We have written before about how good the Prague coffee scene is. There’s a few reasons why, but we did mention one specific contributing factor: the power duo of Petra Vesela and her UK-born husband, Gwilym Davies, who happens to be the 2009 World Barista Champion.
They may have met under some interesting circumstances: we will just mention a death threat during a coffee competition, judges locked in the judges room… and a bottle of whiskey in the very same room, a leftover from an Irish coffee preparation before. For the rest of the story, you will just have to listen to the podcast. Anyway, Gwilym came over to see Petra in Jílové, a village near Prague, and the rest is history.
Gwilym is an incredibly interesting guest to interview because…
He is in a unique position to compare Prague and London coffee scenes (which we do a lot of in the podcast), since he owns a stake in Prufrock coffee in London but lives in Prague
He was one of the pioneers of the Third Wave Coffee revolution, having learnt the craft in New Zealand and brining it to Europe. He was right there with James Hoffmann and Scott Rao, the people who have helped define what a specialty coffee operation looks like.
He and Petra own a barista training centre that will train anybody from the general public to baristas who are about to compete in the World Barista Championships. You always see Gwilym and Petra in a Prague coffee shop with a barista from Korea, Japan or Australia who flew over just to have their presentation fine tuned by Gwilym and Petra, who are both certified judges for high-profile barista championships and events.
He is now also a roaster under The Naughty Dog label, taking on a different role in his never-ending quest and thirst for knowledge.
As a result, Gwilym has helped cultivate and improve the coffee scene in Prague through his trainings and sheer presence, and has been a connecting link between Prague’s coffee culture and the rest of the coffee world. But as you will hear in the podcast, he has learnt a thing or two from Czech baristas, and brought some of that knowledge with him back to London and Prufrock Coffee.
Finally, Gwilym is a super nice guy that is just a pleasure to talk to. We sat for about 40 minutes in Kafe Pragovka during the Czech Barista Championships, and despite the noise in the coffee shop and at the event (sorry about that!), we had an absolute blast talking to Gwilym.
This is some of the things we discussed with Gwilym during the interview:
What does he like about the Prague coffee scene.
How does it compare to the London coffee scene.
Does he feel a part of the Prague coffee scene, or London coffee scene? In terms of the clientele, the drinks, the quality of coffee, or the living standards of baristas?
Is there anything specific about the Prague coffee scene?
How long will he continue to judge barista competitions? Has he ever faced any threats as a judge?
When was the last time he saw a presentation as a judge that was, well… different or surprising in any way?
Does he ever plan to open a coffee shop in Prague or the Czech Republic?
What does he miss from the UK?
What are the things he would miss from the Czech Republic if he were to move back to the UK?
There you have it. Hope it Enjoy the podcast!
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