Brașov, Romania — The best place in Europe? PART 1: The Specialty Coffee
The town of nearly 300,000 people stole my heart for good and doesn’t seem to be handing it back any time soon.
It’s not just the coffee. It’s not just the mountains or the fog hugging them. It’s not even just the people.
Brașov is a combination of many great things, and it needs to be experienced.
I’ll do my best to put the magical town into words, but no words are enough to describe that hidden gem of Europe.
Why you should visit Brașov asap
Brașov is one of those up-and-coming places.
The best thing about the town, mark my words, is that it’s underrated.
When visiting Romania, most travelers go to Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara, in addition to Bucharest (or București), the capital.
That means Brașov is left somewhat unbothered by the camera-equipped crowds.
Therefore, you can explore the place as intimately, quietly, loudly, or outgoingly as you wish.
It gets better — the main sights of Brașov — Tampa mountain and the Black Church — are free or cost next to nothing to visit.
What To Do In Brașov, aka 1 Million Reasons To Visit The Town
As is always the case with the best places, it wasn’t just the stunning landscapes that stole my heart — it was the coffee. I mean people.
I met some amazing beans, I mean people, in the mountain town who made a huge impact on my stay. Let me elaborate.
The Best Coffee Shops In Brașov, Romania
The first few weeks in Romania left me perplexed.
What’s up with the specialty coffee culture in Brașov, I wondered. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.
It wasn’t just Brașov, though. It’s the whole of Romania.
When I thought Tel Aviv in Israel was the world’s specialty coffee capital, I hadn’t been to Bucharest yet.
There’s a specialty coffee shop every few hundred meters in the capital, and that’s not even an exaggeration.
Although I could write a whole separate book about the specialty coffee shops in Romania, I will only stick to the Brașovian cafés for now.
Tekafe
Tekafe was not my favorite specialty coffee shop in Brașov. It was my second favorite (dramatic beginning, yes, I know).
My main spot, Humans Coffee Shop, closed down shortly after I left the country.
I still wear their tote daily, though. Rest in peace, human beans (pun intended).
As my favorite barista (shout out to Sebastian) moved to Tekafe after Humans closed down, I’m sure Tekafe is better than ever.
Tekafe is a cozy, intimate spot that serves award-winning V60, in addition to delicious Aeropress and just amazing espresso. T
hey also offer Siphon, different milk coffees, specialty teas, and hot chocolate made from selected cocoa beans.
If all that doesn’t sound inviting to you, I don’t know what will.
Meron
Meron is a famous specialty coffee roastery in Romania. Meron Brașov, however, has quite a story behind it.
Meron Brașov is not quite just another Meron café.
It is just a name bought in for the coffee shop to gain easier publicity. It’s a complicated story, and I’ve only heard one side of it.
However…
Naomi, the woman behind Meron Brașov, has a big heart.
Whatever the story, the spot is worth checking out for the awesome interior and vibe, the people, and the delicious specialty coffee.
Book Coffee Shop
Putting Book Coffee Shop into words doesn’t do it justice.
The specialty coffee shop serves drinks made from award-winning beans (literally) by baristas who know their shit (excuse my French).
The coffee is beyond amazing, as you’d expect, but it’s the atmosphere that makes the place special.
The melon-colly vibe, lack of daylight despite the windows, dark-ish music, and the fact that they fill your water glass up the second you empty it make it an ideal spot for mafia meetings.
Book Coffee Shop makes you inspired to write a book, even if you’ve never written an essay in your life.
In other words, I couldn’t recommend the place enough.
CH9
CH9 is the first specialty coffee shop I visited in Brașov.
The place is located right next to the Black Church, one of the most famous churches in Romania.
CH9 serves coffee exclusively from Spired Roastery. My favorite thing about the café isn’t the coffee, though.
It’s the building itself.
You can either sit downstairs for some social interaction, upstairs if you prefer a bit more privacy, or outside facing the legendary church.
And after the coffee?
There’s a lot to do in the town besides visiting coffee shops.
So much, in fact, that it deserves a separate post (which it’ll rightfully get).
Stick around for the before-after-and-in-between coffee amusements of Brașov. You’ll want to, I’ll tell you that much.
