<![CDATA[Get Caffeinated, Get Coffee... - Europe]]>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:22:02 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[U Kalendů, Prague, Czechia]]>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:05:32 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/u-kalendu-prague-czechiaRašínovo nábř. 383/58, 128 00 Nové Město, Czechia
https://www.ukalendu.ambi.cz/menu/jidlo
​
Along the front of the Vltava river, staring out across the water to the Baroque architecture that sits opposite, there is a small bakery, likely to have a queue forming at its front door.

If you get there early in the morning, you might be able to sneak in without too much issue but as locals congregate to get their hands on their morning pastries, you may have to wait around for a few moments but its well worth the extra few minutes.

U Kalendů is a kitchen-come-bakery-come pub that has sat on the riverfront for over a century, serving up local cuisine. I couldn’t tell you at what point they also pivoted towards speciality coffee but here we are, ten o’clock in the morning, queuing for a bake and a brew.

A lot of the pastries are things I’ve not particularly seen before, many with a yeast paste (I guess like Marmite?) or yeast flakes topping off fruit compotes or the sort. It all looks deliciously intriguing but distinctly lacking in vegan options, which sort of weirdly jars with the readily available oat lattes they’re serving.

Either way, I pick up a fabulously fruity coffee and circle back for a bag of beans. Roasting them themselves, this adds to the general aura of the community feel this spot has and as I take a coffee and waddle over the road to sip it and people watch the waterside market goers, the sharp, berry-esque- flavours spritz my tongue in a delightful pick-me-up.

Prague has plenty of speciality coffee shops that I don’t have time to explore, so I’m extremely glad we managed to find this one at the foot of where we are staying, so close and so sublime in its offering that I jangle with pleasure at the thought of taking a bag of beans back to London with me.
Picture
]]><![CDATA[Coffee Department - Istanbul, Turkey]]>Tue, 03 Jun 2025 21:37:45 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/coffee-department-istanbul-turkeyAyvansaray, Kürkçü Çeşmesi Sk. No:5, 34087 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye

I seize the moment to direct us to a coffee shop that Lonely Planet listed in their ‘Global Coffee Tour’, a book featuring coffee experiences from around the world, including some of the best espresso bars in different regions. Having done my research beforehand, I knew that Coffee Department happened to be around the area we were wandering so I steered us through the narrow streets and more residential areas to arrive at a row of coffee shops and restaurants where people were quietly sitting and smoking, watching a pair of street cats edge back and forth into one another’s territories trying not to incite a full-blown brawl.
It’s a change of pace to navigate areas where people live, away from the perpetual havoc of tourism and industry, going about doing the necessary to survive. For all the wonderful things we’ve seen and done this week, I love just taking the time to see how people live in different parts of the world.

Coffee Department is a chic, all-black affair that pitches itself at the speciality coffee crowd with its array of filter coffees and a variety of brewing methods to suit your preferences. I wonder about the criteria for getting into Lonely Planet’s guide given the amount of cafes along this strip but we settle outside in the midday sun for iced oat lattes. 
Today is a trickle, just sun and strolls, and to sit here soaking it all in, just being is really wonderful- aided by rich, indulgent coffee that is markedly more full-bodied than I expected. Rarely, I go back for another coffee but, after an unfortunate incident with a bird mistaking my outfit for a public convenience, we relocate inside (once I’ve wiped myself down) and order black coffee just so we can enjoy the tranquillity a little longer before ambling out for the rest of the day.


If you like this piece or any other of my writing, why not buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vincentwoodwritingor subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@thevincewood
]]><![CDATA[XYZ Cihangir - the Coffee Guru, Istanbul - Turkey]]>Tue, 03 Jun 2025 19:09:35 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/xyz-cihangir-the-coffee-guru-istanbul-turkeyKılıçali Paşa, Anahtar Sk. No:3/A, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

​We have a little time left before we have to head to the airport and so take a gambol in no particular direction until a sudden and unexpected downpour forces us to take cover in a local coffee shop.
A higgledy-piggledy mismatch of a place, it serves strong coffee that has a pleasant coarseness to it in how diligently it expresses its caffeination. It’s still delightful speciality coffee, just offering up an acidic buzz that jolts you to your core as opposed to the super smooth stuff that can become a little wearing over time.
Here, homemade earrings are for sale and flyers and leaflets dot the counter for community events and projects. The owner begins to talk to us and we discover that she’s German and has relocated here with her husband, saying she prefers living in Turkey.

“Why’s that?” I ask.
“Life is objectively harder here, but the people are so much warmer and happier to talk and lend a hand. I think we forget that back home.”

I nod at this, the UK definitely has some of that sensibility about it, still, it’s home and it’s where I want to be now.


If you like this piece or any other of my writing, why not buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/vincentwoodwritingor subscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@thevincewood
]]><![CDATA[Turkish Coffee Making & Fortune Telling Experience, Highlights of Istanbul, Turkey]]>Fri, 23 May 2025 10:34:23 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/turkish-coffee-making-fortune-telling-experience-highlights-of-istanbul-istanbul Galata Ünver Residence, Hacımimi, Galata Mandırası St. No:18 Floor: -1, 34000 Beyoğlu/Istanbul
https://www.highlightsinturkiye.com
​
​It’s pure, heart-pounding eroticism: the smell, the taste, the touch, the preparation! Some people find my obsession with coffee a little too much but the rich, vibrant flavour and intricate, almost artistic, level of detail one can go into to get the perfect cup is something that appeals to my base senses on such a level, that I feel I may be closer to understanding religious experience from my morning brew than any holy book or scripture has brought me. It is, perhaps then, no great surprise that I actively seek out things to do with this divine bean even when I travel. When I knew I was going to Turkey, I was adamant I would have to do something about learning more about this country’s unique and well-established coffee culture.

​Foregoing my morning coffee, we catch the tram across the city to the trendy area downtown full of hipster coffee bars, art galleries and carefully orchestrated graffiti, I guess a bit like what Hackney is to London or the whole of Berlin is to Berlin. Cautiously creeping through some rather suspect back alleys, we arrive at the workshop centre (that also does crafts and other experiences focused around Turkish culture) and are led upstairs to a pristine and polished classroom of sorts.


A horseshoe table setup surrounds a pan of sand with a small, incredibly decorated hand grinder, water, espresso mug and saucer, scale, and a traditional Turkish coffee pot called a cezve are at each station with enough space for about 15 people. Oddly enough, only my partner and I have booked this particular session.

Our instructor runs us through a brief history of Turkish coffee before demonstrating how to grind the beans, weigh out the exact amount of water, and then brew the coffee in the cezve using the hot sand in the pan, and we each get a turn to try this ourselves and pour our own coffee. Circling the pot in the heated sand, you then scoop the grains around the pot so the heat is applied evenly until the coffee bubbles to the top and you remove it and pour everything in including the grounds.
Strong, incredibly rich and viscous, the coffee has a dark and complex taste that many outside of Turkey might baulk at (so much so that it is often served directly poured over a sugar cube), I’m so glad I got to see and sample this and expand my coffee making knowledge with this particular cultural twist. However, not just a brewing experience, we are told to turn our coffee cups onto our saucers and move them clockwise three times in the air once we’ve drunk all the liquid. Here, we are handed a guide on what to look for in Turkish fortune-telling signs and our tutor walks us through what fortunes he sees for us. I’m not sure I’m entirely invested in the idea but it was fun to see the cultural importance behind it and great to hear some positive news is coming my way!


]]><![CDATA[Cafe Via, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey]]>Fri, 23 May 2025 10:27:33 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/cafe-via-beyoglu-istanbulKemankeş Kara Mustafapaşa Cad, Karantina Sk. No:7/1, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

The Istanbul coffee scene, much like its football scene, seems very split by district with most cafés and restaurants serving basic Turkish coffee, and those aimed at tourists offering espresso but the more standard mass-produced beans like Lavazza. When breaking down the speciality scene though, hipster districts like Kadiköy and Galata are where the auteurs of the field operate, Beyoğlu dishes out decent drip filters and the Asian side has high-end Turkish coffee and some quiet neighbourhood spots that provide peaceful percolation.

In two days here, Cafe Via is where I manage to find the first espresso-based drink that I feel would match up to my demanding palate, hidden down a clean and tidy backstreet that is a dead end of an alleyway with a tiny local mosque topping off the street. It’s completely empty except for the barista smoking a cigarette with his friend out front and he scuttles behind the bar when he sees us coming, to serve up americanos and cake. 

They did have ‘vegan latte’ on the menu but were out of the alternative milk by the time I arrived so I rolled the dice on hoping it was decent enough coffee for a black one. Serving up Recon Coffee, a local roaster, my partner indulges in a latte and a Snickers cheesecake, seemingly to emphasise what I’m missing out on with my decision to ditch dairy.
​
The americano is a rich umami with not too much chocolate in the overtones. The strong coating of the tongue that you don’t get so much with other brewing methods feels very luxurious at this stage of the week and I’m glad I managed to break my duck with a decent stop-off in between adventures.

]]><![CDATA[Allegory Coffee Bar, Toulouse, France]]>Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:29:15 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/allegory-coffee-bar-toulouse-franceAllegory Coffee Bar
9 Rue Peyras, 31000 Toulouse, France

I have a complex relationship with French coffee. For a country renowned for its fine cuisine, it’s surprisingly hard to find decent coffee, but when it’s good it’s really good! A strange set of circumstances has led me to wandering around Toulouse at 10am with no sleep from the night before and a day of shopping on the horizon but I’m not prepared to swallow down the swill so readily available on every street corner just to perk me up. My trusty travel app has failed to find me anywhere worthwhile within a ten-mile radius, but I know the city is both big enough, and diverse enough, to hold at least a few speciality coffee places that I can walk to in my exhausted state.

Turning to Google, I start to whittle down potential options and uncover Allegory coffee bar just 10 mins from the main square, and set out on an amble that weaves through the narrow side streets. I wander into a small, contemporary space with vaulted brick ceilings and homely vibe and am directed to an empty table. Employing my schoolboy French, I manage to stutter out an order for an oat latte, that is miraculously understood, and then lean back on the comfortably cushioned bench whilst it’s being prepared, desperately not trying to drift off.

It would appear this place also serves brunch with vegan options also available, something else quite hard to find in this country, but I can’t bring myself to eat right now as my body doesn’t really know what it’s doing. The coffee comes and is smooth and rich, honey like tones tingle through the milk and I am somewhat revived, enjoying the quiet murmur of others around me. 

I don’t have too long to spend there but it’s a great start to my mini French adventure and opens up a new side of the city to me that I will undoubtedly visit again.
]]><![CDATA[Radisson Blu Skyline Bar, Riga, Latvia]]>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:10:54 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/radisson-blu-skyline-bar-rigaRadisson Blu Hotel, Elizabetes iela 55, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1010, Latvia

Back prowling the streets, the evening has descended but the light remains and we’ve been recommended a rooftop bar. Offering panoramic views of the city, it’s taller than most of the city's spires that you can climb and has no entry fee, so you can see the sweeping, dramatic views of the city whilst spending the equivalent on a drink to enjoy with the sights. 

The Radisson Blu is not somewhere I’d ever recommend in any city as I’m not a man naturally drawn to luxury but, so far, I’ve struggled to find decent coffee within the city limits with my discovery app letting me down on that front and other (admittedly light) research suggesting most other reasonable options are at least 10 miles away. 


I figure that, typically catering to a more well-to-do clientele, they should be able to muster up a pretty good cup of coffee, so whilst my mates choose either a local lager or over-the-top cocktails I request an oat latte to put to the test. My assumptions are correct and I receive a gorgeously rich, smooth cup of coffee that has a slight sweetness to it, probably from the oat milk used. I’m not really cut out for the high life but I could get used to moments like this.
Picture
]]><![CDATA[Tim Wendelboe, Oslo, Norway]]>Sun, 02 Jun 2024 21:26:36 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/tim-wendelboe-oslo-norwayGrüners gate 1, 0552 Oslo, Norway
https://timwendelboe.no/

Tim Wendelboe is, quite possibly, one of the best coffee shops in the world right now and, as a connoisseur, I don’t say that lightly. Named for the repeated Championship-winning barista who opened it, it’s an espresso school and roastery all in one, where the great and the good of the coffee world come to train and learn. In fact, coffee is all it does; no food, no flavourings just coffee done well. What sets it apart is how it treats its coffee though, treating it as a luxury experience, like fine dining or wine, and offering it up thusly. The baristas are dressed like waiting staff might be in a high-class establishment and will take the time to walk you through the flavour palate of whatever coffee you order. Each drink is presented exquisitely, complete with a napkin coaster like it were a cocktail, and the coffee is directly traded from farmers meaning dedicated staff members are flying around the world to find the best coffee beans and buying it with no middle man in place. I order an oat milk flat white and a coffee berry fizz before taking a seat.

The space is decked out in classic Nordic styling, all brickwork and wood panelling, with chic minimalism permeating through its very essence. Simple yet cosy, magnificent yet uncluttered. The flat white is silky smooth, with a zingy, citrusy note slicing through earthier tones but what really intrigues me is the soft drink. Made from the skin and pulp of the coffee berry (coffee beans actually being a seed surrounded by fruit) this drink makes the most of that part of the plant so often wasted or composted. It comes served in a wine glass and has a dark, rich honey colour to it. Not a sweet berry, there’s a sharpness to it but not strikingly so. There is an element of alcohol about it, like a dry wine or mellow whisky, but without the sort of ethanol vapour one gets. The whole experience makes it feel more sophisticated, more elevated and I think that’s probably where the next wave of coffee is going. Tim and Co just seem to be one step ahead of the curve.
]]><![CDATA[Fuglen, Oslo Sentrum, Norway]]>Sun, 02 Jun 2024 21:19:16 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/fuglen-oslo-sentrum-norwayhttps://fuglen.no/
Universitetsgata 2, 0164 Oslo, Norway

A gloriously weird coffee roaster-come-cocktail bar, Fuglen is decked out like a 1960s bar in an airport lounge. Raffia-clad walls with ceramic flying ducks and bizarre knick-knacks play host to undoubtedly Scandinavian-designed furniture, such as single-piece wooden tables and dark leather chairs with sharp hardwood angles from the arms and legs. It gives me a sense of items I’d definitely seen at my nan’s house or, latterly, the first home I can remember living in with my parents. The kitsch-cool vibe sort of embodies how much of Oslo feels in its effortlessly cool style that would be slightly out of place anywhere else but just seems right here.

I grab a floral, yet crisp oat latte that tingles on the tongue and leaves me wanting more, so much so that this becomes a regular haunt for me throughout the rest of the week. It’s not just this that stands out though and, when the clamminess of my room becomes too much one evening, I turn to Fuglen in its bar form as somewhere to sit and write for a while. Not being a drinker though, I’m intrigued by their Espresso tonic slush; a slush puppy for grown-ups that zings a little in the warm evening and gladly has me sitting out on the street, sipping for quite some time.
]]><![CDATA[Supreme Roastworks Aker Brygge, Oslo, Norway]]>Sun, 02 Jun 2024 21:07:00 GMThttps://www.getbeand.com/europe/supreme-roastworks-aker-brygge-oslo-norwayhttps://srw.no/

Supreme Roastworks Aker Brygge
Stranden 67, 0250 Oslo
Along the waterfront, there is a highly lauded spot that obviously caters to a more well-to-do clientele with its pristine countertops and baristas in formal attire. What really gives it away is the latest model of a Porsche sports car sitting in the lobby. 
​
Although operating as an entirely different entity, Supreme Roastworks finds itself sharing a space with, what I think is, a Porsche dealership but it only has the one car, surrounded by shiny images of Porsche’s racing history. Whatever the case may be, I’m told this is one of the premier coffee spots of the city so I put my reservations of buying coffee from car salespeople aside and take the plunge. I end up with a creamy oat latte, rich and viscous in its caramel nature making an auspiciously sweet cup of coffee that coats the tongue and has a burst of almost buttery smoothness to it that really makes it sing. If their coffee is this good, why the hell are they even bothering with cars?
Picture
]]>