#specialtycoffee

Dec 25, 2018
5 min

10 Best Specialty Coffee Shops in Paris

Here’s a peek into my favorite specialty coffee shops in Paris. Last summer, needed desperately to decompress from a failed PhD program in Austria. My academic future was in shambles for the moment, and I was terrified that my pivot toward a career as a yoga teacher and a freelance writer would be financially unviable. Yet instead of being paralyzed by fear, I threw myself into writing a book. I forked over the investment for a month-long stay in a Parisian apartment with a v

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Sharing Coffee at Coutume Café with France’s Champion Barista

Lacey Ramirez

Dec 18, 2018
5 min

Sharing Coffee at Coutume Café with France’s Champion Barista

For the final Paris specialty coffee feature, I sat down for coffee with Caroline, France’s Champion Barista and Wholesale Manager at Coutume Café, to discuss coffee as an opportunity for global human connection. On my last day in Paris of the summer, my agenda was filled to the brim with last-minute non-negotiable work: Just one more run along the Seine, just one more macaron from Ladurée, just one more chocolate from Alain Ducasse, just one more Simone de Beauvoir book from

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La Fontaine de Belleville bridges the gap between “café” and specialty coffee

Lacey Ramirez

Dec 15, 2018
5 min

La Fontaine de Belleville bridges the gap between “café” and specialty coffee

For this Paris specialty coffee feature, I sat down with Thomas, the co-founder of La Fontaine de Belleville to discuss his mission to bridge the gap between “café” and specialty coffee. In Paris, picturesque neighborhood cafés can be found around every corner. Locals crowd the stand-up bar, socializing as they knock-back their morning espresso, and they adorn the terrace, people-watching with their post-lunch coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. As the hours shif

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Matamata and the Rise of the Coworking Space

Lacey Ramirez

Sep 5, 2018
4 min

Matamata and the Rise of the Coworking Space

For this Paris specialty coffee feature, I sat down with Gaël, the co-founder of Matamata to discuss the rise of the co-working space and the friendship at the foundation of the shop. In case you hadn’t noticed, co-working spaces are a thing. What started as “hackerspaces” for 90’s computer nerds in Berlin have exploded into an estimated 10,000 spaces worldwide that give over 735,000 freelancers of all professions a happy working home. I was maybe one of the few global citize

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KB Cafeshop and the rise of the superbarista

Lacey Ramirez

Aug 30, 2018
6 min

KB Cafeshop and the rise of the superbarista

For this Paris specialty coffee feature, I sat down with Nicolas, the Founder of KB Cafeshop to discuss the rise of the superbarista and the simple things in coffee. KB Cafeshop doesn’t scream its self-worth from blocks away. Rather, it announces itself subtly by its throngs of regular customers that fill its window-side wooden benches. It doesn’t paint itself in bright colors and flashing signs, but rather romantically releases its aromas to passerby’s who stop to smell the

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Holybelly: A Taste of Melbourne in Paris

Lacey Ramirez

Aug 21, 2018
5 min

Holybelly: A Taste of Melbourne in Paris

For this Paris specialty coffee feature, I sat down with Nico, the Founder of Holybelly, to discuss his intention to bring a little taste of Melbourne to Paris. Imagine a place where high quality coffee flows like water, where green coffee beans paint the counters and natural roasts color the air, where micro-roasting is the average hobby of choice, where baristas can make a living wage, where intricate latte art is a standard minimum, where syrupy additives are practically f

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Ten Belles: Where Wine May Be the Answer to Coffee

Lacey Ramirez

Aug 15, 2018
6 min

Ten Belles: Where Wine May Be the Answer to Coffee

For this Paris specialty coffee feature, I spoke with Anselme, the owner of Ten Belles, to discuss the ways in which wine may be the answer to the specialty coffee industry in Paris. Is it a coincidence that wine lovers are often coffee connoisseurs, and vice versa? The two drinks have polar opposite effects on our nervous systems. While caffeine is a stimulant, jolting us awake and alert, alcohol is a depressant, slowing down our judgement and inhibitions. Yet both products

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Café Lomi and the Moral Dilemma of the $5 Latte

Lacey Ramirez

Aug 7, 2018
6 min

Café Lomi and the Moral Dilemma of the $5 Latte

For this Paris specialty coffee feature, I sat down with Paul, a roaster at Café Lomi, to discuss the city’s coffee scene and the ethical implications of the trade. Coffee for me holds the same value as a seventh pair of heels for Carrie Bradshaw. As a teenager, I remember laughing aloud at Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic Sex And The City character for her notorious shoe obsession – a fetish so out of control that she was almost kicked to the streets of New York City for spendi

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Paris Specialty Coffee Spotlight: Café Loustic

Lacey Ramirez

Jul 30, 2018
4 min

Paris Specialty Coffee Spotlight: Café Loustic

The Paris Coffee Revolution has built upon the café culture of the city to include space for specialty coffee. Characteristically burnt espresso is being replaced by single-origin varieties that have been produced with quality control for each step along the supply chain. Coffee is undeniably improving, and Café Loustic is at the forefront of this rapid evolution. During my month in Paris, I spoke via phone with the shop’s owner, Channa, as he busily placed the final touches

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5 Ways to Make Coffee: A Voyage to Discover “True Coffee” at La Caféothèque, Paris

Lacey Ramirez

Jul 17, 2018
6 min

5 Ways to Make Coffee: A Voyage to Discover “True Coffee” at La Caféothèque, Paris

« Qu’est-ce qu’un vrai café ? » (“What is ‘true coffee’?”) was the opening question of a two-hour training at La Caféothèque. In any other context, I would have doubted that a coffeeshop that ranks among the best in the world, according to The Telegraph, would have had to justify to its patrons that it makes “vrai café”. Yet in Paris, contemporary coffee lovers have spent the past decade battling tête-à-tête with the traditional European-style café culture that has been the u

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The 14 Best Specialty Coffeeshops in Vienna

Lacey Ramirez

May 7, 2018
7 min

The 14 Best Specialty Coffeeshops in Vienna

Vienna, Austria, is by far the most fascinating city for coffee consumption. I took full advantage of this coffee charm by tasting the best of the vibrant scene. The foundation for an amazing cup of brew is laid by the incredibly rich history of classic coffeehouses. War birthed the loving Viennese coffeehouse community. It was said that Austrian leaders mistook the Ottoman Turks’ coffee beans for camel feed during the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Yet the officer who had been ch

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