Specialty coffee in Slovenia

Specialty coffee in Slovenia is small but distinctive in a country that drinks over six kilos of coffee per person a year, mostly Turkish-style. Slovenia ranks among the world's heaviest coffee consumers by weight, and around 86% of its coffee is sold ground for Turkish preparation. The specialty scene began in Ljubljana with Čokl, Tine Čokl's tiny coffee bar below Ljubljana Castle, and Črno Zrno, run by Colombian architect Alexander Niño Ruiz. Stow Coffee Roasters, founded by Aleš Turšič in the mountain town of Kamnik, became a centre for experimental roasting, cuppings and workshops.

Ljubljana holds nearly all of the country's specialty cafés and two of its roasters. Maribor, the second city, has its own roaster, and Murska Sobota and the coastal town of Piran each have a café.

Roasters that shape Slovenian specialty coffee include Stow, which also runs a café in Ljubljana's City Museum, Tovarna kave, Coffee Iconic and R & B Cafe Roasters. Expect espresso and filter at the specialty bars, a small and close-knit community, and a local habit of Turkish-style coffee at home that specialty cafés are slowly changing.