It seems like a new specialty coffee shop opens in Budapest on a weekly basis, which isn’t a bad thing – the fierce competition only results in better baristas, better service, better facilities, and, of course, better coffee. We spent a week visiting some newly opened java joints, and tested the harmony of the baristas, coffee, interior, and service, and we are happy to recommend the following seven hotspots.
Double Shot on Pozsonyi Road intends to sneak some novelty into Budapest’s coffee culture: they prepare double the amount of usual coffee. In fact, what we call espresso is a ristretto, which is only half the volume of a normale – or a double shot. While these larger servings are rather widespread abroad, they are not too common in Hungary. Double Shot obtains its coffee from a small, Winchester-based English roastery called The Roasting Party. We tasted The Captain (555 HUF), a full-bodied, slightly acidic espresso, with hints of chocolate, black currant, and raisin. The baristas told us that they work with 25-gram portions of coffee, and also optimize the brewing time to get the most out of the brand.
Address: Budapest 1137, Pozsonyi út 16.
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Foods: sandwiches, cakes
Equipment: V60, syphon, aeropress
Coffees for home: yes
Equipment for home: yes
Budapest Baristas opened between Kálvin Square and Astoria, in place of a former secondhand bookshop. Unexpectedly, owner Bence Dávid isn’t afraid of the competition posed by the nearby fekete – he thinks the two coffee shops are diverse enough, and offer a variety of new flavors anyway, which is a rather important thing in coffee culture. In this spirit, the shop considers a wide range of coffee very important. Their supplier is Hungary’s Casino Mocca, which they chose because of its consistently high quality and its being a local business. Here we tasted a Kenyan double espresso (450 HUF), characterized by a particularly intense, fruity flavor, and a nicely balanced sweetness, due to its local preparation method. Budapest Baristas is known for its friendly service and active social life, as well as their professionally prepared matcha and citrusy cascara gesha.
Address: Budapest 1053, Múzeum krt. 15.
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Foods: homemade cakes, chai pudding, tapioca pudding
Equipment: aeropress, Kalita
Coffees for home: yes
Equipment for home: no
OneCup at Kálvin Square is associated with the name of 2014 Hungarian barista champion Krisztián Nagy, whose reasons for opening the coffee shop included creating an opportunity to bring out the maximum of his knowledge, and thus making high-quality coffee not with expensive machines, but with skill. We tested this said skill by tasting two espressos: first, we grabbed a classic Costa Rican (450 HUF), with subtle, fruity flavors, and then drank an Ethiopian coffee, which means coffee itself for many people in this profession. We could even call this a sea of fruit, with intense flavors, and a sweet, pleasant aftertaste. According to Krisztián, an espresso is even better when cooled down a bit, acquiring a sweeter, acidic taste. His future plans include the opening of a new unit, so keep an eye out!
Address: Budapest 1085, Baross u. 1.
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Foods: sandwiches, cakes, croissant
Equipment: aeropress
Coffees for home: yes
Equipment for home: yes
Dávid Nagy of Tamp & Pull decided to open a new unit in Lövőház Street, on the Buda side of the city, under the name Kaffeine. The approximately 20-square-meter shop represents a sophisticated, more exclusive line, reflected in the interior design. In addition to the barista, the soul of Kaffeine is a Black Eagle coffee machine, the Porsche of coffee machines (and the official machine of the World Barista Championship), which uses gravimetric technology, meaning that the settings can be adjusted by the weight of the cup. Naturally, the question is given: why do they need such a well-trained barista behind the counter then? As an answer to our question, we were told that the barista is also indispensable, since he came up with the pre-programmed settings the machine is working with. The coffee shop works with Has Bean coffees. We started the taste test with a Kenyan espresso (450 HUF), which proved to be one of the fruitiest versions during our coffee spree, and could even be compared to a tomato soup. Afterwards, we compensated with an El Salvadoran brew, which most resembled a chocolate bomb. Because of its fortunate location, Kaffeine is sure to become popular around this neighborhood.
Address: Budapest 1024, Lövőház u. 27.
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Foods: sandwiches, cakes
Equipment: aeropress, Chemex, Syphon
Coffees for home: yes
Equipment for home: yes
My Green Cup, named not after its environmental consciousness but its green lamps and coffee machine, is located on Pozsonyi Road, a minute’s walk from Jászai Mari Square. The coffee shop was inspired by My Little Melbourne, so the quality is unquestionable. My Green Cup works with the coffees of a London-based roastery called Workshop – their current highlight is a Rwandan version, the espresso of which is spicy, with hints of blood orange and cake. As for the filter coffees, Workshop also takes most credit, although there are regular guest roasteries on the coffee shop’s assortment, such as the Hamburg-based Playground. The selection is broadened as needed; from March, for example, we can even drink cascara here.
Address: Budapest 1137, Pozsonyi út 15.
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Foods: homemade cakes, sandwiches, bagel
Equipment: aeropress, Gino
Coffees for home: yes
Equipment for home: yes
Pohárszék at Kossuth Square is a dream come true for a sommelier and a barista, where we can drink a filter coffee and a Breitenbach Nyerges Furmint. They use coffee from two roasteries, one of them being the direct-trade 42, with a 50% Rwandan and 50% Columbian blend, characterized by intense acidity – they usually use this for making milky variations. For espressos, they use Italian coffee, which is easy to mistake for a new-wave java when prepared right: in terms of flavor, it’s characterized by a smoky and fruity flavor, and a minimal acidic taste. Those more daring may also try an espresso made from the blend of 42, as well. They don’t have filters as of now, but by the summer, they plan on introducing one of our big favorites, the cold brew.
Address: Budapest 1054, Aulich u. 7.
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Foods: kitchen with hot dishes
Coffees for home: no
Equipment for home: no
