Espresso Cultura by Stan Bachev, photo by placescases.com

Gourmet espresso in Café Espresso Cultura in the center of Sofia, Bulgaria

Espresso Cultura Café rating by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com: 5 out of 5.

November  2020

 

Seen            5 Big Hearts by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com

Felt              5 Big Hearts by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com

Heard          5 Big Hearts by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com

Smelled      5 Big Hearts by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com

Tasted        5 Big Hearts by the 5D Sensograph of placescases.com   

Reading time: 5 min

You don’t have 5 min to read? Then try the fast mode, go only through bold and colored text-3  min

You don’t have 3 min.? See the short movie further below: 0:59  min.

If you hear about the Kingspresso, then we are talking about the coffee by the King of Espresso, Stan Bachev, and his kingdom of gourmet coffee – café Espresso Cultura in Sofia.

Before you continue, take a small test to see if you should continue reading this post:

  1. You prefer more variations of coffee with all tastes and additives to it.
  2. You love long coffee, you think it is the most saturating dose, the most gentle force of coffee or you just like to sip it for a long time with a few cigarettes.
  3. You are feeling ok to pay BGN 20 for coffee.
  4. You don’t care what coffee is, the important thing is to have sugar.

If at least one of the above 4 statements is true, you better stop reading and see the post – FROM BARISTA COFFEE AND MORE – VARIOUS METAMORPHOSES OF THE FAVORITE BEVERAGE, SOFIA, BULGARIA.

If at least one of the above statements is true for you, but you are curious and want to try something new, learn something more about coffee, if you are a true gourmand and appreciate good wine and food, keep on reading.

Well, in case it’s not your day for espresso and you really like cappuccino with fluffy creamy foam or even latte and macchiato ,you can still read on.

See ….

…. A small room, brighter than every other around, somehow stands autonomously against the general background. I can compare it to the enclave of the Vatican, located regally and dignified in the center of Rome, in the big, noisy and colorful Italy.

Espresso Cultura, this little realm of espresso, exists in harmony, but also somehow in contrast to the city and the universe, despite the pandemics and prejudices of the people. Its king claims only to be the ruler of the espresso and nothing else. He does not want to conquer other territories, neither of chocolate houses nor of bakeries. He just wants to develop the philosophy of coffee as he understands it. Forbes wrote about Stan Bachev and they produced him in the title of King of Espresso.

…. A huge coffee machine that is unlike any other in Bulgaria – every strainer is regulated separately. In addition, you will see several huge grinders.

… Large handwritten board announcing what types of coffee are available for the day.

 

Feel ….

…. Welcomeness and hospitality, all due to Stan’s smile;

…. Although they are high, the chairs are very comfortable because they are upholstered. The idea is to enjoy coffee in comfort, to spend as much time as you need, and at the same time there is no reason to sit too much longer, because except for coffee and several types of soft drinks, nothing else is offered.

…. The prices are from EUR 10, upwards – this is the price of the quality. If you feel shocked, well, I warned you at the beginning of the post.

Hear ….

…. Stan’s explanations about the qualities of the different types of coffee he offers, about his obsession with espresso, about his plans for the future;

…. The sound, as Stan says, of “synchrony between man, machine and coffee”, i.e. only he hears it, you don’t. I joked that he made coffee by ear. He explained to me that it was a feeling, a gift from God, and wished everyone such happiness that he experiences of it.

In fact, the espresso in this machine goes through a pre-infusion phase, during which Stan listens to the machine, the coffee, and their Om to start the extraction of the liquid gold, or, as he puts it, listens to when the first drop flows.

Movie watching time: 0:59 min.

 

Smell ….

…. Oh, so fascinating coffee aroma. If you are a true coffee maniac, you will feel all sorts of aftertaste. Stan lets you enjoy the aroma of the especially fresh grounded for you coffee. This is how an experience is built for the customers!

I mention again my favorite theory of the Experiences Economy by Joseph Pines and James Gilmore. I remind you that…

… an experience is memorable for the client when it is fun, educational, aesthetic and escapist.

Read below why I think Espresso Cultura is a typical example of the experience economy.

Taste ….

…. Mandatory espresso, get some water, especially if you are going to order several types to test. Just be careful about the budget, you can quickly spend EUR 50;

… Of course for big fans of cappuccino, late or macchiato, you can find your favourite drink there too]

…. I tried from Ethiopia chechele. When you drink it, you first feel sour, because it is pure Arabica. Then a little salty, at one time a little spicy and then the most interesting bitter you have ever tasted. Above, in the middle of the palate, a bitter taste settles softly, which instead of making you frown spreads like soft heat.

Espresso Cultura is a typical example of the Experience Economy because it offers real espresso fun, in the company of an interesting interlocutor in the person of the Espresso King-part-time barista 😊 – i.e. Stan, who will take care of educating you if you are curious about the origin, the aromas and flavors of the coffee. Aesthetically, you will enjoy an exceptional ocher color with a slightly creamy consistency in the top layer of the short coffee, and while this ritual lasts, you will forget about Covid-19 and other mundane troubles.

 

How to get to café Espresso Cultrua?

Don’t worry about getting to café Espresso Cultura in Sofia. Just use the Google map here by clicking on the red pin of its location and then select directions:

Espresso Cultura, Sofia, Bulgaria

A: 7 “Saborna” str, 1000 Sofia Center

Opening hours: Mon- Sun 7:00-20:00

If you need to rent a car, you can book it here in the box of the largest booking platform.

Where to stay if you are not from the city?

If you are not from Sofia and you are already planning a visit to the city I recommend that you book your stay right hereFor your convenience, I have added a booking.com box, which refers directly to their site. I guarantee you’re going to use all your genius discounts and privileges they would offer to you. Just enter the dates of your trip, then hit the Search button and voila. In addition, booking.com are doing their best to make sure that your expectations as a customer are fulfilled. I’ve described an example about the latter in  my story about our stay in Shangri-La hotel in Singapore .



Booking.com

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Do you ever wonder how some places differ so much from others in service, environment, as an overall experience? This means you are also interested like me in the topic of The Experience Economy by Pine and Gilmore. I constantly add to my collection reviews about those of them, which practice its principles, regardless of intentionally or accidentally. If you are curious to understand which are they, explore category The Experience Economy.

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