Let me tell you, I had no idea this little town would have so much amazing coffee. I was pleasantly surprised. Johnny’s mom google “has third wave coffee hit lithuania yet” and the next thing I know, we have at least ten coffee shops to try and only a few days to hit them. Vilnuis Coffee Tour 2018, we’re getting tshirts.
So a few things that helps this town be the best place for a coffee tour is it’s walkability. It feels like quite a small town, even though apparently a million people live there. We usually started our morning with a walk to a cafe, sometimes a two minute walk and the furthest was a twenty minute walk.
Since, as I said earlier, there are so many great coffee shops I just want to tell you about the BEST ones, to me.
My number one has to be Crooked Nose and Coffee Stories
This cafe has particular hours so make sure to check those before you walk to it.
When you walk in, you might notice the barren menu. When I asked about a menu the barista explained that they invite their customers to smell the coffee beans they have roasted for the day. After choosing the one that smells the best to them, they then walk the customers through the different processes of brewing coffee. Chemex, aeropress, pour over with a steel filter or pour over with a bro filter. The bro filter is linen. The way they designed it, they said it almost works like wood. I was confused, but I believed them.
The only milk they use is oat milk by Oatly and they only serve it with a coffee that will be enhanced by the milk, not covered up. After working at starbucks for years, having a passion for coffee and constantly having to put exceptional quality aside for the quantity of drinks we have to make, I felt so comforted by this place. We tried two coffees, both made with the bro filter. I have always preferred a french press because I dislike the paper texture and taste that a pour over would leave me with, but this filter creates a smooth and bright cup of coffee. The baristas were so helpful, I walked in knowing nothing about their coffee shop and now here I am, acting like an expert.
This is probably the best coffee experience I have ever had. I will say that they do not do expresso. Instead they just focus on brewed coffee. They do sell their beans to several other locations in the city for espresso beans.
Located extremely close to the city center, Strangelove was the first cafe we went to. It felt like the cafe I would go to with my girlfriends, not only is there amazing coffee but also a balcony and outside seating area. The balcony looks over a beautiful park, perfect for summer nights. The outside area was decorated with lights and giant drawings of cascara plants, coffee beans being roasted, and the cafe itself.
I tried several drinks from this cafe: latte, americano, and a rose espresso. The rose espresso was the star drink, especially for a hot summer. It was an iced shot of espresso topped with a rose flavored soda water. They also had fruit smoothie, flavors like lingonberry and mint, and a nicely stocked bar for cocktails. I had a nice amaretto sour while sitting in a bean bag chair outside with my boyfriend’s family. There were more cafes around, basically ones on every corner, but if you are heading to Vilnius I really recommend these two.
Alyssa in France 