Coffee is one of his biggest passions and he knows that it is also something he would love to pursue in the future. Namely, by having his own pražírna or cafe, he would love to make people drink good quality coffee and inform them about the whole process and details, so they are able to appreciate this drink more. “I am impressed by the whole process of coffee. Everything begins in the soil that already influences the coffee, together with the weather, and climate. Then follows another important element, the attitude and techniques of the farmer and after that the whole process continues ” Tadeas explains to me that the second chapter of the coffee tale is written by the barista, and his skills. And it is the whole story of each coffee bean as well as the diversity of this drink that impressed Tadeas. “You can taste which coffee comes from Africa, which comes from Brazil, you can influence the result by the temperature and different preparation, and there are so many other things around it. It is like art”
He is also a big wine lover, because of the similar reasons. Wine has its whole story, but unlike coffee, it is only the first part of the process, the farmer’s job. Meanwhile with coffee, there is also the second part of the whole story, the job of the baristas. When I aks Tadeas how he build such a strong connection and knowledge about coffee, he tells me that he was kind of pushed into the gastronomy field by his dad, and during his gastronomy studies in Austria, when he was trying to discover the right area for him, he was reading and learning about coffee and he knew right away that this was it.
And it was coffee that brought him to Berlin. One of his friends, who is also a barista, mentioned that Berlin is the city with the best “coffee community” these days, so it was a clear choice for Tadeas. Where else should he learn but in this city. Without knowing anything else about this place, Tadeas packed his things and went to Berlin. And it wasn’t only barista skills that he learned while living here. Berlin has become a place where he was self-developing a lot, where he found his way, his freedom, and kind of “easy life”. “You know, everything is so close here, you can cycle easily and you can find in this city everything you can think of. Besides, everyone is so open, and I have the feeling that if something happens to me here, people will always help.” Tadeas’s dream has always been to live in a big city and work there in a coffee shop, and this dream came true. Now he is planning to return back home, which is the very opposite of Berlin.
He comes from a small village in a traditional region in Czech Republic and although he has tried what life in a big city looks like – free and open-minded rather than based on traditional way of thinking – he still loves the region he comes from and has a strong relationship with it. It is not only his home, he also enjoys the wine culture a lot, and the village life. “When you sometimes go to the garden and dig with a spade, when you just snack on a thick piece of bread with a layer of homemade lard with a pinch of salt, or when you come to the village and everyone knows you there…” I find it very admirable when someone is able to be happy and live a good life in a village again after experiencing the diverse, vibrant, and a bit chaotic city life. But Tadeas can appreciate both, and simply finds joy both in the traditional village in Czechia and in liberal pulsing Berlin full of great coffee places. “It is only about the balance and about doing what you feel like is right at the moment.” For Tadeas, it is now coming back to Czechia and starting his studies at the University in Brno.
But his time in Berlin hasn’t been only about learning barista skills, and about discovering his future journey, but he also found his way to literature, especially to the Czech one. Before, he wasn’t reading that many books in his native language, he was barely reading poetry collections and now, he became a big fan of contemporary czech female writers and he even started to write his own poetry in Berlin. The biggest inspiration, his muse, wasn’t the city but a very close person, one of the closest people in his life, who he met in Berlin, and with whom he built a very beautiful, strong and honest friendship. But when this person moved to another city, Tadeas missed them so much, felt emptiness and grief, that he started to write poems, to relieve this sadness and nostalgia and to connect with this person through his verses. He also mentioned his second inspiration, which is Czech rap. It influences his writing style but if it weren’t for his closest friend and their separation, he would never get into poetry. Apart from poetry he writes a barista blog where he shares articles about preparation and different types of coffee, and where he is also trying to build his own brand.
He doesn’t know where exactly he will be in 10 years, but he is sure he will do something with coffee (and if not coffee, then with wine), and that he will be happy. Tadeas is that type of person who is grateful and appreciates the things he has, no matter if it is in a traditional village in the Czech Republic, Berlin, or anywhere else where there are cozy cafes and good coffee.
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Coffee, wine, poetry and… coffee. That is exactly what today’s story is about. After interviews connected to important but heavy and sad topics, such as the Ukrainian war or women rights in Iran, there is the story of Tadeas. A very peaceful, calm and smiling person, who came to Berlin because he wanted to learn more about coffee – one of his biggest passions. While having a glass of wine in a cozy wine bar called Le Balto, Tadeas talks about coffee in so much detail and I am completely immersed in his narration, discovering the art and science behind coffee and its story. The conversation with Tadeas, who is a very grateful person, able to appreciate the present and being happy no matter what he is doing and where he is living, brings peace to mind. And it is also nice to talk in my native language for a moment, since Tadeas comes from the Czech Republic as well. He is actually the first Czech person I’ve met here in Berlin, and he even comes from the same region as me. And where else could I meet Tadeas for the first time than in a café, where he drew a beautiful swan on my oat milk cappuccino.
