Make winter great again! (Or at least have some fun activities to kill time until summer's back...)
Welcome to part one of our spicy quest of finding the best chai in Prague!
Before we dive in to brutally and shamelessly reviewing the first candidate, let me introduce you to the main testers, critiques and the single elements of the duo which has decided to replace the summer-y cool glass of white wine with a cup of foamy tea with that special oriental edge in it. (And get that glass of wine afterwards.) Who are they and how are their taste buds programmed?
Alba. Coming from the north of Spain, she loves seafood, food made out of seafood and very likely seafood served by the sea. In case you're Alba's nemesis and would like to make her - for the pure reason of being a creature of utter inner darkness - run away from her plate, serve her játra. With pickles.
Alba has a positive relationship with sweet things. And by positive I mean she is able to make the tastiest cheesecake in a version suitable for me!
Her love for and enjoyment of life radiates in her relationship with Prague as well. You may spot her picnicking in Riegrovy sady, sitting on a blanket and telling people stories with a spark in her eyes and passion in her hand-gestures. She's the girl who looks at bridges and dreams about building them. And she is my dear friend.
Margita. And you all know me! I remember as a kid being dearly in love with all the edible sweet things of this world. Adult life has robbed me not only of many illusions (such as being able to afford my own flat before turning 125 years old), but of the love for sweets as well. I enjoy looking at nice cupcakes or cakes, but I don't really like eating too sweet and too fat food. It really helps to have allergies to avoid some food - especially when elderly members of your or other families want to stuff you with some buttery creamy item. My favorite dish is everything my Mom makes. Or somebody else's Italian Mamma skilled in gluten-free recipes.
The methodology. We test three areas - the foam, the chai and the overall experience. Each segment can potentially get 10 points. Both of us take notes and we don't share our impressions or discuss the chai. We'll announce the winner in March 2018, so that it's still cold enough for you to go and try for yourself a nice chai at the winning place.
TODAY'S CHAIDVENTURE: KAVÁRNA, CO HLEDÁ JMÉNO
Kavárna, co hledá jméno a.k.a. The café, which is busy serving you nice wine and has therefore no time to find a name, is located in the area around Anděl. This area of Prague is busy, crowded and noisy - all the things I really don't like, combined. I haven't discovered any place like this café in the area around Anděl, which makes Kavárna a unique point of nice drinks, eclectic pieces of vintage furniture and a nice place for every hipster or person with a cool PC to sit down, work (or "work") and sip on a flat white.
ALBA
The Foam: It had a nice body, but I need more foam experience to be able to objectively rate this section, so I will be a bit neutral and give it a 7/10. But now I am thinking... that nice flower detail on top of the foam :)... so I rate it up to a 7.5/10.
The Chai: I quite liked the chai itself, I think it had a nice combo of spices and a very nice lasting aftertaste (I am no spice expert so I cannot describe what it was, but there was something spicy that made it quite interesting). If we need to point out some flaws I think it was too sweet (but I am a big fan of sweet things so I won't complain much, but I can see how others might like it less sweet. I mean, if I find something too sweet then it means it’s reeeeeally sweet). Aaaaand - this is one complaint I foresee I will have with every single chai because I like my drinks burning hot - it could have been warmer. All in all, I give it a 7/10.
The Overall Experience: Kavárna is a very nice and cozy place, but I find the atmosphere to be quite loud, which sometimes makes it a bit hard to enjoy a nice conversation. Also, and I am not sure if this is because we just don't know how to attract waiters' attention, but come on - two pretty smiley girls like us, who would dare to ignore us? Well, waiters and waitresses at Kavárna pretty much every time we go there :D So, because of this, I rate the experience with a 7/10. The absolutely beautiful interior and great bathroom area make up for the slowness, high cake prices and loudness. (And also special mentions to the nice concrete cactus container!)
The Foam: Creamy, not too thick, the spices are noticeable already in the foam. For no apparent reason I like the foamy part of chais and cappuccinos and am very happy when it's not just a layer of lukewarm soft bubbles. (7/10)
The Chai: The chai seemed rather sweet than spicy to me, but the spices must have been well selected, as the exotic taste stayed in my mouth for a while. The chai comes with a glass of water, which is still not standard even when you are served coffee in some places. Thumbs up, KCHJ! (8/10)
The Overall Experience: Whether summer or winter, warm light rain or a face-slapping snowstorm - the waiters in this café are just the most sweetly lost people a café has ever employed. The staff is polite and nice, but not too over-friendly - which is just the way I like it. It takes them some time to notice you though - or maybe we are just too much blending into the armchairs? The overall surrounding is quite noisy, so train your voice for some gentle screaming when coming here. (It's nicer in summer when the outdoor "terrace" is available.) We found a very nice table, the chairs were cozy and the cacti in the perfect concrete flower pot. Oh, and the wine was great as well! (7.5/10)
The Foam: It had a nice body, but I need more foam experience to be able to objectively rate this section, so I will be a bit neutral and give it a 7/10. But now I am thinking... that nice flower detail on top of the foam :)... so I rate it up to a 7.5/10.
The Chai: I quite liked the chai itself, I think it had a nice combo of spices and a very nice lasting aftertaste (I am no spice expert so I cannot describe what it was, but there was something spicy that made it quite interesting). If we need to point out some flaws I think it was too sweet (but I am a big fan of sweet things so I won't complain much, but I can see how others might like it less sweet. I mean, if I find something too sweet then it means it’s reeeeeally sweet). Aaaaand - this is one complaint I foresee I will have with every single chai because I like my drinks burning hot - it could have been warmer. All in all, I give it a 7/10.
The Overall Experience: Kavárna is a very nice and cozy place, but I find the atmosphere to be quite loud, which sometimes makes it a bit hard to enjoy a nice conversation. Also, and I am not sure if this is because we just don't know how to attract waiters' attention, but come on - two pretty smiley girls like us, who would dare to ignore us? Well, waiters and waitresses at Kavárna pretty much every time we go there :D So, because of this, I rate the experience with a 7/10. The absolutely beautiful interior and great bathroom area make up for the slowness, high cake prices and loudness. (And also special mentions to the nice concrete cactus container!)
MARGITA
The Chai: The chai seemed rather sweet than spicy to me, but the spices must have been well selected, as the exotic taste stayed in my mouth for a while. The chai comes with a glass of water, which is still not standard even when you are served coffee in some places. Thumbs up, KCHJ! (8/10)
The Overall Experience: Whether summer or winter, warm light rain or a face-slapping snowstorm - the waiters in this café are just the most sweetly lost people a café has ever employed. The staff is polite and nice, but not too over-friendly - which is just the way I like it. It takes them some time to notice you though - or maybe we are just too much blending into the armchairs? The overall surrounding is quite noisy, so train your voice for some gentle screaming when coming here. (It's nicer in summer when the outdoor "terrace" is available.) We found a very nice table, the chairs were cozy and the cacti in the perfect concrete flower pot. Oh, and the wine was great as well! (7.5/10)
Price of the chai: 65 KČ / 2.50 EUR
Total score:
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