Spiking out of a corner of Rue Turbigo is the beautifully styled and well-positioned coffee roaster Partisan. I say coffee roaster because as much as Partisan is a cafe, any establishment that boasts a beautiful old roasting machine as this one does, probably deserves a more grand title.
George Karam stands beside his roaster like the proud owner of a new Corvette. Although something tells me a coffee roaster may be an even more prized possession. Particularly in Paris. He jokes to me that there are two roasters in the Cafe. The machine, and himself.
Partisan sells two strains of espresso coffee, light and dark roast. The latter being the Italian Blend. Karam’s beans are sourced predominantly from Africa and mostly Arabica, but the Italian blend features some Robusta from Vietnam as well, and we all know how serious the Vietnamese take their beans.
My favourite was the dark roast, it seemed to gear itself more towards the European palate, and Sydney preferred the light. Partisan is also one of the few cafes in Paris where I’ve seen cold brew. The have a one hour option as well as a twenty four. There are also plenty of nice looking cakes for the sweet tooth among you.
36 Rue Turbgio
75003
Paris