Who knew good coffee could be found in a beer-drinking, once-socialist culture like Czech Republic? In Prague, fair trade baristas and artisan roasters have put Czechs on the craft coffee map in Europe. Now, about 3.5 hours east of the Czech capital, little-known Ostrava is emerging with their own coffee scene. The city actually hosts its own […]
Coffee Travel
The 3 Best Cafés in Krakow
Bitter, bland, and stale. That’s how coffee used to taste in Poland for nearly 50 years. Communism brought cheap robusta quality and watered down instant coffee after WWII. With the fall of Soviet rule in 1989, second wave coffee like Coffee Heaven and Starbucks chains made coffee more accessible (and taste somewhat better). Today, a third wave […]
Chiang Mai Coffee Guide: The Best Cafés and Coffee Culture in Chiang Mai
I read somewhere there are more cafés in Chiang Mai than 7-Elevens. Which says a lot if you’ve ever been to Thailand. I’m not surprised. Of all the coffee places in the world, this Southeast Asian city happens to brew damn good coffee. Chiang Mai has become the coffee capital of Thailand. From traditional Thai, to […]
Fair Trade Coffee with a Real Barista
One of the first small, local roasters and third wave cafés to open in Prague has given new energy to European coffee. Since 2008, Mamacoffee founded six locations, a coffee NGO, and a coffee festival with the main goal of showcasing to the rest of Europe (and the world) that coffee can be both good and fair. I […]
Coffee Cupping: The Art of Tasting Coffee
Most people press the start button and pour their morning brew from a pot. Others have a favourite café or a neighbourhood Starbucks they frequent. You might order a venti latte, add in a few spoons of sweetness and call it a morning. For the average coffee lover, it usually doesn’t go beyond that. But […]
Guide to Prague Coffee Culture and Third Wave Cafés
In Czech Republic, breweries and beer gardens are a dime a dozen. Understandably so, since here beer is cheaper than water. But Prague also happens to be one of the best places in the world for a different kind of drink. Coffee. The average Czech actually drinks 400 cups of caffeine a year and it has created a cool […]