Black & Bloom

Nice little coffee shop recommended by a local friend. The barista was rated the best barista in The Netherlands. The espresso macchiato was perfect and the Warm Wintery Feeling was rich and delicious. Love the atmosphere of the cafe too. With all the LEGO and a nice skylight. Definitely will go back for more coffee!

Very cozy, quiet coffee shop with amazing coffee and pastry offerings! While you won’t be able to work on your computer, it is a wonderful spot to disconnect and enjoy reading a book, chatting with a friend, playing a board game, and of course observe the amazing sets of Star Wars Legos! This is the first coffee shop we tried after moving to Groningen this week, the barista was very kind, and we look forward to returning!

I am very serious about my coffee, and this is one of my favorite places for excellent coffee - in the world. Whenever I travel, I seek out the specialty coffee places, and this one is unique - as its owner. It takes dedication, taste, craft, and a lot of experience to bring that kind of coffee into the cup - constantly. Not only does the owner have all of those skills in abundance, he also roasts the coffee himself, which is another unique skillset of its own. It is widely known, that one only adds additional flavors to wine of inferior quality, such as sangria (which you drink with straws from buckets...) and mulled wine in the winter. Have you ever asked a prime sommelier for sugar? See where that gets you! Some people yet have to recognize that this is also the case for coffee. You can make bad coffee drinkable with sirup and sugar, but you don't do that with artisan high end products that a lot of people have invested a lot of time to grow, harvest, roast, and brew - and than act surprised, if these people don't embrace the idea of diluting their artisan product and traditional recepeis with artificial flavors or lifestyle choices. So, if you want a great coffee of unique quality, a great talk with a true master of coffee, or great guidance by an experienced lover of his product - this is your place to go! For smalltalk, I go to my barber. For work on my laptop, I stay in my office. For sitting for hours in the sun, I go to the park. For a great coffee experience, I come to Black & Bloom whenever I get the chance!

Good vibes, books to read about coffee and its origins, and friendly staff. For me the coffee was a good intensity but slightly acidic. Personally prefer a bit rounder/creamier taste

Had a meeting with fashion pro Franky-age at Black & Bloom and honestly, was stunned by the real homemade pies (properly done, as they should be). The beans were picked and roasted to perfection maybe the best coffee I’ve had in a long while. Staff? Absolutely hilarious, not your generic NPCs who'd usually serve you coffee but genuine characters, which was refreshing. Between the bold décor and chilled out vibes, this place stands out. Definitely the recommended spot in Groningen for real people. Follow my Instagram @liampelleg for more footage!

If you are a coffee maniac looking for something unique - this is the place. The cookies were a bit not to my taste, but other than that the drinks were amazing! Will return for sure

After ten years, this is still the best coffee you can find in Groningen. Their own roasts are great, and if you're open to it, you can get great advice about what kind of coffee you should get based on what you like. And if you don't like it, you can just say so and they will get you something else. If you enjoy LEGO, this place is heaven. The owner has a small obsession so there's a bunch of awesome sets to admire, including a massive Millennium Falcon and Batwing. The atmosphere is great. It's a small place, so on crowded days you'll have to time your visit well. But that just goes to show how good the coffee is. Edit: they now have a plant-based milk option. While its a good option that allows you to properly taste the coffee, it's still a step down from regular milk and I think people used to the sweeter oat and other alternatives will be turned off by it. My recommendation is to just get one of the amazing filters. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Review for espresso geeks: this is a place where one can get a truly excellent espresso. I had a fantastic Colombian, and the next day also an amazing Ethiopian espresso. Fruity, smooth, served as a double shot per default. The price is also decent. Unfortunately, this cafe is *not laptop friendly* and the owner gets nervous even when a group that has ordered a whole bunch of drinks sits longer than half an hour without reordering. I talked with the owner about the no-laptop policy and he explained that he didn't want this to be an office place, but a coffee place. I disagree with this outlook because some of us enjoy espresso as part of work, just like one drinks coffee while reading a newspaper. If coffee drinking is reduced to scrolling through your phone, which is "allowed", then this makes for a boring experience. Imposing such a rule leads to a place that is regularly half empty and where one doesn't feel welcome because they are perceived merely as a customer (rather than a fully welcome individual, as in many other specialty coffee places across the world). Similarly, if a group on your terrace has just ordered 10 drinks, and you get impatient that they haven't ordered a second round after half an hour, this doesn't come across as kind. It's not going to bring you these customers again. I am leaving five stars because of the espresso quality minus one star for the no-laptop policy and for pressuring customers to reorder or leave even if the place is half empty. As mentioned above, you can get a superb espresso in this place, but those who care about a neighborly, warm and kind welcome (which one can indeed find in so many great specialty coffee places) will most probably not like it here.

Great coffee but no credit cards are accepted. They are the only coffee shop in this area that still doesn't accept credit cards, which is odd and inconvenient to tourists who visit Groningen.

While visiting Groningen on a Wednesday, we walked into the place expecting a good cup of coffee. What we got was a pour-over, liquid cup of Columbian gold served in a small glass pitcher on a tray with two cups, served by the friendly owner of the store, Gerben. The atmosphere was very relaxed, due to the semi-strict no-laptop policy maintained mostly on the weekends. "You don't need wifi to enjoy a good cup of coffee," is found on the menu and shows the effort that is made to keep the place open to those who come for the coffee, not to those who work on a laptop while thoughtlessly pouring liquid productivity down their throats. It's basically to keep the place from turning into Starbucks. All things considered, as soon as I come back to Groningen, I will visit this place again as I know that both the coffee and the atmosphere will be excellent, and that's all I need.

Sitting at the window and enjoying an excellent capuccino. Never saw a Synesso machine before. (For us coffee geeks: excellent extraction. :-)

Oh...My. Heaven does exist, albeit it here on Earth and in Groningen. I came here during Eurosonic for a cappuccino with a colleague. A bit tired and hungover, we were greeted by the super warm owner who somehow convinced me to give his flat white a try instead of my beloved cappuccino. I did...and then I did again, and I did a third time. Because life is worth sipping!! The man is GOOD. He knows his beans and his roasts and he knows how to make the perfect coffee drink. The food is lekker. And, all I want is to be in that cafe every single day. Seriously...it's the 'ish!

Very good coffee. Very cheap by my (Amsterdam) standards. Very friendly and thoughtful girl waiting on us. Very abrasive guy with a beard who took over her shift. Very proficient in one upmanship and badmouthing his competitors. Very much lacking in class.

The coffee here is INCREDIBLE, and the vibe is pretty cool too. Great place to sit and do work. The baristo is also pretty great.

Was rated the #2 coffee bar in the Netherlands Misset Horeca rankings for 2014. Speciality coffees from around the world, served by a real coffee nerd.