Kia Ora Cafe, Olomouc, Czech Republic

When our couchsurfing host in Olomouc recommended a place called “Kia Ora” for coffee, we thought we must have misheard her — there couldn’t really be a cafe with a Maori name in a small Czech city. But no, we’d heard correctly, and it wasn’t just a coincidence — when you use a silver fern as a logo, you’re definitely going for a Kiwi connection.

So, we were already predisposed to like this cafe, and our opinion didn’t change after we arrived. The owner, a young Czech woman, was friendly and helpful, and the coffee menu was extensive. You can choose to have your coffee prepared in one of four different ways (plus espresso), and we tried the vacuum pot method. It was prepared on the counter so that we could watch the water being sucked form the bottom bulb to the top one and then drip back down again — an adventure in itself.

The coffee was (perhaps unsurprisingly) delicious, and came beautifully presented on a tray with a small glass of water and a chocolate-covered almond for each of us. The atmosphere of the cafe was cosy and the decor pleasant, and you could buy whole or ground coffee beans as well as prepared beverages. We had found the right place to spend the morning, and Kia Ora would certainly be our local if we were spending more time in Olomouc.