I think I'll run out of positive adjectives and hyperbole in describing this place.

Campos is the benchmark that pretenders aspire to. They blend and roast their own coffee. They keep their machine perfectly tuned. They make sure that the beans are always fresh. The fact that they see this as the fundamentals to be maintained, while other cafés view it as a needless extravagance, shows the gulf in class that Campos represents.

They serve quality espresso. I've quibbled about coffees from Campos before, but mostly that's from having been served some absolutely incredible shots that surely require the stars to align. I've never had a bad coffee from Campos, and I never expect to. It gets incredibly busy, but instead of forcing the Barista to balance quality with speed precariously, as most would be expected to do, they simply scale the number of Baristas up. Coupled with how fantastic these Baristas are, it makes for a true espresso bar that seems to good to be true.
The whole place oozes style. Filled with coffee paraphernalia, from Vac Pots to and old roaster, playing some groovy jazz that skirts the line between class and muzak, The simple bare-bones nature of the place complimented by black and white photos of their coffee makes me feel like I've left the colourful, bustling city for a shrine to the espresso gods.

Campos fully deserves its stellar reputation, and that's surprising to me. It seems that they'll always be this good as long as the committed, and in all probability, obsessive management stay in charge. I have my reservations about the dilution of their brand through the distribution of their beans to Cafes with no where near the dedication, never mind the skills, but regardless, this small espresso bar represents a pilgrimage that anybody who remotely enjoys a good espresso in Sydney needs to make.
The service isn't the best. But I like to think that I'm beginning to be loved by them secretly, and they are hiding it in the name of barista professionalism.

Stand-offish? I like to think of it as Mystique.

I left Campos on a euphoric high today. Don't blame me if you become just another member of Espresso Addicts Anonymous. It's all worth it.