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Freezing cold weather calls for some delicious cups of coffee!
Although UPCES provides complementary coffee in the study lounge, we encourage our students to explore Prague a bit more!
If you’re a coffee lover, you might love this article just as much.
The coffee culture in Prague, and generally in the Czech Republic, is slowly growing and reaching its peak. Have you heard about Specialty coffee or maybe the Third wave of coffee?
Specialty coffees are coffees grown in ideal climates and places. According to the Specialty Coffee Association they must score at least 80 points or above to qualify as “specialty”. The ideal beans are typical for their full cup taste and little to no defects. Among the many coffee types only Arabicas are considered specialty coffees. These coffees are distinctive for their unique flavors and tastes, which are influenced by the composition of the soils in which they are grown and the way they are produced.
Such coffee is mostly served black or with milk. The most popular coffees with milk are flat white and cappuccino. If you are looking for a bigger cup of black coffee, try hand brew coffee - we call it filtered coffee. Sure, it takes a couple of minutes to prepare, but it’s worth it! Some cafes offer batch brew – a large amount of coffee prepared ahead and ready to serve. Unlike in the United States, you won’t be able to get a huge cup – here the regular cup is about 7 to 8 oz. Together with some homemade pies, cakes and other pastries it adds up to a great start to the day!
The third wave of coffee is a movement to produce top quality coffees and consider coffee as a craft, just like wine or beer, rather than a commodity. That’s why there’s such a boom of small cafes and roasters around the world. They’re all trying to get the best of the best and further sell their coffee to the final consumer.
To experience this kind of coffee, you don’t have to go far! Here are some tips on where to go and what to get (basically my top 10 favorite cafes in Prague).
Super Tramp Coffee
Opatovická 18, Prague 1
This one is quite tricky! It’s hidden in a passageway between Spálená Street and Opatovická Street. Although they don’t take credit cards just yet, they are capable of compensating it with their hand-crafted coffee such as flat white or v60. Enjoy the warm cup with some homemade pastries! Everything you find on the counter was made right on the spot in their bakery directly behind the coffee machine (OBLÁČEK is my fave!). The coffee comes from a Hungarian coffee roasters - Casino Mocca.
Ema espresso bar
Na Florenci 3, Prague 1
The busiest one of them all! It’s an espresso bar, which means limited seating. However, they serve great coffees! Their main roaster is JB kaffee from Munich, Germany. From time to time, they also serve coffees from a hosting roasters, for example quite a newbie Candycane coffee from Prague! The baristas are well trained and great at preparing some coffee specials. Go ahead and give them a try!
I Need Coffee!
Na Moráni 7, Prague 2
Super Tramp’s older sister! Greatly situated at Palackého Square. Very close to the River Vltava. A great place to warm yourself up after visiting the farmers’ markets at Náplavka on a Saturday morning! All the pastries come from the bakery at Super Tramp Coffee and the coffee beans once again from Casino Mocca. Oh, by the way try a KOKOSKA - I bet you you’ve never had such a delicious tart!
Alf&Bet
Světova 2, Prague 8
Newly opened and very much related to Ema espresso bar and Cafe Lounge, this bakery/roasters/cafe is a great place for a cup of batch brew or any kind of hand-crafted coffee outside of the busy city center. They close around 6pm but guarantee a fresh loaf of bread!
Brew Bar
Rašínovo Nábřeží, Náplavka, Prague 2
Saturday’s farmers’ market wouldn’t be complete without these two guys! They serve black coffee only, although I’m sure it’ll be the best one there. Both Radek and Jirka are aeropress champions, and huge coffee enthusiasts. They use kalita to hand brew the coffee and are ready to tell you everything they know about the beans. Have you heard about Cascara? It’s a tea from coffee cherries! Very tasty, very exciting – CASCARA FIZZ – give it a try!
Cafe Jen
Kodaňská 37, Prague 10
Sunday Funday! This one calls for brunch, brunch, brunch! Quite a petite place, but so worth visiting! Hasbean coffee is their main roaster – fun fact: Dale Harris, the Director of Wholesale at Hasbean Coffee, was the World Barista Champion in 2017. The girls from Jen definitely know that their coffee comes from good hands and top quality roasters. They serve some amazing brunches and very delicious pastries! It’s another great escape from the city center‘s everyday rush.
Onesip coffee
Haštalská 15, Prague 1
Very tiny but worth visiting! Their coffee comes from the Round Hill Roastery in the United Kingdom and is prepared on quite a unique lever machine! Try their homemade pies or hand-crafted chocolat Ajala from Brno!
Urban cafe
Na Poříčí 37, Prague 1
Go admire the wall full of plants. Together with a cup of coffee from Fjord roastery, Berlin, it makes for a relaxing afternoon!
Můj šálek kávy
Křižíkova 105, Praha 8
Personally, I would consider this café as the ultimate alma mater of specialty coffee in the Czech Republic. Their roaster Doubleshot is well known through the Czech specialty coffee community and is one of the biggest roasteries here. Můj šálek kávy not only serves delicious coffee but also very tasty food!
Coffeeroom
Korunní 74, Prague 10
Last but not least! Quite small, quite hipster-like. Definitely great breakfasts and brunches! They usually serve coffee from different roasteries around Europe. Among many others they sometimes have coffee from Nordbeans, which is another Czech roastery from the north, White label from Amsterdam, Workshop coffee from London, and Five Elephant from Berlin. Try their avo bread!
Some other cafes I would consider are: VNITROBLOCK, Místo, Kafemat, Sólista espresso bar, Ye’s, Coffee House Prague, Kofárna, Tricafe, Cafe Letka, Dos Mundos
