19grams

Overview

19grams was founded in 2002 in Berlin-Friedrichshain as Tres Cabezas by two surfers who had discovered specialty coffee in Costa Rica, and rebranded to 19grams in 2018 with the new Alex roastery, lab and flagship cafe on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße in Mitte, named for the 19-gram dose used to pull a double espresso. Working in direct trade with the same Costa Rican farms for fifteen-plus years, 19grams now runs four Berlin cafes (Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Mitte and the Alex flagship) and roasts on a large Probat with Australian head roaster Anthony — joined in 2017 — running production.

Known for

• Founded 2002 in Berlin-Friedrichshain as Tres Cabezas by two surfer founders who met in Costa Rica
• Rebranded to 19grams in 2018 — the name references the 19-gram dose used for a double espresso
• Alex roastery and training lab on Karl-Liebknecht-Straße opened summer 2018 — combined production, café and certified coffee education centre
• Direct trade since 2002, including 15+ year continuous relationships with founding Costa Rican producer partners
• 'Bloody Good Coffee. Since Day One.' positioning rooted in the founders' Australian-influenced approach

Why it matters

19grams is one of the original German third-wave specialty roasters, founded the same year as Bonanza Coffee Heroes and predating most of Berlin's recognised names by half a decade. The 2018 rebrand and the move into the Alex flagship turned a quiet Friedrichshain operator into Berlin's most visible specialty cafe footprint while keeping the same two-decade direct-trade Costa Rican relationships at the centre of the program.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

Anthony (joined 2017, Australian)

color sorting

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roaster machine

Probat (large-format, on display at Alex roastery)

filter equipment

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cupping frequency

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roastery location

19grams Alex, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 13, Mitte, Berlin

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 13, 10178 Berlin (Alex flagship roastery & cafe)

Sources

• https://www.kofio.co/19-grams/about-us
• https://www.coffeeinsurrection.com/19grams.coffee.html
• https://yun-berlin.com/journal/a-world-of-coffee-bloody-good-coffee/
• https://www.brian-coffee-spot.com/2022/09/13/19grams-alex-roastery-lab/
• https://typica.coffee/en/narratives/roasters/19grams/
• https://www.madein.city/berlin/en/places/19grams-cafe-rci7i9hykqlbx7vasz3zv6pp/