Hi Alex, that would be great! Why don’t you come by for a cupping and we can talk and taste some coffee?” was Kris’ email back after I had told him that I was going to swing by during my recent visit to Berlin. Normally I like visiting a coffee place unannounced to make sure I get the most authentic experience but when you’re on a tight schedule and you are carrying a secret agenda, you need to change tactics. Plus, who would say no to being invited to a private cupping session at one of Berlin’s most prolific coffee roasters? A douche. That’s who.
So after my great chat with the guys from The Barn I jumped on the cross-city U-Bahn and then on a bus to get to Five Elephant, which is pretty well hidden but as many places that I’ve encountered during my quest, offers a lot more than meets the eye. It was late afternoon when I swung by and the joint was packed. The weather had really improved and people used this balmy Friday afternoon to gather for after work coffees, maybe a slice of head-spinningly good cheese cake (more on that later) and a chat. Kris was one of the many people behind the bar and seemed to recognize me instantly. Without much further ado he came to join me where I stood and said: “Let’s head over to the roastery, shall we?”
Unlike many other micro roasteries, Five Elephant is kind of split in 2 parts. A show room and a factory if you like. Just around the corner from their cozy cafe you can find the roastery, which is in the back yard of an inconspicuous brick building complex. Extremely spacious inside, the roastery looks a bit like the inside of a modern art museum. Coffee bags piled up in one corner, a surprisingly small Diedrich roaster there, a few tables elsewhere. “Welcome to our lab. Here, meet the rest of the crew,” Kris said with his thick US accent.
Five Elephant is the result of an unexpected career changing move by Kris and his girlfriend Sophie who met there about 4 years ago. Kris had just moved to the German capital after leaving his native Massachusetts and completing a short stint in London. He decided to quit his job in the film / advertising industry and wanted to do something with coffee after his initial project of turning a former Catholic girl’s gym into a media space had lost momentum. Sophie was already busy baking mouth-watering cakes and before long they were an item, not just in private. After a slightly rocky start, Five Elephant began to establish itself as one of Berlin’s first true specialty coffee roasters.
Kris gave me a tour of the place and pointed out the various coffees they have in store. “El Salvador is a bit of a special place for us. I was there not long ago. Some of our best coffees come from there,” Kris explained. He had already set up a blind cupping of 4 different coffees, too. This was how he introduced the event: “So, um, we have 4 coffees here. 2 are not from us. In fact there is one that is pretty terrible but you have to just taste for yourself.” I quickly cleansed my palate and got ready for the show. Even before Kris had finished the preparation I could already see one coffee that looked very dark, almost like chocolate soup. I feared the worst and obviously began my route with what looked to be the worst of the lot to get that over with quickly. Needless to say, it was awful. “Hm, I think I might have found the black sheep (ha ha). This one is just, urgh,” I said while pulling a disgusted face. “Err, yea sorry about that man,” Kris apologized in between slurping and spitting.
We completed our run and had a bit of a debate about which coffees we actually favoured. My guess at one being from Rwanda was totally off the chart. “No, this one’s from Brazil. It’s nice, isn’t it?” Kris asked. I realized at that moment that I really had to beef up my tongue’s ability to properly taste coffees. Have you ever watched the documentary “Somm”? F**k me. Watch it and then you’ll know what I mean. Those guys could tell the exact grape, origin and vintage of any wine they were presented with. I still have a long way to go before I get anywhere near that.
To flush out the taste of coffee Kris then offered me a glass of a very sweet Brazilian Whiskey that he keeps in the small office next door. “We have this policy that you can only drink from the various bottles here if you actually brought one yourself,” Kris informed me. “Um, but I didn’t bring one so what do we do now?” I said voicing my concern. “No worries. You can have some of mine. This one is really, really nice. It’s actually a bit too sweet but you can drink this stuff faster than apple juice,” Kris replied. Christ. It was the sweetest Whiskey I had ever had and who knew Brazil even made Whiskey at all?
After we finished here we went back over to the cafe where some of Kris’ Baristas and other friends were sitting on the sidewalk enjoying coffees, cigarettes and a good chat. We joined them and before I knew it Kris had presented me with a slice of their signature cheese cake. Needless to say it looked bombastic (also in terms of calories) and tasted like eating a cloud. I washed it all down with a good old Flat White while Kris told us a bit more about his recent drama with their La Marzocco Strada, which was currently undergoing repairs. The inside of their cafe is really cozy and resembles being in someone’s flat. I loved how most people were either chatting to each other or reading the news paper. None of that typical “I sit in a coffee shop with my laptop, working on my breakthrough screenplay” glow from a series of computers.
As we wrapped up Kris recommended I should take a look at Scott Rao’s books as they pretty much tell you everything you have to know about coffee and then some. “He was a real inspiration to me when we first started. His books are almost like a bible. Anyway, it was awesome to meet you. I hope you visit us again soon.” I hope so too mate and then I might even bring my own bottle of Whiskey!
