Month: May 2015

Rejoice in the Land of Purist Coffee: Lanark Coffee

Published by

  London’s coffee purists stick to simple little spots that fully concentrate on quality in the cup. Lanark is one of those cafes with the shortest menus ever: espresso, espresso with milk or filter. It is a perfect spot to hide from hustle and bustle of Columbian Road and Broadway Market as its minimalist design and simple menu help guests to turn their attention to the complexity of specialty coffee.     True coffee guru would know Greg Boyce’s coffee-making abilities from Alchemy and Black Box. Lanark Coffee is his new coffee venture launched in 2014. Greg does not settle with one kind of beans but you can fully rely on his selected coffee from top micro-roasters. At the time of my arrival, behind the counter Greg has got beautiful Rwandan roast from Alchemy and East London’s Dark Arts Coffee waiting for its turn. Lanark is a coffee bar with its particular pure coffee approach: no soya milk or tea options here and sugar is available only on request. A tiny coffee bar inside is …

Meet me under the arch: Concierge Coffee

Published by

The only sign that you finally reached that famous window which sells excellent coffee is interesting logo on forest green background. Before you reach the backyard on Paul-Lincke-Ufer, you might walk a few times forwards and backwards to find Concierge, as pre-caffeinated body would easily miss the hidden petite café. Advice — no need for maps, just follow the roasty aroma. A logo is different from other coffee shops in Berlin. It looks more strict and serious. Baristas seem to have a gentlemen kind of vibe but the atmosphere itself is laid-back. However, after spending five minutes in this coffee shop, one cannot help but notice that Concierge is the place full of pride. It is Berliners’ pride of delicious coffee and owners’ pride of being independent baristas. While most Berlin’s baristas are extremely kind and heart-warming, Concierge shows a bit cool and arrogant side of baristas. But who wouldn’t have pride in serving one of the best coffees in Berlin? This arrogance is easily forgiven here. 15sqm hut is tiny with just a few …

Berlin’s True Coffee Heroes

Published by

Cursive letters that reads, Bonanza Coffee Heroes, on the greyish blue painted walls could be easily mistaken for a stylish boutique. Its minimal, yet stylish interior and exterior attract one’s eye, but the smell of freshly brewed coffee makes every passersby of Oderberger Straße a coffee addict. While for most foreigners the Barn’s name associates with the third wave coffee in Berlin, in fact, Kiduk Reus and Yumi Choi, baristas behind Bonanza, were the first to bring the legendary coffee movement to Berlin. This original roaster has been setting standards in the German capital for almost a decade and its coffee beans can be found in many coffee shops in Berlin. The inspiration behind Bonanza is London and one of the first specialty coffee shops, Monmouth Coffee Company. Monmouth is well known internationally for its approach to roasting coffee from single farms and directly trading coffee beans. While nowadays we can easily find specialty coffee shops on almost every corner, before the mid-2000s it would be a hard task to find a good cup in …