Specialty coffee in Rostock
Moin zusammen, I came to Rostock 3 months ago, and at the time I was really surprised since there was no compiled list of specialty coffees in Rostock, even though its supposed to be "the biggest city in MV" with a vibrant community of diverse residents, especially uni students. That changes today! This is my best attempt at creating a list of what I think are the local elites in the coffee scene. I will "judge" the coffee shops based on their geographical locations, the consistency in baristas' skills, and on the coffee beans themselves. For context: I'm heavily biased towards espresso-based milk drinks like cappuccino and flatwhite, so I'm judging the shops mainly based on these. Here we go:
1. Baltic Brothers (Kaffeebar am Dobi & Kaffeebar am Musikwerkstatt)
My go-to place everytime I don't know where else to go (also cause both of the locations are quite central). One is at Doberaner Platz, the other one walking distance from Steintor/IHK tram station, both have reasonably spacious outside seating area. The baristas at both locations are consistent, I've never really had a badly made coffee there. They do have their own beans, but only a "Hausmischung" - aka generic mixed beans. However, they compensate this by rotating more specialty beans from different roasters in Germany. I've seen batches from Berlin, Stralsund, and currently they're having Hoppenworth & Ploch from Frankfurt am Main, which has a very clear fruity papaya note. Sometimes they run out of the specialty beans though, but their normal beans are also acceptable (aka just your average espresso-based drink). Price-wise its reasonable, I think €4.2 for a flat white and €3.8 for a cappuccino if I'm not wrong?
Verdict: Best in Rostock, but you either get a near Berlin third-wave adjacent coffee or "just a coffee" depending on what beans they're having on roster. The place has good vibe so I often go there to read books or study.
2. GERDA und das GLÜCK ️Specialty Coffee
Its... ok. They also rotate specialty beans from other roasters, quite often foreign ones. The baristas' skills are solid, but beans options for espresso-based drinks are not so good (a bit mild/muted I'd say). But I once had a filter with one of their more high-end beans and that was really good. Location-wise its a medium walk from the nearest tram station (Kabutzenhof), so I'm rarely there.
Verdict: Good, nothing to criticize but not yet Berlin third-wave adjacent level.
3. Laska ein Café der Kaffeerösterei da joir ma
First coffee shop I visited in Rostock, since I read that they're a local roaster, and I love supporting fully local businesses. They also have a variety of beans, both Mischung (blend) and single-origin. I had a flat-white with their Ethiopian beans once, it was good, better than the flat white I had at GERDA even, but I remember it was more expensive, around €4.9. Maybe due to they roasting their own beans idk lol. Location-wise they're literally a few houses away from GERDA, so I'm also infrequently there. In all the times I've visited, there is only 1 woman behind the bar (probably the owner?), so the coffee is consistent.
Verdict: Good, plus point for roasting their own beans, minus point for the almost €5 flat white. That's like Munich price point lol.
4. Ronja Espresso
Also a very interesting espresso bar, since its apparently owned by the owner of KaffeeLagerRostock a few blocks away. They roast their own beans (duh), but I've only had good coffees there with their Hausmischung (Gold or something). They do tend to have one "fruitier" beans variety on roster at all time, but that one does not make a good milk drink, maybe I'll have a filter there somewhen. Barista skill varies.
Verdict: Good for people who enjoy a typical medium-roasted bitter espresso. Minus point for not having a guest toilet, which is very essential for a coffee shop since coffee makes you want to pee lol.
5. Honorary mention: cafeshop especial
They are not really a place for you to come sit down and enjoy a coffee, cause they focus more on selling beans and coffee gears. Great place if you are in need to buy stuffs for your home setup.
This is my current list of decent specialty or specialty-adjacent coffee shops in Rostock. Since this is made purely based on personal preferences and opinions, it might be biased and untrue for some or many people. If anyone has a recommendation/suggestion, feel free to leave a comment. And if I manage to find another noteworthy coffee shop during my stay here, I'll update the list.
Otherwise, cheers! I'm off to get a coffee lol.