Walking through Zadar last week, we noticed a new spot for specialty coffee and decided to check it out. At the entrance to the passage, which serves as the café‘s outdoor terrace, the word KAVI was written in large letters. The name, which translates from Sanskrit as ‘wise poet‘, nicely fits this relatively new specialty café which, although it‘s only been open for four months, is already considered one of the leading places for top-quality coffee in the city and the wider area.
The interior is decorated minimally and charmingly, with wooden benches and tables, and the location in a quiet passage, right next to the bustling street of the old town, offers a welcome escape from the city hustle.
The focus is on specialty coffee, and a partnership has been established with the Polish roastery Hard Beans Coffee Roasters. They offer Brazil Fazenda Samambaia as the base bean for espresso and milk drinks, while the second bean on offer, Colombia San Gabriel Sidra Bourbon, is used for making cold brew. Although they currently don‘t offer filter coffee, they revealed to us that after the season they plan to introduce that option as well, specifically V60 and batch brew, which we‘re especially looking forward to.
However, what truly sets Kavi apart on the Croatian scene is the equipment. They are the only ones, along with Luta in Zagreb, who use the Victoria Arduino coffee machine, which, provided the barista knows how to use it, ensures outstanding temperature stability and precise control. Alongside it, they use the innovative Hard Tank device for preparing cold drinks.
This device shortens the traditional cold brew preparation from 24 hours to less than one. The process takes place in a closed system, which prevents oxidation and preserves the finest coffee aromas, crucial for achieving exceptional flavor clarity. The result is a drink that is both rich and intense, but also extremely gentle and aromatic, without any bitterness. It‘s definitely one of the best cold brew drinks we‘ve tried this year in Croatia, and although much credit goes to the device itself, it‘s clear that the café has optimized the grinding, amount, and ratio of coffee to water. This drink is the hit of our summer.
The other drinks we tried were also very good. The milk coffee deserves praise, as it is balanced and creamy. There is a small room for improvement with the espresso itself, which we believe will be perfected over time. The offer is rounded out with kombuchas from the local brand Juice Fast, matcha drinks from the brand Materia, as well as croissants and homemade cookies in the morning hours.
All this is served by a friendly, professional, and extremely well-coordinated team. These are young people who clearly have the will to work and improve the city‘s offering in this important coffee segment.
Therefore, Kavi is, without a doubt, an address worth visiting and a place that, with its attention to detail, has the potential to become one of the most prominent specialty cafés in Croatia.
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