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Bonanza Coffee – Berlin (DE)

Meet the German / Dutch combo who pioneered specialty coffee in the German capital

I am going to start this post with a very bold statement. The Dutch bloody love Berlin. I think they love the German capital even more than the Germans do. I often wondered where this obsession stems from and have had a chuckle or two whenever a Dutch person got really excited after they found out I was from Germany. “Are you from Berlin? Oh my god, I love Berlin,” would be their usual reaction. No my dear friends. I am from Hamburg, which is also a very awesome city but it’s not quite Berlin.

In fact Berlin is a slightly strange island in the middle of what used to be the German Democratic Republic. Despite having been partitioned and reunited, Berlin still retains this very unique character of a city whose identity could never be crushed. The local dialect is completely different to any other in that part of the country and funnily enough I remember reading once that Dutch settlers who moved to the city in the 18th and 19th century had a really big impact on the local language. Sadly the real Berliner dialect is starting to disappear as more and more of the city’s residents are not born and bred there but instead come from all over Germany and the world to make up the city’s unique ethnic mosaique. However, I still like to think that there is some sort of mystical connection between the Dutch and Berlin. Maybe that’s also why so many of my Dutch friends have left Amsterdam in favour of Europe’s coolest capital city.

A Flat White
A Flat White

During my visit to Berlin a few days ago I started my jam-packed coffee tour at a little specialty coffee shop in Prenzlauer Berg that had been recommended to me by several people. A place that has been around for quite some time and which has been at the forefront of shaking up the city’s coffee landscape. What started off as Bonanza Coffee Heroes is now known as Bonanza Coffee and guess what? One of the owners is Dutch. Bam!

When I walked into the tiny shop on Oderbergerstrasse on that said Friday morning the place was buzzing with morning revellers. Those lucky ones who had been able to grab a stool by the window were flicking through newspapers and sipping on a lovely cup of steaming Joe while groups of tourists who regularly trickled in were left to order a cup of take away coffee. I struck up a nice conversation with hipster barista Jonathan who was towering above the gorgeous Kees van der Westen Spirit processing orders as they came while chatting to me about Bonanza’s mission to free Berlin from bad coffee (sound surprisingly similar to our mission to free the world from bad coffee so that’s good).

Despite the small size of the shop, Bonanza is busy working behind the scenes. They maintain a larger roastery in a different location and whole sale makes up the majority of their business. The shop itself is like a little laboratory where a small 3kg Probat roaster and a sample roaster are sometimes used to roast small batches. Indeed, slow coffee is prepared next to the roasters while all Espresso-based drinks are created behind the Spirit and creativity is certainly the most important theme that seems to drive the team at Bonanza. “Everyone here is some sort of artist,” Jonathan told me. “Some people paint, others write poetry and one of the founders, Kiduk, is like the futuristic head. He’s always busy finding new ways to make coffee. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with him, haha.”

Barista Jonathan
Barista Jonathan

After a group of Aussie tourists left Jonathan came around the bar to point out a few things. In the small storage area next to the bar there is a whole set up for filtering the water through reverse osmosis. This doesn’t only allow them to manage the hardness of the water much better but also allows them to optimize working with the coffee as it gets older. Although I didn’t actually meet Yumi and Kiduk, the two founders of Bonanza, Yumi was so kind to take the time to chat to me over the phone after I got back to Amsterdam. I asked her about the whole reverse osmosis to which she said: “We actually stopped it for the time being. Berlin’s water is really unreliable as a lot of different stations supply the water so you have to be constantly on your feet to manage the process.” Although it is indeed a bit geeky it’s great to see that people go to such lengths to ensure the coffee they serve is the very best they can possibly offer but it is also proof that sometimes you fight uphill battles that might not be worth fighting.

When Yumi and Kiduk first met while Yumi (who is German) was studying in Rotterdam they instantly became BFF’s but at no point did they think they’d end up running one of Berlin’s most prolific specialty coffee roasters one day. The moment of enlightenment came, as Yumi explained to me, while she was in London once visiting a friend of hers who was working at Monmouth at the time. The coffee experience she had there was an eye opener and back then Berlin was still total no-mans-land with regards to specialty coffee. After many trials and errors and a lot of sweat and blood, they managed to get to where they are today.

Coffees for sale
Coffees for sale

Although the coffee is a bit more expensive by Amsterdam standards, it is also true that the guys at Bonanza are happy to pay extra for the best quality beans they can get their hands on and this is very clearly reflected in the product you get. After enjoying a rather delicious Flat White, I decided to also take home with me a bag of their Kenya, Nyeri Gatomboya, which is fairly lightly roasted and tasted absolutely delicious when I prepared a cup with my aeropress at home.

As it so happens Bonanza is also conveniently located to Berlin’s famous Mauerpark so if you don’t want to queue for ages to get your coffee, try and avoid it during the weekend when the sun is shining. Instead pop in during a quiet mid-week morning, grab a newspaper and if you’re lucky you might even get a chance to pick Kiduk’s brain on his visions for further improving the specialty coffee experience. I heard he’s currently experimenting with pulling Espresso shots using filter roasts. I look forward to going back in June to try one of those promising shots.

Initially called Bonanza Coffee Heroes
Initially called Bonanza Coffee Heroes
Guests hanging out at the bar
Guests hanging out at the bar
Slow coffee being prepared
Slow coffee being prepared
The Coffee roasters
The Coffee roasters
A Kees van der Westen Spirit
A Kees van der Westen Spirit
Opening Times:
Mo - Fr: 8:30 - 19, Sa - Su: 10 - 19
Wifi:
Yes
Price Check:
Espresso €2,20 (or €2,50) / Flat White €2,90 (or €3,20) depending on the beans
Machine:
Kees van der Westen Spirit
Coffees On Offer:
various Espresso and filter roasts
Milk:
Landliebe

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play minecraft
9 years ago

Hmm it looks like your blog ate my first comment (it
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thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m
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thecoffeevine
9 years ago
Reply to  play minecraft

Hi there,

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