Shavi Coffee Roasters

The order starts before the cup here. Bags of Shavi's own espresso and filter coffee sit close enough to the counter that choosing one becomes part of the wait, and the shelf changes by origin and process rather than staying fixed from month to month.

House roasts, named lots, a working shelf

The programme is roasting-led rather than cafe-led. Shavi sorts its coffees the way a cupping table does, into Fruit Bomb, Sweet Tooth, Sour Candy, Experimental, Funky, Juicy, Great With Milk and Perfect For Pour-over, so the shelf tells you what a coffee is for before it tells you where it is from.

The origins behind those labels run through Africa and Latin America: Burundi Kibingo in both a natural yeast and a washed lot, Rwanda Nyamasheke Akagera natural, Colombia El Puente and Huila Las Perlitas washed, Brazil Araponga natural for espresso, and the house Churchkhela espresso blend, the most Georgian name in the line-up. Espresso lots and filter lots are kept separate rather than treated as interchangeable. Shavi was named European Coffee Trip Country Winner for 2025.

Half bar, half shop

The room works best when treated as both. Counter service sets the rhythm, but the shelves matter as much as the machine: beans, brewing gear, bar tools, alternative milks, tea and matcha all sit inside the same ecosystem, and the retail range runs from Aeropress and Hario to Chemex, Comandante, Rocket Espresso and Motta.

That tells you what the staff are used to being asked. It is a good stop for a coffee meeting, a slow evening cup, or a bag to brew at home, rather than a pastry-led sit-down. The brand runs five Tbilisi cafes, including formats known as The Original and The Garage, and the identity travels across them: roasted coffee first, cafe service second, home brewing never far behind.

Start with espresso, leave with filter

Order the espresso first. It is the named signature, and it makes sense because the catalogue builds specific profiles for espresso rather than pulling whatever happens to be open. If milk is the plan, say so, because some lots are roasted with milk drinks in mind and should hold their shape rather than disappear.

For the second move, choose a filter bag by process: a washed Burundi or Colombia when the morning needs clarity, a natural Rwanda when the day can take more fruit, or something from the experimental and funky categories when the counter is pouring with more lift. Watch the shelf, because new espresso beans are part of the cycle here.