coffee nerd – Heidelberg (DE)

There’s something truly unique about German cities. Most of the larger ones were razed to the ground during WWII and have been rebuilt with varying degrees of succees while the majority of the smaller towns survived the terrors of the one of the worst periods of in human history.

If there’s one place that can truly be described as a jewel in Germany’s urban crown, then it’s Heidelberg. This stunning town in the southern part of the country is not only world famous for its pictoresque architecutre and castle but also enjoys global fame as one of Germany’s top university towns and as the home of the printed press (amongst many other achievements).

This gorgeous little town also hosts a spectacular coffee bar that has been doing its part to serve really great coffee to locals, students and visitors alike. Albeit a little away from the main thoroughfare, the Hauptstrasse, coffee nerd is the kind of place that impresses with its minimalistic interior, high tech coffee set up and great selection of national roasters.

Founder Thomas, who happens to be from Heidelberg, spent a few years living in Berlin where he worked for a large corporation before discovered that his passion was actually elsewhere. “I kept going to places like Bonanza and God Shot where I realized that there was so much more to coffee than I had ever known before. After a while I decided that I wanted to move back to my home town and start my own coffee bar, so here I am,” he said while preparing a spectacular espresso tonic.

He admitted that beginnings were slow but after a while the local population began getting used to Thomas’ fruit espressi and floral filter coffees. These days he owns one of the few Slayer espresso machines in Germany and treats every shot as a scientific process that must be perfectly managed.

The espresso tonic he served me was probably the best I’ve ever had. Prepared with a perfect shot of Bonanza’s Knots Family espresso and mixed with Thomas Henry Tonic, served over ice. The colours looked so striking that it was almost too beautiful to drink.

Thomas also told me that the majority of his customers still prefer drinking espress0-based drinks and that for this reason he was always looking for truly special coffees. He partners with different roasters from around the country for his espresso coffees and sometimes gets guest filter coffees from foreign roasters.

coffee nerd really is a refreshing alternative to the large chains that dot the city’s main arteries and offer little respite from the hoards of tourists that throng the streets of this picture-perfect German town.