What makes coffee and records a good pairing?

Specialty coffee and vinyl records have one thing in common in that they both are best enjoyed slowly. A well-extracted pour over coffee offers complex flavour notes that can be experienced at different temperatures, while a record is meant to be played from beginning to end—making it difficult to skip or pause. Both also honour the origin of the medium be it the farmer, roaster, musician or producer.

What kind of coffee brewing methods do you recommend for beginners?

For beginners, I would recommend starting with a V60 pour-over and corresponding paper filters which you can purchase for about 20€ altogether. It’s an extremely affordable way to get an amazing coffee. Just ask your local barista to grind the coffee beans for you suitable for filter coffee or invest in a grinder if your budget allows.

How can I get started with collecting vinyl records?

It’s simple—start with what you enjoy and set a budget that you’re comfortable with. Just start to search around on Google to familiarize yourself about the prices. If you want accessibility, online shopping is my recommendation, but if you want to focus on lower prices, your local flea market or thrift shop are your best friends. Keep in mind, you need to go in with very little expectations as the selection is up to the sellers. I highly recommend supporting your local, independent record shop as they tend to offer both new and used vinyl and are more than happy to help you curate your collection, as they’ve turned their passion into a career.

How do you find the best coffee shops and record stores when traveling?

Google has been my best friend. Once I have a destination in mind, I simply search specialty coffee and record stores on Google Maps, filter by ratings and start creating my lists. From there, I conduct comprehensive research via blogs, online magazines, Instagram, Youtube and Tiktok to get a wide variety of perspectives.

‘Best’ is rather subjective, but I know what I typically like and look out for certain cues such. For coffee shops I look for shops that offer both espresso-based and filter coffees, whether they roast their own beans, or if the interior looks modern and inviting. For record shops, I browse through the Google reviews to understand the variety and whether or not the owner is friendly.