Meet a Local: Jarda Tucek of doubleshot coffee roasters

Meet a Local: Jarda Tucek of doubleshot coffee roasters

If you’re drinking great coffee in a Prague cafe, the odds are that the beans were roasted by doubleshot coffee roasters. In about four years, they have managed to teach locals drink lighter roasts of high-quality coffee from selected farmers, and showed them how to brew great filter coffee at home, too. Their flagship cafe, Muj salek kavy, is one of the best in Prague, and we still insist that their paper cups are the only cups that are the right size. (Yes, we hate those humongous cups as much as you do.)

In this edition of our Meet a Local series, we have talked to Jarda Tucek, one of the three founders of doubleshot, and arguably the face of the company. You know he’s been around when Ralf, the owner of The Barn in Berlin, tells us to say hi to him, or when the barista at Joe Coffee HQ in New York City asks us whether we know him. We had a small chat at doubleshot’s new barista training centre right next door to Muj salek kavy in the Karlin district that has recently opened to the public, too, which means it is not only designed for doubleshot’s wholesale customers but also allows the public to learn how to prepare a great cup of coffee at home. 


Prague local favorites: Simply Good

Prague local favorites: Simply Good

Our tours are sometimes tough. For instance, we were getting lots of visitors with Czech heritage from Texas, and they kept asking us where they could get the best kolachees in Prague. There was always an awkward pause and lots of hesitation. You see, we could not think of a place that would sell kolachees, yeast dough treats with various sweet fillings, the way we knew them from our family gatherings, the proper kolachees. And them Simply good opened. This little bakery in the Karlin district sold yeast dough kolachees, frgale, cakes with streusel and such so good we could not believe they were not done by Zuzi’s grandma in the Slovacko region of Moravia where Zuzi is from. No wonder they often run out of products early into the day as people from the surrounding offices flock by to sweeten their lives just a bit with something that tastes truly home-made. 

The heart and the soul of the establishment is Hanka, the lovely owner. Always busy but with a smile on her face, Hanka is really proud of what she does - and still retains a truly hands-on approach. She has no problem naming her favorite things in the shop and the story behind them. What we love about Hanka is her life philosophy: although she must have faced some challenges transitioning from her previous job to the career of a pro baker, she always looks at the bright side of life. Things will simply work out. It was a pleasure to stop by the shop and ask a few questions. 


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Prague off the beaten path: Veverkova street

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Prague off the beaten path: Veverkova street

Letna, the district we love and recommend for a visit, has always been a place that attracted creative people. Heck, it’s the district that the National Gallery and the Academy of Fine Arts call home, after all. It is also the district of our rental apartment, so it must be good, right?

Recently, a small section of a small street in the middle of Letna has become a tiny hub for young creative types: the Veverkova street. A stretch of no more than 50 meters between the Kostelni and Milady Horakove streets accommodates a handful of places that offer fun shopping and eating opportunities. And because shopping and eating are two of our favorite things especially when we travel - and because Zuzi bought two Christmas presents for Jan there - we have to write about these venues. Some may be familiar, some may not. But they are all small, authentic and creative in their own right and create a sense of a small community.


Prague local favorites: Kafe Karlin

Prague local favorites: Kafe Karlin

To be honest, the people of Kavovy klub really ruined mediocre coffee for us. Some five years ago, you felt like a connoisseur over a cup of Illy coffee. Then Zuzi joined the wonderful Scuk gang and agreed to attend their coffee course. She was concerned. Coffee usually caused bad heartburn for her and she always ordered lattes to dissolve the coffee in lots of milk. But she was new and wanted to learn. The course, lead by Zdenek, one half of the Kavovy klub duo, opened her eyes to specialty coffee. No heartburn and delicious arabicas!


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Prague off the beaten path: Letna and Holesovice Districts

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Prague off the beaten path: Letna and Holesovice Districts

OK, the winter may not be the best time of the year for a long walk, but honestly, the temperatures are not at all bad and if you wear an extra layer, you can see a part of the town that is not on the radar for most foreign visitors. If you've done all the major sights (and we're guessing you have) and wish to see something less crowded, one of the options is our home district, Prague 7. It isn't far and we think it offers a great variety of things to see and do. (And eat, too, don't worry - we know how hungry you can get after a walk, ok?)


Prague Restaurant Preview: Field

Prague Restaurant Preview: Field

When we first heard about the Field restaurant in early November last year, we had pretty high expectations. We were fans of Ola Kala and its executive chef, Mr Kasparek: the food was great and the restaurants did seem like one of the few hidden gems in the city - we always wondered why it was not on more people’s radar given how good we thought the food was. 

Then we saw Field's website. Full screen photos. Gorgeous pictures. Ambitious philosophy. We heard the first reactions. Great sauces. Lots of fun. We knew we had to go.


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The Prague food scene in the year 2014: the Recap

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The Prague food scene in the year 2014: the Recap

Food projects we hope will continue in 2015

Street Food Festival. From its very first edition in the Holesovice district, the Street Food Festival was an instant success: perfectly organized food event with lots of young talent cooking great food. So great, actually, that we ended up stuck in traffic on the D1 motorway for two hours on our way to the Brno edition while watching Instagram photos of the great bites we would never be able to taste because they were sold out before we actually got there. Great events with great people and food, and we can’t wait for the festivals in 2015!   


Where to eat in Prague over the Christmas holidays

Where to eat in Prague over the Christmas holidays

Just like towards the end of any other year, the hottest question any foreign visitor - or a local for that matter - in Prague should ask in this cold weather is… where do I eat on Christmas Eve? What do I do on New Year’s Eve? Will the restaurants close for the holidays? You see, while Czech may be statistically one of the most atheist societies in the world, we still do celebrate Christmas and nearly everything shuts down for Christmas Eve especially. Which means that if you are hungry on Christmas Eve and don’t have a reservation or don’t like hotel restaurants or gas stations, you will probably stay hungry until Christmas Day.


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Winter Prague Tips, Day 4: Fast Food and a Movie

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Winter Prague Tips, Day 4: Fast Food and a Movie

Still cold? We continue with our perfect winter day in Prague. So far, we had breakfast and coffee, and continued with a visit to the gallery and a bowl of soup. Then we skated and played ping-pong. This is the fourth of a series of six articles.


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