Companion began in early 2013 as an espresso and tea bar in the corner of a Kreuzberg fashion store; since 2018 the founding duo from Vancouver and Perth has run its own room on Weserstraße in the Reuterkiez — white-grey walls and a marble counter, pale wood, raw brick.

The name does the work: tea sits on equal footing with coffee, sourced directly from the farms with full traceability, including pickings from India and Nepal. Alongside it, cleanly pulled espresso and hand-brewed filter (V60, Aeropress, Chemex), matcha as a fixed line and sweet pastries from the case; the savoury route goes through the grilled cheese. The laptop stays in the bag here as a matter of policy — the room is built for conversation.