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BUCHAREST
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to siton floors, yetdemandedwider
choiceof tastesandproducts.
“Then, fromaround2012,we saw
theemergenceof theYuccies– the
youngurbancreatives.Theydemand
awidechoiceofproducts, expensive
andhigh-qualitydesignanddetailed
presentation.This iswhycoffeeshops
that appearexpensivehavegrown in
popularity, andplaces likeminearenot
lovedbyall.”
To illustratehispoint, he suggests
I visitFrudisiac, oneof thecoffee shops
thathasbucked the trendof serving
locally roastedcoffee. Set in theaffluent
northernpartof thecity–at Intrarea
Bitolia4, close towheremost foreign
embassiesare situated–Frudisiac serves
coffee roasted inStockholm.
Inkeepingwith theNordic theme, it is
set inanew-build reminiscentof a large
posh sauna,minus theheat.Adding to
thecoffeeexperience, cold-pressed juices
areservedwithhealthydishesmade from
freshly sourced seasonal ingredients.
As Imove fromone trendycoffee
shop to thenext, dotted throughout the
city, there’sone thing that continues to
puzzleme.Baristaafterbaristacontin-
ues toexplainwhere togonext andwhy
thequalityof thecoffee therewill be
amazing.Are thesepeoplenot incompe-
titionwitheachother?“Never,”answers
Andreea IvascuatTheCoffeeFactory.
“Ultimatelyall baristasarecolleagues.
Nomatterwherewework,we shareone
love: coffee.”
Simplenatural interiors and friendly
staff sharing their one love:
coffee
TheCoffee
Factory
Wakemeupbeforeyougo-go
Andreea Ivascu’s creativeCoffee
Factory (above and right) uses
lampshadesmade from cardboard
portafilters (used in coffeemachines)
Secret nightlifeof
Bucharest’s coffee
shops
When the sun sets, Bucharest’s
swanky coffee shops takeon
some interesting transforma-
tions. At some, the counters
are raised, thewine fridges
rolled in and theblinds
lowered, as they undergo a
metamorphosis into awine
shop, craft beer counter or
cocktail bar.
As coffee cups are stacked
aside, cocktail glasses are
polished, but this does not
mean that the coffeemachines
are switchedoff. Although
theoriginal CoffeeCocktail
(which is from JerryThomas’
Bartender’sGuide,
first printed
in 1887) had not adropof
coffee in it, freshly roasted
coffee is at the coreof coffee
mixology inRomania.
From aCoffeeCaipirinha to
aBrownBreeze, shakenor
stirred, drinks are almostworth
ordering just towatch the
process ofmaking them.
When a customer asks for
sugar atOrigoduring the
day, heor shewill politely
be informedby abarista
that sugar cannot be served
because itwill upset the
delicatebalanceof the finely
roasted coffee. OwnerMihai
Panfil says that his coffee
shop’s ‘no sugar, nomusic’
policy is acceptedby all their
patrons. Theseguys don’t
mess about!
After dark it’s literally sugar
and spice and all things nice.
You can evenorder tea and
chocolate cocktails and the
musicwill go as loud as the
neighbours allow.
