Blum Coffee House

A Turkish coffee of its own, and seven named beans

The coffee list is where Blum makes its case. The house sells beans by origin, Ethiopia Sidamo, Peru El Condor, Kenya Ndaroini, Mexico Esmeralda Oaxaca, Guatemala Antigua Santa Rosa and a Mexican decaf, alongside the Blum Espresso Blend and Blum Nitelikli Türk Kahvesi, its own version of Turkish coffee.

The tasting notes are specific enough to order from. Ethiopia Sidamo is full-bodied and fruity, Peru El Condor tropical, Kenya Ndaroini and the Mexican decaf sweet and balanced, the espresso blend smooth and nutty, Mexico Esmeralda Oaxaca floral with chocolate, and Guatemala Antigua Santa Rosa creamy with medium acidity. Keeping a house Turkish coffee beside a specialty espresso programme is what separates Blum from an Istanbul café working off one imported blend. It holds a place in the 2025 European Coffee Trip awards.

A dessert counter built around dietary baking

The room reads as a small boutique coffee-and-dessert stop rather than a meal-led café: a counter, a case of cakes and a shelf of packaged beans, in a quiet, design-minded Beşiktaş setting that suits working or meeting someone.

What sets the case apart is that the baking is built around restrictions rather than adapted to them. Gluten-free, refined-sugar-free and vegan versions are the rule rather than the exception, which is unusual for a pastry counter this size and means the dessert list does not thin out for anyone at the table. Gift boxes, packaged coffee, catering and special-order cakes carry the same counter beyond the room.

Order the house coffee, then go pistachio

Start with the Blum Espresso Blend or the Blum Nitelikli Türk Kahvesi, then take the pistachio route through the case. The Belgian chocolate pistachio brownie is gluten-free and answers the smooth, nutty espresso blend more directly than anything else on the list, and the pistachio meringue roll is the lighter version of the same idea.

Other paths through the case: Belgian chocolate banana bread; a strawberry raw cheesecake that is gluten-free, vegan and free of refined sugar; a Belgian chocolate hazelnut brownie; orange Italian Christmas cookies; a 70% cocoa pistachio chocolate bar; and the Blum house pastry with curd and pesto for anyone who wants salt rather than sugar. The pairing worth planning is the fruitier Ethiopia Sidamo with the strawberry raw cheesecake.