Back in the GDR, imitation coffee made from grain – aka Getreidekaffee or “Muckefuck” – was drunk as a last resort when real coffee was scarce. Thirty years later, it’s just one option out of many at the all-vegan Gräfekiez café No Milk Today.
Owner Eva Rechau started offering Süßlupinenkaffee (€3.80/pot), made from the roasted beans of the lupin plant, in response to caffeine-intolerant visitors, but the drink has since proven popular among animal-free eaters (for its alleged extra protein) and locavores (the brand, Lupino, comes from a small farm in Wertheim-Sachsenhausen). Served out of a French press with oat, soy, rice or coconut milk, it’s a toasty, pleasantly nutty brew that complements No Milk Today’s vast range of baked goods, from spelt croissants (served with homemade spreads, €2.80) to a raw/gluten-free pumpkin pie (€3.10).
Does it taste at all like coffee? Hell no, so if it’s that you want, order an Americano (€1.90) or a Vietnamese-style espresso with coconut milk instead of the usual condensed (€2.70). You’ll walk out with that Herman’s Hermits song stuck in your head and a renewed appreciation for Western bounty.
