All coffee is not made equal. In fact, coffee can be extraordinarily complex. Perhaps it’s the hundreds of potential ways of making it or the multifaceted notes that hide within each cup, coffee can be as diverse as red wine. The days of sour, unenjoyable brews are long over. Coffee addicts today rather go for drip coffee, cold brew or flat whites.

Coffee is much more than a drug to keep you awake and people in Australia and the UK have realized this a long time ago. There, international coffee specialties can be found everywhere and are considered a sign of good taste. The exquisite flavor, the origin of the coffee bean, the gentle processing style, the manner in which it is roasted and the various brewing methods – all of these factors make up an exceptionally great coffee.

If you are looking for the best cup of joe in Berlin, look no further than Tres Cabezas – a Berlin-based roastery that you can find in three amazing locations – Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg and Mitte. I’m meeting the founders Sascha Spittel and Robert Stock on a cold winter day in their showroom on Boxhagener Straße.
Sascha and Robert have known each other since they were kids. In 2002 they decided to open their own shop together. This was also the year that Starbucks decided to open their first German outlet. “The big guys sort of paved the way for us, so we could start to offer really great coffee”, Robert says.

You can tell by the long lines of coffee addicts, the gigantic roasting drum and the numerous coffee sacks lying around: here you’ll find passionate coffee experts at work. “We are all about direct trade specialty coffee, Sascha explains. This means, that the raw coffee is directly shipped from its origin to Germany. Once it arrives at Tres Cabezas, it is roasted, grounded and brewed. This transparency is needed for sustainability and exceptional quality. The plantations are carefully selected: Robert and Sascha are constantly travelling the world, have met their farmers personally and have even farmed coffee themselves.

Most of their coffee is organically certified and farmed under sustainable cultivation conditions, but their stores in Berlin make sure to hold up a high standard of sustainability. Under the motto ‘Zero Waste’, they sell their house brands BerlinKaffee, Pura Vida and Wild at Heart directly from the roasting drum to the customer, so no plastic packaging is involved. They also want to stop selling to-go cups in the near future. 

I ask them about the differences between the various coffee beans. Sascha is extremely enthusiastic and tells me all about the different countries where coffee is cultivated and the ‚natural process‘ of the raw coffee in which the bean is dried within the coffee berry. Once the perfect level of dryness is reached, the dried pulp is extracted and turned to Cascara de cafe   (tea from coffee berries.) “It’s not too well known around here but it is an amazing byproduct of making coffee and extremely rich in antioxidants”, Sascha explains.

“Latte Macchiato is dead”, he says. Now it’s all about the hardness of the water, the temperature, the grinding degree and the right dosage. Drip coffee has suddenly become an indulgence, since the full flavour of the coffee bean can easily be developed. Just like wine has its own bouquet, you can also taste hints of fruit, chocolate and nuts in your coffee.

If you wanna enjoy the perfect drip coffee, follow these rules: 1000 g of water are poured over 60g of coffee. The grind should be the perfect texture for the coffee filter you’re using. One cup equals about 21g of coffee. Carefully pour the water onto the coffee, making sure that the coffee is completely saturated once. Now you let it steep for a while – this method is called blooming. Then you pour the rest of the hot water over it and serve it immediately.

Coffee has become the most popular beverage in Germany, something you also notice within Tres Cabezas. “We currently employ about 25 people. All of them are really enthusiastic and identify themselves with our shop. Oh and they also love coffee” Sascha tells me proudly. Last year they opened up their very own bakery, so the baked goods for all their stores are produced on site. In their newest shop, 19 grams on Chausseestraße, you can even find an international breakfast menu. “We offer Brunch and poached eggs. We are so happy with this new location. Logistics wise it is of course a challenge, managing three stores at once, but we are also excited to get our own hands dirty from time to time,” both founders agree.

2017 is the year of Trez Cabezas 15th anniversary. We wish them all the best!