The Hybrid Coffee/Wine Bar An emerging concept
| Date: October 2nd 2019 | Theme: Trends & Developments | Espressionals: Loeki
A concept that has been popping up all over, quickly: the hybrid café. A combination of specialty coffee and natural wine in one café, paired excitingly with quality food. Where the traditional café focuses on morning coffee and brunch/lunch you can now find happiness in fine wining too, all day and into the late evening. People were telling me I spent too much time in coffee bars before, well would you look at me now!
How come the two combine so well? Our take on this trend: Both products are made from fruits that are highly sensitive to natural conditions, making them complex and versatile. Drinking specialty coffee or natural wine can feel like rediscovering an ancient product. There are different rules, new colours, new aromas and tasting notes. Acidity, sweetness, fizziness, funky details. All in all a delight for the adventurous consumer: a first encounter may be confusing but with the right amount of curiosity this quickly turns into mere excitement!
Amsterdam recently became home to some beautiful ‘hybrids’ like my personal favourites 4850 and Schuurmanoomkensgrasotti, who both incorporated fine coffee and wine into their concept. Other café’s organise monthly or quarterly natural wine tastings in their café (like Fuku). In any way combining a versatile offer of specialty coffees with the funky flavours of natural wines seems to be a recipe for success, attracting coffee and wine conoisseurs and lovers from far and wide. Other hybrid cafés worth a visit are Blommers aan de Haven in Nijmegen and the recently opened Mecca in Rotterdam.

Mecca
Fresh and fragrant food inspired by the middle east, great coffee made on a Modbar and a selection of cocktails and natural wine.
Noordsingel 39
Rotterdam
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Schuurmanoomkensgrasotti
Try pronouncing that! [the name] has beautiful organic food, natural wines, craft beer, surprising sodas and White Label Coffee.
Overtoom 558
1054 LN Amsterdam
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Blommers aan de Haven
Coffee roasted to perfection at the equally named coffee roastery Blommers Coffee and a prominent place for a selection of natural wines.
Kaaisjouwerskade 206
6541 EW Nijmegen
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4850
My favourite local, just around the corner from the office (and my home). A spectacular wine list, countless fantastic filter coffees and fine, fine food.
Camperstraat 48-50
1091 AH Amsterdam
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