The streets of Sofia, Bulgaria are composed of airily beautiful, albeit a dilapidated mishmash of Post-Soviet, European, and Ottoman architecture. Down a street corner, a few blocks from the bustle of the city center lies one of Europe’s premier coffee roasters: Dabov Speciality Coffee.
More akin to a coffee laboratory than a cafe, the flagship space for Dabov Specialty Coffee is a room filled with every coffee brewing device imaginable. Unlike the environs, the menu of drinks is succinct. The shop serves only espresso, a couple of classic milk-based options, and several hand-brew varieties. Dabov’s emphasis is poured into hyper-meticulous bean sourcing.
A pioneer in the coffee scene in both the Balkans and Europe, Jordan Dabov has spent the previous decade roasting and selling the finest South and Central American coffees. After a Cup of Excellence tasting in Brasil, Dabov dedicated himself to importing the stellar coffees he tasted as a judge across Latin America. In 2016, he purchased a coveted Guatemalan cup of excellence victor, making him the first European to take home a whole batch from a COE auction. Through persistent efforts maintaining relations with esteemed growers in the Americas, Dabov has continued to sell exceedingly coveted beans at both his roaster and as a supplier throughout Europe.
Visiting the source of Dabov’s operation imparts an admiration for his levels of precision. His offerings are grouped into varying tiers of complexity and price and can be prepared by the method of choice. The staff is talkative and knowledgable, gratefully explaining and discussing each selection. The abundant equipment does not only stand as a showcase; rather the shop comes off as a tinkering space for perfecting every brew. Visiting the cafe feels like a welcoming entrance into a world of diligent precision.
Jordan Dabov entered the coffee world while working as a bar manager on the side to a successful career as a trumpeter. With success in selling a higher quality of coffee to patrons in Prague, he and his wife decided to move back to Bulgaria in 2008 and set up the first roaster in the city.
In much of Eastern Europe, doubly so Bulgaria, specialty coffee only existed in its infancy stages at the time, without much demand from the local public. The roaster struggled to stay afloat, with locals unused to pay higher places for a greater quality of caffeine. Yet the Dabovs proved to be a savvy business team, staying afloat selling chocolates, tea, and coffee equipment.
With an unrelenting drive to source the world’s best beans, Dabov kept improving his craft as a roaster, and success ensued a few years later. Now a mainstay in coffee competitions and cafes across Europe, the Dabov roastery has emerged as the Bulgarian third-wave beacon.
Nikita Ephanov is a culture, travel & tech writer based in the United States. He lives by his morning pour-over and daydreams of visiting the country of origin. Whenever possible, he chases the world's best cups, not for the caffeine, but the community of people behind them.
