Franck, the Croatian coffee giant

You have seen Franck mentioned on this blog already, and with good reason - it is the coffee giant of Croatia. We have a large number of roasteries - not only in Croatia but in Zagreb itself, however Franck sells probably more coffee than all the rest of them combined. The majority of cafes in Croatia will sell Franck coffee.

Zagreb factory, 1892.

The brand has a long and interesting history. It started in the year of 1828, in a town near Stuttgart, Germany, called Vaihingen an der Enz where a young enterpreneur called Johann Heinrich Franck started his business, at first called "Landkaffee Manufaktur" to produce a chicory-based coffee substitute. The business grew immensely in the following decades, opening branches in multiple countries. By that time it was already reorganized as Heinrich Franck Söhne OHG, and in 1914. it became Heinrich Franck Söhne GmbH. The Croatian factory was opened in Zagreb, back in 1892., in the same location where it can be found today.

Kneipp barley coffee substitute 1918 ad
Still available today

Company profile in 1890's. Zagreb listed as Agram.
Click to enlarge

Its' growth was slowed after WW1, and it merged with some other coffee substitute companies: in 1930. with Swiss-based Helvetia, and in 1943. with Kathreiners Malzkaffee Fabriken GmbH. After WW2, the Croatian factory was nationalized and no longer connected to others...

The German Franck introduced a new popular substitute, called Caro back in 1954. In 1964., they reorganized themselves under the name Unifranck. Nestlé bought them in 1971., and several years later all factories except the formerly central one in Ludwigsburg were closed. It still operates to this day, employing 114 workers and with a yearly output of 8000 tones of coffee substitutes sold under Nestlé name.

The Croatian factory kept being called Franck despite being nationalized. Since 1950., it switched to workers' management system. However, the Croatian - and Yugoslavian - market needed something less specialized than a coffee substitute producer.

So Franck had to branch out to other products. Soups, house items such as coffee grinders, baking powders, flavors, snacks, puddings, teas, instant foods etc. Not all of these products are still made today.

1960. was crucial, as that was the year when Franck started roasting and selling coffee.

To better understand coffee back then, it should be said that (real) coffee was somewhat of a luxury item back then - much more than it is now. It was expensive, and usually purchased and brewed in smaller quantities.

Today the coffee lovers can afford to be snobbish about coffee - about origins, blends, roast profiles, gear, extraction methods etc. But back then, having coffee was luxury - and Franck was one of the companies that enabled that. They roasted coffee and distributed it to stores. For the first time, it was widely available at peoples' homes.

As the decades passed, Franck brought new coffee products on the market: pre-ground coffee, vacuum-packed coffee and various new coffee blends were introduced.

As the period of communism ended, Franck was the leading producer of not only coffee and coffee substitutes, but also snacks, teas and many other items.

During transition to the free economy, the company was privatized using the model where the shares were sold to workers. However, the model was set up where no single party could control over 25% of shares. The management model was not significantly changed, and there were no huge shocks and downsizing which accompanied plenty of other privatized companies.

However, the free market environment brought in a lot of competition from foreign businesses. The company, however, reacted very flexibly, improving their existing products, increasing product range and expanding flexibly.

To the right is an image of pre-ground, vacuum-packed Jubilarna coffee. The coffee (as a whole bean) was launched in 1972 (with Minas and Prima coffees), but the popular "brick" form was introduced in 1993. It became and remained the best-selling household coffee since that time.

The first post-war decade saw the international expansion of Franck - new facilities were opened in Slovenia and Bosnia, and the range of products grew.

Nowadays they also offer instant coffee, capsule espresso machines, new espresso blends, and much more. In 2008 they bought Gloria, one of their biggest competitors on the home market - and shut them down after they transfered the production (and a few employees) to Zagreb.

Superiore and Stretto are their new premium espresso blends, and a lot of cafes now carry them. This has a lot to do with the coffee distribution strategies in Croatia: distributors entice the cafe owners to sell their coffee, by offering them free machines, cups, etc. if they sign up the multi-year contract. These blends are better than their regular one, and resemble popular Italian blends. It's interesting to see that each blend is marketed separately, and has its' own merchandise.

Franck is often considered to offer "average" coffee - a measuring stick to which everything else is compared. While their history is filled with both success and criticism, they are truly omnipresent in Croatia and they had a lasting impact on the local coffee culture. In any place that serves coffee, it's likely that they're offering Franck. They even have their own app with a reward program for cafes that offer Franck coffee. A brick of Jubilarna, the most commonly brewed Turkish coffee at home, is a typical gift when you visit someone at home.

My recommendations: Jubilarna is one of the best pre-ground Turkish coffee blends available here, and one of the few pre-ground filter blends (I'd still recommend you grind your own beans, but if you don't these are better than most). Superiore and Stretto can make decent espressos, comparable to the popular Italian blends. I'd avoid their regular instant coffee, but their instant cappuccinos compare favorably to many others.

And let's not forget to mention: they still sell various coffee substitutes that their once-parent company started with almost two centuries ago...

Coffee places: Not all of them are alike

In Croatia, coffee is sold everywhere you go. Every cafe or a restaurant usually has an espresso machine, and most of the same espresso drinks will be available everywhere. However, both our coffee places and even names that we use for drinks are somewhat specific to the region, and don't always match internationally recognizable names.

So here's a little guide to Croatian cafes and drinks available there. Hopefully, it will be of use both to tourists to this country and Croats traveling elsewhere, to recognize some differences.

Coffee drinks in Croatia:

• Espresso - a shot of espresso in a tiny cup.
• Macchiato - a shot of espresso in a tiny cup, with a touch of steamed milk and foam on it, similar to Italian version, not the one from Starbucks. You might need to specify "mali macchiato" (small macchiato). This is the most popular drink in many coastal areas. Sometimes it's not on menu, in that case you can still order it - it will be billed as "Kava s mlijekom".
• Kava s mlijekom - "Coffee with milk" is a shot of espresso with milk. Internationally known as flat white. In some places it's known as "veliki macchiato" (big macchiato), and some places would ask you if you want it with hot (steamed) or cold milk. This is the most popular order in Croatia.
• Cappuccino - a shot of espresso with milk and foam. A standard drink. It will usually be similar to kava s mlijekom, but contain more foam on top. Sometimes it will be decorated.
• Kava sa šlagom - espresso with whipped cream. In some places, a frozen whipped cream from Ledo is used instead.
• Bijela kava - white coffee, espresso with a lot of milk. This is usually internationally known as latte or latte macchiato. Ordered in Croatia, it will usually come in a large cup or a mug.
• Produžena kava - "lengthened coffee" is usually a long black or americano. Rarely ordered by locals. Sometimes people don't know how to make it, and simply leave the espresso machine running for a long time. These people are not your friends.

Personnel of any cafe, restaurant or whatever is usually called "konobar". It's used for waiters, baristas, bartenders and pretty much everything else unless they cook too. Remember that it's usually a minimum-wage job rather than a career decision, and the amount of their skills will vary.

Some facts common to almost all establishments:

• There's a table service and it doesn't cost anything extra.
• Menus are available at the table.
• You get free water with your coffee.
• Tips are not required or even expected, but they'll be welcome.

Establishment types:

• Cafe, bar, kavana, coffeehouse, kafić etc. - these are all standard Croatian cafes. They serve coffee, teas, soft drinks, beer, wine, liquor etc. Popular places to hang out. Almost all of them are smoking areas.
• Bistro, pivnica - like above, but they'll typically have something to eat too. Pivnica will focus on beer, but they'll also have coffee
• Slastičarna - apart from coffee, they will typically also offer pastries and ice creams to eat on spot, or to take out - these are in fact their main product, and coffee is just a bonus. Typically no-alcohol and no-smoking areas, though perhaps not if you sit outside. You can often get coffee with ice cream (usually listed as Eiscafe, Icecaffe or something similar).
• Restaurant, konoba, pizzeria etc. - almost all of them have coffee machines, as it's common for people to drink coffee after a meal (after a few minutes pass). If they're not crowded at the moment (e.g. in mornings), most of them will gladly serve you just coffee, but they won't be looking kindly at you if you sit down at their last available table and order just a coffee. Don't do that.

The price and popularity of the location are often linked. Here's what brings the price and popularity up:

• Location - more than anything, you're paying for location. The places where there are a lot of pedestrians - city centres, at the coast, shopping malls etc. often feature the highest prices.
• Decor and music selection (usually related).
• Real and perceived quality - usually by logotypes of coffee manufacturer being present everywhere.
• TV (people commonly watch sport matches in their cafe bars).

This should cover about 99% of Croatian cafes. However, there are always exceptions. Places which are different, or otherwise significant and certainly worth visiting. I will describe some of them in future articles. The link will be available at "Coffee places" link on the right side of this page.

...and a glass of water, please!

In Croatian cafes - and in many other countries as well - it's customary to serve a glass of water with coffee, often without anyone even having to ask for it.

There are many reasons for it. Well, first of all we've got the espresso culture in cafes and Turkish coffee culture at home. Both of these are similar in one way: traditionally, you get a small quantity of highly potent, concentrated and aromatic coffee.

In some other coffee cultures you get bigger coffees (though not usually that strong) which will hydrate you well. If you drink just a small espresso, you might end up thirstier than you left. So water provides hydration - which is always cool, as a lot of people are actually slightly dehydrated.

The other reason to drink water is to clean your palate. You may sip some water before you drink coffee (to feel the full taste of the coffee), or after you drink coffee (to wash it down, especially if it's vile). There's even a legend that Arabs - who used to sip water first - used that fact to identify European spies, who sipped water after drinking coffee.

Some people drink sparkling mineral water, but it can have a different effect: the CO2 bubbles can deaden the tastebuds. Which is probably not what you want to do if you're enjoying a good coffee. Also, to clarify one potential misunderstanding: in Croatia, if you order a mineral water a sparkling one will be assumed. In other countries, not necessarily so. Keep this info in mind if you're either traveling to Croatia or outside of it.

Some local cafes around here will sometimes have a combo offer - instead of water, you can get a Coca-cola or a Cedevita (instant, fruit-flavored drink). If your cafe has that offer, it's usually best to take it.

Great coffee at your home - on a budget

My last week's post about instant coffee sparked some comments on my facebook profile, mostly from people who drink it and enjoy it. I'd like to dispel some common myths about good coffee.

La Marzocco Linea. It doesn't get much better than this.
If you need to ask the price, it's more than you're willing to spend.

Myth 1: To make a good coffee you need a machine that costs your yearly earnings.

Wrong!

While a top of the line espresso machine is certainly a requirement if you wish to pull top of the line espresso shots, that's one very very specific way of making coffee.

So, can you imagine how much it costs to make some of the best coffee humanly possible at home? If not tens of thousands of Euros, than how much? Thousands? Certainly not hundreds, that would be impossible, right?

You need 18 kn. That's just slightly over 2€, and that's the price you'll pay for the cheapest French press (that will do the job perfectly fine) in your closest Offertissima store. IKEA will sell you their 1L model for less than 10€, and you'll find some of the best models on Amazon in the $10-$30 range. A well-made turkish coffee can also be a top quality gourmet coffee, and you might already have the equipment at home.

(Note: French press is a rather unknown and rarely-used method of making coffee in Croatia. You'll often see it sold as a "tea maker").

Now, espresso can be a rabbit hole. It can suck you in for thens of thousands in gear, and it's also very skill-sensitive. However, you can get decent espresso for a fraction of the cost of the top one, and there are even some low-cost solutions which make true espresso. Or, alternatively, you might be satisfied with an Aeropress or Moka pot which will produce coffee not unlike espresso for even less money.

However, there's one thing you'll need in any case, besides a coffeemaker: a grinder. Freshly-ground (and freshly-roasted) coffee is incomparable to pre-ground one that's been sitting for a while. And that leads us to...

Franck's Guatemala - a "premium single origin" coffee

Myth 2: Good coffee is expensive and you can't really taste much of a difference

Wrong!

Coffee is a natural, perishable produce - not a product. Its' quality vastly degrades within minutes once it's ground. And minutes will pass before it's vacuum-packed, becauseit needs to release CO2, otherwise the bags would burst. And as CO2 exits the grounds, the aromatic oils and flavors also evaporate...

Which is not surprising when you think about economics of it. Most of the coffee that you can buy in the supermarket is a commodity. Having it pre-ground increases its' market penetration, because no longer did it require another device (grinder), and most customers are OK with it. It's an approach that sold more coffee at times when any coffee was a luxury.

Grinders make a difference. A huge one. Even the cheapest blade grinder from the store (in Croatia, that would be a Sinbo grinder from Konzum, 99 kn) will make an incredible (and very tangible) difference in your coffee. However, you'll get much better results from burr grinders. For $10 (delivery included) you can get a Turkish coffee grinder from Istanbul from eBay, delivered at your doorstep. Or, if you're willing to spend a bit more money, a Hario Slim will get you any grind you want, for $25, and at reasonable consistency. Now, you don't need to instantly buy yourself a Mazzer Jolly, but unless you own a top of the line espresso setup, a grinder should probably be the most expensive piece of equipment you should buy. You will get best results that way.

That's also the problem of some coffees, like depicted Franck's Guatemala and Costa Rica. They are beautifully packaged, and marketed as premium single origin coffees. They also cost twice as much as Franck's regular coffee, and many people - including me - bought into the marketing, splurged for a pack, and then ended up mildly disappointed, feeling that - while that coffee is somewhat better than their regular offering - it is not nearly significant enough to justify the cost difference.

And that's the truth. While these beans might be good when freshly roasted (and while they're still... you know, beans), when you buy them in store they will already be stale - because they're pre-ground to the fine Turkish grind. And most of the stuff that was good about them is no longer there, even when you brew your first coffee from a freshly opened pack.

You can get the best coffee in the world, but it won't mean for much if it's pre-ground. However, that's only a part of the story. What kind of coffee are you drinking? If you answered with a brand name (e.g. Lavazza), then I got some bad news for you.

Coffee is a grown product. Similar to wine, the result will depend on the harvest. Wine grown in different region is different. And it's different from one year to another. And also, sometimes the harvest goes bad and there's very little produce from the region. Big roasters will get their beans from a variety of regions, roast it and pack it under their brand name. Now, there will be some differences each year depending on the commodity market, and that's why you usually won't see them advertise their content in detail - they can't guarantee that it will be the same in future.

In combination with time (distribution chain can take months), other beans and (sometimes) a darker roast, those differences are masked, but also some flavor is lost. However, the result is still far better than pre-ground coffee.

Specialty coffee roasters are usually small operations, and their priorities are usually shifted. Few of them try to compete with the cheapest large roaster blends. However, when it comes to the more expensive coffees, things change. We're not talking about the ultra-expensive Blue Mountain or Kopi Luwak coffees. The thing about small roasters is that they can often offer coffee that can challenge or top the finest high-volume blends - such as Illy or Julius Meinl - and top their freshness, while being priced at 50% or so of their high-volume counterparts.

The only danger is that that same coffee might not be available next week.

Example: Freshly-roasted bag of coffee from Teneo (200g, 39 kn) is vastly better than Franck's pre-ground Guatemala and Costa Rica (250g, 35 kn), and could be - in my opinion - compared to Illy (250g, 83 kn).

That still sounds expensive? Well, a 250g can of Nescafe classic is 60 kn, and a 200g can of Jacobs Cronat gold is 55 kn. That's probably a more interesting comparison.

If an espresso at a cafe costs 7 kn, and it's approx. 7 grams of coffee, and you can get better results at home than in most cafes... well, that changes a few things, doesn't it?

And even if you go on the lower end - with the cheapest and as freshly roasted beans as you can find - you will get much better results than any pre-ground at this price.

It's not about being expensive, it's about getting more for what you pay for.

So how much does it really cost?

Let's examine some ultra-cheap setups (coffeemaker, grinder and beans), and how much would they really cost you - for Turkish coffee, French press and Moka pot. The best bang for your money.

Option 1 is what you can get with online shopping and visiting small shops, it's both cheaper and will get you better results. Option 2 is supermarket items ONLY.

A budget wooden burr grinder

Turkish coffee 1: Turkish coffee pot (Konzum, 35 kn, enameled steel), Turkish coffee manual grinder (eBay, $10 = approx. 65 kn), coffee (what's fresh at Teneo, 200g 39 kn). 139 kn total.
Turkish coffee 2: Turkish coffee pot (Konzum, 35 kn, enameled steel), Sinbo blade grinder (Konzum, 99 kn), coffee (Spar Premium, Interspar, 500g 50 kn). 185 kn total.

French press 1: Cheapest French press (Offertissima, 18 kn), wooden burr coffee manual grinder (eBay, $12,50 = approx. 82 kn), coffee (what's fresh at Teneo, 200g 39 kn). 139 kn total.
French press 2: Cheapest French press (Offertissima, 18 kn), Sinbo blade grinder (Konzum, 99 kn), coffee (Spar Premium, Interspar, 500g 50 kn). 167 kn total.

Moka pot 1: 3-cup pot (Emmezeta or IKEA, 99 kn), wooden burr coffee manual grinder (eBay, $12,50 = approx. 82 kn), coffee (what's fresh at Teneo, 200g 39 kn). 220 kn total.
Moka pot 2: 3-cup pot (Emmezeta or IKEA, 99 kn), Sinbo blade grinder (Konzum, 99 kn), coffee (Spar Premium, Interspar, 500g 50 kn). 248 kn total.

Blade grinders are not recommended, but they are the
only cheap option in Croatian brick&mortar stores

It is assumed you own a stove and some way to heat water. You can make similar calculations for moka, or whatever is available at your area.

Either way, you can get the cheapest setup of that sort for less than half the price of a Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo machine... and get better coffee and not get into the proprietary pod system. If you've got more to spend, you can get yourself even better stuff - such as a more reliable and consistent grinder, or perhaps a milk frother or something. As noted, the grinder will make the biggest difference regarding your coffee taste.

That's all you need to make coffee that will be better than what is served in 80% of Zagreb's cafes (though of a different style, unless you choose moka option). Not gonna break your bank. It's tasty and affordable. Good coffee gear can be expensive, but it doesn't need to be.

Brewing a pot of Turkish coffee

Turkish coffee is quite simple to do. You need a Turkish coffee pot (džezva, cezve, zezwa, jazzwe, briki, ibric, ibrik, raqwa, kanaka, turka, ghallaye or however your culture calls it - I'm gonna use turkish coffee pot for clarity in this article). It can either be a traditional copper one with a very narrow top, or one of the modern versions made of enamel or stainless steel. Saucepans and regular pots will work too - but for best results, top of the pot should be at least slightly narrower than bottom.

Next, you need coffee. Freshly ground to powdery consistence is best... but is rarely used actually. These days most Turkish coffee is sold preground, as few people have grinders at home. Franck jubilarna kava is a common Croatian brand. It's a "standard", best-selling coffee around here (and rather cheap). It's somewhat of an acquired taste - there are people hating it and people swearing it's the best coffee in the world. Heck, you can get it on Amazon.

But I'd still recommend freshly-ground stuff any time. It's incomparable. Turkish coffee here often gets bad rap and it's looked down upon - but when done well, with top of the line coffee used, it can hold its' own against any gourmet method. You should grind it to the finest setting - finer than espresso, as fine as your grinder goes. It must be powdery like flour, powdered sugar or cocoa powder.

Another Croatian tradition: a jar of mystery coffee! To keep it traditional (aka with what most people have at their homes, without any special gear), that's what's gonna be used in this tutorial.

Step 1: Pour water in your pot. Leave some head space.

Step 2: Put coffee on top, and turn heat to medium.

It's best if you have a gas stove, but if you don't use what you have.

Minutes pass. Coffee will slowly sink down.

More minutes pass. Crema starts to appear. It's almost done.

Just a few seconds more, get ready...

Step 3: Remove from stove.

Step 4: Remove some crema from the top (it will contain some fine grounds) and spoon it in your cups. If you don't want the crema (why???), stir it in instead. Don't touch your coffee pot for a minute - grounds will drop to the bottom.

Step 5: Pour in some coffee, from sides so that crema floats on top. Wait a bit for the grounds to settle at the bottom and enjoy. Obviously, don't drink it bottoms up since there will be a layer of grounds at the bottom.

According to many, milk is sacrilege - but a lot of people drink it with milk. You might try some. Most people who drink milk add cold milk. If you want hot, foamed milk with a Turkish coffee, make sure you like the results, and a mix of foam, crema and fine grounds.

This is just one of the methods of making Turkish coffee. I mentioned two others in one of my first posts. If you use the quick method (with separately heating the water and pouring over the grounds), it will be done much faster (in about a quarter of the time), but you will get much less crema and the pot should be left alone for longer time to brew/settle properly. The method depicted in this article will get you better results though, both visually and taste-wise - and it's probably simplest to do. It only requires some time and patience.

If you wish to sweeten the coffee with sugar, the best way to do it is during brewing. Add sugar before coffee (since after putting coffee in you're no longer stirring) and proceed as normal. Some cultures like to add some spices too (cinnamon, cardamom etc.), so if you feel like experimenting you might try that too.