Wait, what? Isn’t Paris supposed the be the city for coffee? As we explained in this post in 2012, Paris’ cafés are perhaps the best in the world at creating the perfect café ambiance… but often the coffee itself is bitter and lousy. As the previous post pointed out, however, there is a coffee revolution brewing in Paris. Finally, some cafés with decent roasts and talented baristas have entered the scene.

In the two years since we published that post, however, a handful of new coffee shops have opened around the city that deserve a mention. Alors, it’s time for a coffee in Paris update!

A perfectly poured espresso drink and expert barista Thomas Lehoux of Ten Belles. Photo: Didier Gauducheau (courtesy of HiP Blog)

Ten Belles

10 Rue de la Grange aux Belles, 75010
Website

Steps from the Canal St. Martin, Ten Belles is a cozy and intimate café that’s the perfect place to read a book or catch up with a friend. With a focus on quality roasts and impeccable execution, the coffee here will not disappoint. In addition to the gourmet beans, the food is simply delicious. Ten Belles offers two types of sandwiches every day (one veg and one non-veg) in addition to delicious cookies and other assorted baked treats. This is the perfect spot if you’re craving the Brooklyn vibe while abroad.

Café Craft

24 Rue des Vinaigriers, 75010
Website

Just around the corner from Ten Belles, Café Craft has a more industrial vibe. With a strictly black and white aesthetic and a long sprawling table, it is a great place to get some work done while on the road. In fact, that’s kind of the point. The Café Craft concept is this: pay either by consumption or connection. This means you can either purchase coffee and food and leave within the hour, or stay to work in the perfectly curated setting, paying €3 per hour for the Internet and environment. This may seem a bit strange, but to students, freelancers and people on a working holiday, it’s the perfect arrangement.

The entrance to Strada Cafe, a pint-sized spot making delicious espresso drinks. Photo: Courtesy of Strada Cafe.

Strada Café

94 Rue du Temple, 75003
Website

Hidden on Rue du Temple in the Marais, Strada Café is a tiny expat hangout with tasty coffee, food and fresh squeezed juices. It is fashioned with eclectic furniture and is decidedly unpretentious. With free Wi-Fi, friendly English-speaking staff and soft music, what’s not to like?

Fragments

76 rue de Tournelles, 75003
Website

Fragments is a relative newcomer to the Paris coffee scene, having opened jut a few months ago. The setting is ideal, with exposed brick walls, high ceilings and dark wooden furniture. You’ll notice an acute attention to detail in this café, where everything seems to be meticulously designed and catered, yet simple and elegant. What’s more, the coffee is incredible, and the simple accompanying bites to eat are delicious. The only thing missing is free Wi-Fi.

The post Coffee in Paris: New cafes serving up tasty drinks from talented baristas appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Ireland has a tea culture. It’s almost considered rude to ask someone how many cups of tea they consume in a single day. For many, the answer could be in the double digits. Others who don’t have much of a “tea habit” can drink up to five cups a day.

So what is a traveler to do when that java craving hits while wandering through the streets of Dublin? There are two choices. First, know the best cafés for coffee or alternatively, drink tea.

The Irish use one word that I especially like to describe coffee: “muck.” The general standard of coffee in Dublin is certainly “muck,” so if you have high standards for a cup of joe, don’t just stop in anywhere and expect to get a quality cup.

Here are three cafés that serve high-quality coffee in central Dublin:

Café Boulevard
132 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2
Web site

Not only does Café Boulevard offer perfect tables in the window to do some Dublin people watching, but it also offers hearty sandwiches and spicy little potato wedges that make this a favorite lunch spot in City Center. On top of the food, they also know how to make a lovely cappuccino. No burnt milk here, no bitter coffee. They also have a nice selection of desserts to accompany your coffee.

The Bald Barista
55 Aungier Street, Dublin 2
Web site

Constantly rated the best coffee in Dublin, the Bald Barista is serious about how they make their coffee. Baristas here enter competitions to show off their skills, so you can bet they can make you a cappuccino that will rival the best you’ve had at home. Ironically, the Bald Barista is located in the Avalon House hostel. Here you’re sure to find a young crowd who shares the bald baristas passion for coffee.

Queen of Tarts
4 Cork Hill, Dublin 2
Web site

Queen of Tarts might be better known for its stunning (and I mean stunning!) range of pastries, but they also serve up a solid coffee to accompany your fresh-baked treat. With plenty of tables outside, this is a nice spot to refuel after exploring the galleries, shops and markets of nearby Temple Bar.

Bewley’s
78 Grafton Street, Dublin 2
Web site

Sometimes, you just have to give in to the local traditions. For one of the most traditional places in Dublin to sit down with a cup of tea (or better yet, a pot of tea) head to Bewley’s on Grafton Street. Climb the stairs to the second floor and try to get a table overlooking the street. Once you take that first sip of Irish tea, you might understand what the fuss is all about.

Have a favorite coffee spot?

Do you have a favorite café in Dublin? Tell us about it in the comments section.

The post Dublin Cafés: Where to find great coffee in Dublin appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Ordering coffee? Ditch the details!

If you’re craving a large mocha latte with 2% milk and sugar-free syrup, you can just forget about it. Sure, train stations in the Netherlands (Amsterdam Centraal, Amsterdam Sloterdijk, Schipol Airport and Utrecht) are equipped with a Starbucks, but outside these travel terminals, you’re in a strictly European coffee culture.

Okay, you can cheat a little with the recently arrived Coffee Company, a Dutch chain, or the lunch café Bagels & Beans, but don’t expect their stock to be equipped to handle a detailed order like coffee shops in North America.

Just relax and treat yourself to a mocha with whole milk and whatever works they sprinkle on top; you’re on vacation. Unfamiliar with the menu? Try something you’ve never heard of. If you’re lucky there might be a variety of freshly squeezed juices available–those are a local favorite and packed with energy.

Bottom line: If it’s on the menu, it can’t be all that bad. Go for it.

Going Dutch: Café bars

“Only in the Netherlands is it totally normal to walk into a bar atmosphere and order a coffee or a tea,” says American journalist Laura Owings. “Back in the US, no one would ever do that there.”

It’s true; if you want to sample typical Dutch coffee culture, head to a café. By café we mean a bar, and it’s quite common to see an order of drinks range from beer to cola to tea. However, in a cafe-bar your java choices become limited to the basics: black coffee, coffee with a side of milk, a latte or a cappuccino (maybe espresso).

A cup of coffee in the Netherlands will not be drip coffee, nor will it be larger than four to six ounces. This is due to coffee being made like an espresso shot. Just like espresso, the beans are freshly ground and pressed, except coffee beans are used and a longer “shot” is pulled from the machine. The average Dutch person downs about three of these a day because they’re small and fresh.

As an extra treat, the Dutch include a small side cookie with their hot drink orders. Remember, if the café doesn’t serve a cookie on the side, it’s not worth your time!

“Coffeeshops” and coffee

Here’s where it gets interesting. Yes, “coffeeshops” are also the names of shops where people can purchase cannabis… but they also sell coffee! The whole reason these businesses are called “coffeeshops,” after all, was to hide behind the normal coffee bar façade.

And they are coffee bars, sort of. They all have a coffee bar where patrons purchase hot and cold drinks (not alcohol). Many coffeeshops pride themselves in having a variety of loose leaf herbal teas, but the coffee options are like those at a normal Dutch café.

The only difference about a coffeeshop is that the smaller bar in the back has a separate menu with a different list of “products” people can buy and consume onsite. Regardless, the environment is much more like a coffee house in the US compared to the café bar setting.

Still confused? Have advice?

So there you have it: cafes for coffee and a cookie at a bar, coffeeshops for coffee and cannabis at a café. Still boggled? If all else fails, just stick to an orange juice.

Do you have any advice for those looking for a good coffee in Amsterdam? Have a favorite coffeeshop? Share your experiences with us in our comments section.

The post Amsterdam Coffee Confusion: Coffee, cafes and coffeeshops appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.