There once was a time when there was no good coffee to be found in Paris.
Those days are, thankfully, over. But now that Parisians have found a soft spot for specialty coffee and the cafes that serve it, a new problem has arisen: the desire to plug into a trend, regardless of whether or not you understand what sparked that trend.
In the last year, there has been a move towards cafes with a certain look and a certain vibe. But this โcopy and pasteโ attitude of what it takes to launch a hip cafe doesnโt alwaysย mean thereโs quality behind it. I have seen plenty of cute looking spaces that end up serving industrial quality coffee made on a dirty, not-so-loved machine. Thereโs always a flip side to growth; when a market is created, develops, and then flourishes, copycats emerge.
So when a new cafe opens in Paris, I am always interested to see if itโs simply takingย part inย this trend, or if thereโs something more genuine behind it. I was happy to discover that the Belleville neighborhoodโs new cafe, CREAM, is definitely part of the latter.
Launched by two former 10 Belles baristas, CREAM owners Max Armand and Joeย Elliottย have created a space thatโs poisedย to become a neighborhood hub.ย At CREAM, the space definitely has thatย quintessential โcafe feelโ but upon walking in, you get the sense that itโs actuallyย authentic. The cafe doesn’tย fallย into the trapย of the Parisian coffee scene, where shops are often criticized for being โtoo Brooklynโ or โtoo Portlandโ or โtoo [insert any other coffee capital in the world]โโmeaning that they have simply imported an interior.
Armandย tells me that they did all of the renovationsย themselves, with the help of friends and family. One friend built the tables and chairs and another painted all the upcycled window shutters that are used around the interior to create a funky and relaxed vibe.ย For example, the tiling on the floor was discovered just a week before opening, when Armandย and his counterparts decided to rip up a section of the floor and realized that beautiful vintage tiles were underneath. On the back wall behind the coffee bar hangs a huge mirrorโthis also came with the space when they bought itโthat is now used to feature the coffee menu.
I asked why Armandย and his business partner Elliottย had chosen the Belleville neighborhood. Donโt let the fact that the Belleville roastery is just a stone’s throw away mislead youโthis is a neighborhood of Chinese restaurants and kebab shops, not specialty coffee. โFor us itโs a challenge,โ says Armand, speaking of the fact that when it comes to serving good coffee, often you have to get a crowd to understand why itโs worth paying a little more for a quality product. โThereโs a lot of work to be done hereโฆ that makes for a greater feeling of success.โ
Armandย points out that they wanted to stay far away from Canal Saint Martin, a hip neighborhood fairly close by thatโs now synonymous with trendy cafes. โItโs starting to be saturated over there,โ says Armand. For him, Belleville is a quartier gรฉnial. A great neighborhood, both because of the people, the diversity, and the fact that he feels challenged in his work.
On one wall sits a shelf full of Belleville Brรปlerie beans for sale. Next to it is a record player. When I was there, Fleetwood Mac was playing. โWe invested only in analog machines,โ says Armand. You wonโt find an mp3 player anywhere, but you will find the usual gamut of high-end coffee equipment. Doing the renovation themselves and using materials available to themย instead of buying new allowed the pairย to save money for quality machinery.
Throughout the day you can buy homemade baked goods, and at lunch there is a selection of sandwiches and soups, all made in house. You could say that Armandย is an advocate for slow food, coffee, and life in general. โWe love doing things that take a little more time, but that you have to do well,โ says Armand, speaking about making coffee. โPeople have to learn to wait a little bit more time for something thatโs really good.โ
While we spoke, CREAM recieved itsย daily delivery of eggs and fresh produce, and a man, obviously a local from the neighborhood, cameย in on his way to work.
โEspresso?โ Armandย asked, with an intonation that clearly indicates that he knows the manโs usual order.
โYes, but takeaway today,โ the man responded, looking at his watch.
It might seem like a trendy choice to take the time to make specialty coffee and bake pastries in house, but at CREAM itโs easy to see that those choices are just about being an integral part of the local neighborhood, making a product and making it well, and creating a space thatโs inviting and that people feel comfortable going to.
โNot too pretentious,โ Armandย says, referring to the people that are starting to make CREAM a regular spot on their list of hangouts. Pretentious it is definitely not, and as the Paris scene continues to grow, we can only hope for more places like this.
Anna Brones (@annabrones) is a Sprudge.com desk writer based in Paris, and the founder of Foodie Underground. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge.