{"id":2138,"date":"2019-06-03T02:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T12:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/2019\/06\/03\/where-to-drink-coffee-in-brussels\/"},"modified":"2019-06-03T02:00:35","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T12:00:35","slug":"where-to-drink-coffee-in-brussels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/2019\/06\/03\/where-to-drink-coffee-in-brussels\/","title":{"rendered":"Where To Drink Coffee In Brussels"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"brussels<\/p>\n

A walk in the park, Brussels is not. In the Belgian capital, contrasts between the well-off and those in need can be stark. Street names and signs are given in two languages, though neighborhoods and their inhabitants tend to identify as either Francophone or Flemish-speaking, sometimes leading to notoriously nationalist identity politics and social strife. Majestic though they are, many of the monumental buildings look like they are forever in need of a power wash.<\/p>\n

Despite these complexities, not to mention the city\u2019s Eurocratic solemnity\u2014it is known as the European Union\u2019s \u201cde facto capital\u201d (the title itself evoking bureaucratic provisos and red tape)\u2014Brussels\u2019 mascot is<\/em> the Manneken Pis<\/a>. That this simple little statue of a naked boy urinating into a fountain attracts so much attention and celebration reminds us that humor and joie de vivre also exist here. So do chocolates galore, among many other famous local sweets (waffles, nougat) and treats (mussels, beer). Meanwhile, a contrast to all the traditionalist Belgian gastronomy is the novelty of specialty coffee. The scene is still young and the cafes are still very much countable, but that makes it all the more exciting. Here, then, are a variety of venues worth a visit.<\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/strong><\/p>\n

OR Coffee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Its name is a conjunction connecting choices, but visiting OR Coffee<\/a> should not be a matter of choice when in Brussels. Many would agree that this brand brought specialty coffee to the Belgian capital, over a decade after Katrien Pauwels and Tom Janssen founded their own roastery in 2001. Today the couple has two cafes in Brussels, two in Ghent, and the OR coffee school and roastery in Westrem.<\/p>\n

Flanked by a Marriott Hotel and a Bobbi Brown store, the Brussels\u2019 city-center location, which opened in 2012, attracts a cross-section of clients, whose Flemish, French, and English conversations bounce animatedly off the bi-level brick walls. Coffee orders\u2014taken at the counter but delivered to tables\u2014might range from traditional espresso-based milk beverages to the most pronouncedly pampelmousse Kenyan \u00e0 la Kalita<\/a> this reporter has ever experienced. And in the Dutch and Flemish tradition, drinks are served with a little sweet on the side: here, a chocolate in OR\u2019s signature forest green and gold packaging.<\/p>\n

An estimated 95% of OR\u2019s coffee is \u201cdirect fair trade,\u201d says the company\u2019s head of education, Wouter Helsen. This choice is facilitated by the close working relationship with Pauwels\u2019 other business, Cup-A-Lot<\/a> green coffee sourcers, and she and Janssen\u2019s ability to personally travel to origin countries.<\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/p>\n

For equally appealing offerings and service, visit OR\u2019s second Brussels branch in the municipality of Etterbeek. This cafe attracts the darker-suited set with business in and among the nearby European Commission and provides, for the coffeecrats among us, the cool sight of a Pentair water filter system with customized copper tubing wall-mounted like an objet d\u2019art.<\/p>\n

OR Coffee Roasters is located at Rue A. Ortsstraat 9, 1000 Brussel<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/strong><\/p>\n

MOK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like OR, MOK<\/a> has its roots, roastery, and first coffee bar in Flanders, but its Brussels outpost has become the company flagship. Though founder and owner Jens Crabb\u00e9 says he once felt namer\u2019s remorse for the obvious choice\u2014mok<\/em> means \u201cmug\u201d in Flemish\u2014he acknowledges it was an ode to filter coffee, experiencing a renaissance in the Low Countries when his business began almost eight years ago. And it remains fitting considering the scrutiny with which Crabb\u00e9 develops his roasting profiles and brew recipes; unsurprisingly, he is Belgium\u2019s reigning Cup Tasters Champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started off maybe quite small and cute and then, as I grew as a person,\u201d says Crabb\u00e9, now just shy of 30, \u201cmy style started to change, and the brand kind of followed.\u201d<\/p>\n

With high ceilings, a communal table, a custom-designed shelving-cum-blackboard unit, and an open kitchenette producing vegetarian-friendly cold and hot breakfast and lunch, MOK is progressive in its aesthetics and taste. Being situated on the fashionable Rue Antoine Dansaert\u2014from A.P.C. to Kartell, stylistas can shop in a straight line\u2014is fitting, though MOK deftly balances chic and geek.<\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/p>\n

Jens Crabb\u00e9<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Riffing about MOK\u2019s reverse-osmosis system and the different hardnesses for espresso and filter, Crabb\u00e9 notes: \u201cWhen people buy coffee we even encourage them [by saying], \u2018Hey, take half a liter of water home from the tap, try it at home with our water. Water is really important, and we really try to like tick all the boxes to give you a good coffee experience.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Inasmuch as Crabb\u00e9 enjoys living and working in his hometown of Leuven, he is seeking a new roasting space for MOK in the Belgian capital. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of work to be done still in Brussels in coffee, and we really want to be a part of that,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

MOK is located at Rue Antoine Dansaert 196, Brussels<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fika<\/strong><\/p>\n

From light roasts in specialty coffee to clean lines in interior design, Scandinavia has contributed much to contemporary cafe culture around the world. In Brussels, however, Scandic style has yet to become big. And when Joana Soulard opened her homage to the Swedish coffee break in fall 2016, it was simply a commonsensical melding of two of her interests: specialty coffee and Scandinavian culture.<\/p>\n

For filter preparations, Fika<\/a> uses coffee roasted by April<\/a> (founded by, indeed, a Swede), and is known to include Swedish favorites among its on-premise-baked pastries. \u201cWe have some Swedish [customers], but they come for the semla<\/a>,\u201d admits Soulard.<\/p>\n

Of Fika\u2019s city-central neighborhood, \u201cit\u2019s very mixed,\u201d she says. The Matong\u00e9, as it is commonly known, is named after a district in Kinshasa, DR Congo, recognizing the many Congolese immigrants who have settled in the area over the last half-century; these days they are joined by other African communities and European Union-employed expats.<\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/p>\n

Fika does a lot of weekday morning takeaway, though during the day provides a peaceful spot to sit and sip. The venue, like its owner, is relaxed yet engaging; characteristically light wood and soft lines create a sense of holding space and hygge. That said, a non-Nordic nod goes to Caf\u00e9 Capitale<\/a>, the Brussels brand that supplies Fika\u2019s espresso beans and a company whom Soulard credits with teaching her \u201ceverything about coffee\u201d during her four-year employment there.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s important to use and to have some local products,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Fika is located at Rue de la Paix 17, Brussels<\/a>. Follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 Capitale<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 Capitale<\/a> is a crowd pleaser. Perhaps this is because founder Fran\u00e7ois Lafontaine established his company in 2001 with ambience very much in mind, aiming for \u201ccool places to drink coffee,\u201d as he put it in a Coffee with April podcast<\/a>. But fast-forward a dozen years, after inspiring visits to Sydney and Melbourne\u2014having discovered \u201cplaces where you sell only classic basic milk drink and filter coffee, with no whipped cream, no syrup and no topping and a huge line of customers\u201d\u2014Lafontaine rebranded and renamed his business. His focus turned to specialty coffee and he plunged into SCA courses, eventually becoming a certified roaster and Q grader.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, Lafontaine owns and runs an atelier and bakery in nearby Uccle, the Brussels-based Belgian Coffee Academy, which has a roastery and a training center, and two cafes in Brussels.<\/p>\n

The Caf\u00e9 Capitale on Rue du Midi, which dates back to 2001, occupies a busy corner near the city\u2019s iconic square, the Grand-Place. Vinyl spins on a turntable behind the bar and illustrations of coffee apparatuses act simultaneously as wall art and a visual education.<\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/p>\n

Alongside espresso-based drinks and filter coffees\u2014V60<\/a> is the default, though AeroPress<\/a> and Chemex<\/a> are also available\u2014the menu lists \u201cthree aromatic coffees from the past,\u201d as Lafontaine terms them: \u201cthe mochaccino, the caramel macchiato, and the cappuccinut.\u201d This reporter found the last\u2014a syrup-sweetened hazelnut crunch-topped cappuccino\u2014a perfect pre-prandial pick-me-up. And for those who prefer not to nibble from a drink, but rather, a dish, there is breakfast, lunch, and snack fare, with many of the carbohydrates produced by Caf\u00e9 Capitale\u2019s own bakery.<\/p>\n

Less spacious but no less enticing, the branch on Rue Ernest Allard is in Sablon, just a 10-minute walk south.<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 Capitale is located at Rue du Midi 45, 1000 Bruxelles<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aksum Coffee House<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Aksum Coffee House<\/a>, do not expect an array of filter choices\u2014in fact, on a recent visit, there was none on the menu, though a barista happily obliged when asked for one\u2014nor conversations about water hardness and fruit-forward roast profiles. Be prepared, however, for a fine selection of espresso beans exclusively from Ethiopia, teas, chocolate, and baked goods, as well as a cost-free feast for the eyes in the form of rotating wall art by local street artists.<\/p>\n

The Aksum brand has been around for a decade, but investor Vinod Gautam took it over about five years ago and, with the avid help of manager Fatima Boulben, began focusing on what Gautam calls organic, mainly small-cooperative-sourced Harar, Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Limu coffees roasted by Aksum\u2019s own roastery. Though neither is Ethiopian\u2014he is from India; her parents are from Morocco\u2014the duo is intent on sharing Ethiopian coffee with the masses, and have ambitions to one day host Ethiopian dance and coffee ceremonies in Brussels.<\/p>\n

Aksum Coffee House currently has three Brussels locations, though the most spectacular is in the renowned Saint-Hubert Royal Galleries, a 19th<\/sup>-century European shopping arcade (read: proto-mall). The Embassy of Ethiopia\u2019s quarterly magazine called this branch, which opened in July 2017, \u201cthe temple of Ethiopian coffee in the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"brussels<\/p>\n

Amidst the arcade\u2019s Old World boutiques and high-end chocolatiers, it radically offers a hangout spot, with friendly staff and room enough for small groups to share a table or solitary laptop workers to concentrate.<\/p>\n

As Boulben describes her vision of Aksum: \u201cIt has to be a place where everybody should feel comfortable. From the high social level to the normal social level, they should all feel comfortable, because you know when you say \u2018specialty coffee\u2019 people straightaway feel afraid this is expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aksum is located at Rue des Chapeliers 17, 1000 Bruxelles<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more\u00a0Karina Hof on Sprudge<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Where To Drink Coffee In Brussels<\/a> appeared first on Sprudge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source: Coffee News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A walk in the park, Brussels is not. In the Belgian capital, contrasts between the well-off and those in need can be stark. Street names and signs are given in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[26],"tags":[63,27,65,33,61,32,59,31,30],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}