Oxford St and has its own entry.
- Timing: 8am to 5pm daily. Free cupping every Saturday at 10.30am, rotating between new menus, micro-lots, seasonal blends and staff picks.
- Booking: walk-in. Service is one barista to one drinker, so allow for that.
- Food safety: Safe Food Victoria's register of convictions, updated 21 July 2026, does not list this business or this address. Victoria publishes court convictions under s.53D of the Food Act and keeps each on the register for twelve months, a narrower check than a UK hygiene rating.
Verdict
should-visit — Go if you care how coffee is made, and skip it if you want a coffee and a seat. Nolan Hirte built this as Proud Mary's cellar door and the room is arranged around teaching: one bar, three coffees on rotation, filter or espresso, everything black, with a barista walking you through the cup. The hardware makes the argument. Three espresso handles were taken off a Synesso and set into the concrete benchtop next to three keg taps, and the nitrogen cold brew is Panama Geisha held 52 hours at 4 degrees before it is poured like a beer. A wall of V60s, Clever Drippers, AeroPresses and French presses sits by a bench where you can run your own brew before buying the gear. The roastery is through the wall and the cupping on Saturday mornings is free. It holds below must-visit because there is no food, no seat culture, no award and no chef vote, and because Proud Mary's own accolades belong to a different address and are not doing any work here.