Café-Guide #2: Coffeedesk, Warsaw, Poland
How does one fuel the constantly growing (mostly towards the sky these days) metropolis of Warsaw, with its diverse and demanding people? While the specialty coffee scene in Warsaw has many worthwhile places to discover, from Aeropress champions delivering world class brewing in unassuming small corners to alternative roasters in the articistic heart of old industrial areas, the first cafe we are looking at is one under the Coffeedesk brand.
If there is a coffee related product on the Polish market, Coffeedesk is where you will find it. The online store has an overwhelming offering of everything from beans to equipment and that philosophy carries over to the design of their cafes as well.
Currently they have, to my knowledge, three locations in Warsaw, and in each of them a feature immediately obvious to any guest are the large shelves full of products, prominently expanding peoples options to work with coffee at home. The last time I visited in 2020, I was at their cafe on Wilcza Street 42, right in the heart of Warsaw, yet feeling like a world of its own. In creating the atmosphere a couple of concepts come together: Offering a space to work or relax, having indoor and outdoor areas, making it about more than just coffee being served, but coffee in general.
Their, not necessarily humble, beginnings however were further north, in the town of Kołobrzeg. Nowadays a full team of coffee enthusiasts is supporting the venture with own technicians, recruiters and of course highly skilled and motivated baristas behind the counters.
Coffeedesk prides itself on being welcoming and also offering a place to work from, which is true, but expect their locations to be rather popular and the best seats taken early. There is, after all, a reason why they expanded to three cafes in Warsaw.
The coffee itself, I had both Flat Whites and Batch Brews, was on point. The espresso goes for that smooth, darker kind of flavor (likely Brazilian and blended in origin), while the changing beans offer contrast with usually more acidic, fruity or otherwise interesting profiles. Being at the forefront of every kind of trend that find itself on the Polish (and by extension whole Central European) scene, there will also always be some kind of new product being served, such as Nitro Cold Brews or various bottled coffee drinks that are also often sold in the online shop.
The challenge of course, or rather the unique character of such a place, comparable to Kawa.pl (now visibly establishing its equally impressive presence in Krakow), lies within the ability to present a variety of methods, roasters and products to a curious audience. When a coffeeshop is connected to a roaster, it usually will serve only its own beans and even an independent cafe will usually get its supply from a limited number of roasters. Being a kind of ‘hub’ for coffee culture however means there is a wider variety to choose from and the perceived ‘indepence’ creates a valuable ground for tastings and other events. It is also a great place to start getting into different methods of brewing. If one goes to the place of an award-winning Barista, likely they have won that award for a specific category or method, and that might be the method they have perfected and that they like the most. Yet for someone wanting an overview of everything that is out there (and being able to buy it right there at the location) a cafe like Coffeedesk might be just what they need.
We will, in time, cover more of the ever evolving places in Warsaw, Poland and Central Europe. If you have been to any coffee places in Warsaw, let us know via the usual channels.
/jf
