After three epic summers of globe spanning build-outs in our Build-Outs Of Summer series, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’ve seen it all. Bikes in Alaska? Yup. Fit-outs in Melbourne? Sure. Features from across North America, Europe and Asia? You betcha. But we’ve never done a feature on a cafe in Vilnius, Lithuania, home to one of eastern Europe’s most exciting coffee scenes. That is, until now.
Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories (stylized in all-caps by the brand) is a progressive coffee brand founded several years ago by Emanuelis Ryklys. This summer, they’ve opened their very first cafe, a filter-only coffee bar serving the good people of Vilnius. This is our first-ever Lithuanian build-out and we’re stoked.
As told to Sprudge by Emanuelis Ryklys.
For those who aren’t familiar, will you tell us about your company?
Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories are coffee enthusiasts, micro-roasters and coffee products creators based in Vilnius, Lithuania. We also take coffee education and culture seriously, and organise monthly coffee tastings and yearly international coffee conference called Dark Times.
Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories was found by Emanuelis Ryklys in 2011, and now joins friends and like-minded people, who see coffee not only as a pleasant break, but also as an impulse to create. And on July 7th, we’ve opened our brew-only coffee bar in Vilnius.
Can you tell us a bit about the new space?
Our coffee bar invites people to try out freshly roasted different single-origin beans with the help of different coffee brewing techniques and instruments. This place also has monthly coffee education events.
What’s your approach to coffee?
For me, coffee is really a pleasant game. A game of tastes, aromas, senses. It is also an impulse to create and share my ideas and products. And surely coffee is a great social catalyst, a reason to meet and get inspired.
Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?
At our brew bar, we’re using AeroPress and Chemex with stainless Kone filters from Able, Hario Syphon, a classical French press. We also brew coffee with a nel drip tool which is hand made by Minoru Ooya, a Japanese coffee master who visited Vilnius and our coffee conference last year. And we are also working on our own drip tool which will be available next month. And all the coffee is served in our specially created Lithuanian clay mugs.
What’s your hopeful target opening date/month?
We’ve officially opened on July 7th. And during summer season, we work from Monday till Friday, from 10AM till 7PM.
Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that you’d like to mention?
Sure. Our place was created by local interior designer Inga Pieslikaitė and the image pictures of Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories coffee bar were taken by photographer Darius Petrulaitis and his crew. The photos from the opening are taken by photographer Titas Silovas.
Photos by Darius Petrulaitis and Titas Silovas.
