2_1_DiscoverGermany_May 2015_Issue26:Scan Magazine 1
27/4/15
14:58
Page 29
Discover Germany | Special Theme | Desigh Hub Switzerland
The coffee revolution Zurich’s café bar BENZIN & KOFFEIN is more than a regular coffee shop. Combining their passion for motorbikes with a devotion to speciality coffee, the small venue enraptures guests with a timeless and international atmosphere, its wide range of exciting special events, competent and honest customer advice, a concept store and its own coffee roastery. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: DENISE MORF / SIMONE ERNST
Opened in 2014 by a small team of four people,‘BENZIN & KOFFEIN’ is the realisation of their long-term passion. The café bar’s ambience has been influenced by the ‘Benzin’[fuel], whereas the ‘Koffein’[caffeine] stands for the diverse coffee range on offer. A shop in the back sells coffee, coffee preparation equipment, motorcycle accessories and lifestyle products. Guests can also look forward to special events, such as concerts, ride outs and cuppings. Despite the exciting café bar concept, coffee remains the true focus at BENZIN & KOFFEIN as the venue offers a wide range of interesting speciality coffee creations. “We know our products inside-out. The coffee
We like to share our enthusiasm and coffee knowledge by chatting to other coffee enthusiasts,” she adds. When Simone Ernst and Denise Morf first envisioned BENZIN & KOFFEIN, they hoped to present the coffee from the roast house as directly as possible to their guests. In the café, they highlight the diversity of the coffee varieties, of preparation ways and terroir, as well as sharing and passing on their excitement about speciality coffees.
comes from our own roast house (‘Gipfelstürmer Kaffee’) and the majority of our food offers are homemade. Additionally, the shop’s products are used in the daily operations of the café bar and in our daily routines,”Simone Ernst, founder and operator, explains.
Besides offering coffee, prepared in a variety of ways, they also present a small and exquisite selection of predominantly regional beers and wines, spirits, homemade baked goods, hot and cold bagel sandwiches, as well as cold meat and cheese platters.
“Thanks to our roast house, we are personally responsible for the selection of the green coffee. We roast it to perfection and are able to present it to our guests in all its diversity in the café bar. We offer various single origin coffees as espresso or as filter preparations with the help of AeroPress, Kalita,V60, Woodneck, Chemex or Syphon.
www.benzinundkoffein.ch
Main image: Café bar in front and shop in the back Above from left: Speciality coffee also means preparation variety The shop with a wide range of lifestyle products and coffee preparation equipment. The café bar’s menu provides a lot of background information about their products
Issue 26 | May 2015 | 29