Bean-Dependent
Which I totally am.
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An overcast dawn in Paris reminded me of waking up one July morning in windy Vienna. It was a tough start: with all my city-hopping and constant shifts in weather, my body refuses to wake up as early as needed. I don’t blame it.
Instead, I decided to study Vienna’s coffee scene. My last conversation with my Prague coffee-expert friend left us agreeing that we’re spoiled—we’ve developed such a critical taste for Czech roasters. If we lived somewhere in Austria, we probably wouldn’t complain, but we wouldn’t expect anything exceptional either. So my goal wasn’t just to find good coffee in Vienna—it was to find something truly exceptional.
(Spoiler: I succeeded!)
But let’s not run ahead of the locomotive. I got up without really waking up at seven, and by five to eight I was already walking Vienna’s streets. The wind was so strong it carried the smell of the sea (all the way to this Central European capital!)—I felt as if I were in Normandy rather than beautiful Vienna.
My first stop was Balthazar Coffee, thirty minutes away (or more like forty-five against the wind—it was that strong!). I don’t remember how I first heard of it, but I knew they were supposed to serve good coffee. So I courageously passed a few tempting bakeries driving me mad with the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries, and I ignored the many cups of coffee people were carrying from other cafés. I needed to get to Balthazar.
Like every popular spot, it was crowded in the morning, so my dream of lounging in an armchair with a book and my first cup of coffee wasn’t going to happen. Instead, I perched on a high stool, facing the wall—watching the crowd constantly change at the bar was more than I could handle so early.
My first drink was a flat white (with oat milk), and I grabbed a cinnamon roll whose smell gave the whole café that “freshly baked pastry” morning vibe. I really wanted to like both.
Really.
But as always, the first cup barely registered—something my Prague coffee-expert friend and I have proven many times. A bit disappointed, I thought I’d just get on with the errands that brought me to Vienna. On my way out, I noticed that Balthazar is right next door to the Institut Français. Since my errands involved French paperwork, I found it symbolic.
I figured I’d take a picture of a takeaway cup with the Institut Français flag in the background—so I had to get another coffee, this time to go. It was a batch brew, and the first sip completely changed my morning. I was finally awake, finally tasting the day on the tip of my tongue. A gorgeous drink. Suddenly the “why here” all made sense.
After an hour and a half of paperwork, I continued walking through Vienna. I went for brunch at a place my boyfriend and I first discovered on a pre-Christmas trip a few years ago. We loved it back then. I’ve been back a few times since, though it’s never been quite as magical as that first romantic visit. This time the food was still good—but I didn’t dare try the coffee.
For coffee, I had my eye on another place—a café with only five-star reviews on Google. Tucked away in Vienna’s second district, far from the crowds, it was an easy walk from my brunch spot.
Beandependent turned out to be a little paradise for coffee lovers: white walls, minimalist (meaning no) decoration, and gleaming coffee equipment for both roasting and brewing. I walked in like a child entering a candy shop and said I’d heard they brew great filter coffee. Laurent—the barista, owner, and roaster—smiled.
He made me a wonderful hand brew, we chatted about his method, and he even shared his brewing notes with me, which I’m now passing on to you.
Have you ever heard of the Hario Immersion Switch dripper? Me neither—until my visit to Beandependent. Laurent explained that, as a barista who feels responsible for every cup his customers drink, he wanted consistency. With hand brews costing €7–8 (at that moment I knew he understood my soul!), he needed to guarantee flavor—even on a busy day. The Switch dripper and his method allowed him to do just that.
I’ve never met anyone so devoted to what they do. If each of us worked with that kind of care, the world would be so much better. This was a true highlight of my Vienna trip, and now there’s a little heart right in the center of my Vienna Google map.
Even remembering that encounter makes me smile on this overcast day.
Yours, Havana