Looking for the perfect place for a coffee. (source: Sme - Pavol Funtál)
THE SLOVAK capital boasts about 2,200 places where folks can enjoy a cup of coffee. Now Bratislava’s inhabitants are again choosing their favourite café. Residents had until March 20 to nominate, via the capital city’s website, their most beloved café in this 4th year of the contest Café of the City.
“From recent experiences we know that about 100 cafés will get into the semi-finals and then 25 of them will compete for the title Café of the City,” the competition’s organiser, Denisa Priadková, told the TASR newswire.
The competition has several criteria such as that the café must have been in its present location for at least one year and that it offers at least three types of coffee. For café visitors, it may not be just the quality of the coffee that is decisive.
In past years’ voting, café denizens have also been influenced, apart from the quality and choices of java, by the café’s good service, aesthetic environment and its specialities.
In recent years, visitors’ palates have changed too.
“While six years ago café owners complained that making a good quality coffee was a waste of time, as people could only tell a black coffee from a white one and only a few gourmets ordered latte, clients now know much more about various kinds and qualities of coffee and that is one of the reasons why new offerings have been constantly added,” Priadková said.
Within Europe, Priadková considers Portugal, Italy, Hungary, and Austria to be countries with well-developed café culture, where staff can 'read' the tastes and desires of customers. And people abroad are also more willing to experiment, she added.
