I drink two cappuccinos a day. One in the morning, one at noon. In between, if the day is kind, a filter coffee. So let's say: I have points of comparison.

And still, a shop on Brunnenstraße recently caught me completely off guard.

The shop

Kolo sits at Brunnenstraße 158, just before Rosenthaler Platz. You'll spot it by the orange furniture outside. Inside: small, bright, unfussy. Roasting happens in the back, drinking in the front.

The man behind it is Vladyslav Demonenko, from Ukraine, with titles you have to google first: World Vice Champion in Coffee in Good Spirits 2022 – that is the discipline where coffee meets alcohol – and Ukrainian Brewers Cup champion 2023.

By the way, “kolo” is Ukrainian for circle. Everyone comes in, everyone gets a say. And that's exactly how it is: nobody looks at you sideways if all you want is a cappuccino.

The coffee

There is exactly one coffee on the espresso grinder. Not ten. One. Whichever is up right now – and it delivers.

I had a filter coffee and a cappuccino. The filter first: a beautiful, clear acidity, juicy, almost like fruit. I'm not going to start telling you about lychee and bergamot. I'll just say: I drank slower than usual.

Then the cappuccino: creamy, but not sweet. That acidity cuts right through the milk – and that's exactly what makes it. One of the best I've ever had.

You can see why in the shop: they roast right here, and it is the kind of stuff that usually ends up on competition stages – single origins, rare microlots, competition-grade coffees. The beans rotate with the seasons, brewed as V60 or batch brew.

Secret tip?

I wish. It isn't one anymore: at Berlin Coffee Week 2025, Kolo was voted the city's best specialty coffee shop. So the coffee nerds already know. If you're not one of them – even better. You still have this ahead of you.

There is wifi, and you can work there too. But you don't have to. Drink the coffee first.