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By:
Besiana Dauti
- 15 October 2025 16:31
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Fatlum Spahiu was young when he started working as a bartender in one of the restaurants in the country.
The many requests to enjoy coffee, and the art that went into its preparation, began to become a passion for Fatlum Spahiu, and he soon became a professional in this field, and is now known as a coffee trainer.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support Contribute"Like any young man who has enjoyed working in something, I decided to work as a bartender. When I started working, I saw the barista making coffee and that's when I started to love this job. As luck would have it, some trainers from Italy came there for coffee processing, and that's where I learned the job. Now I'm a coffee trainer. I go to the points where we have coffee and teach them to strengthen the coffee they make, and I don't believe there are other trainers like me," says Spahiu.
According to the coach, there are many factors that go into making a delicious and high-quality coffee, starting from the selection of the coffee bean to how it is served in the cup.
"Many factors make a good coffee, starting from the coffee you use, the machine, the grinder, the water and many other factors. The bartender must keep in mind that in the morning the pressure and temperature of the machine must be checked, the coffee must be pressed and then prepared. This coffee, once opened, has no longer a shelf life, it should be kept for a maximum of 3 days, because it loses its quality," adds Spahiu.
Italy was the place where he perfected his coffee craft, from there he learned many coffee serving techniques, and now he is teaching them to others.
"I was lucky to be in this company, because I had the opportunity to go to Italy to learn. There I learned how to make good coffee, there I learned and not just practiced. Good coffee is also made in Kosovo, but it is more a craft than a technical skill," Spahiu declares.
He says that coffee trends are always changing, but the appearance of the coffee should be as attractive as its taste; one without the other does not define good coffee.
"When we focus only on appearance, we need to know how to treat quality and art. There are those who make art, but it's not good coffee, it's just the top layer that looks nice. I prefer to drink Danish coffee. In Italy, in training, I saw many details; especially water is a key factor for good coffee, the water must be filtered. Coffee with sugar is not enjoyed, because sugar loses the value of the coffee", adds Spahiu.
The coffee coach suggests that anyone who wants to start a business in this field must have a professional in coffee preparation; the interior of the environment is not more important than quality coffee service.
"I have trained thousands, both in Kosovo and abroad. Now I teach others who work in this field and are extremely good. This work requires constant dedication, because something new always comes out. Now we have a fair in Milan and I believe that there will be many innovations that we will see," says Spahiu.
Finally, the coach prepared a coffee for us, explaining in detail how to achieve a good result in terms of appearance and taste.
"Now I'm preparing a coffee for you. The water always needs to be cleaned, because there is residue from the previous preparation of the coffee. Then the part where the coffee is placed is cleaned. We have fresh coffee, when the coffee is ground, it must be pressed with a weight of 15–20 kg to extract its value. Within 3–5 seconds, the first flow of espresso is expected to start, in the end, it takes a maximum of 25 seconds to reach the espresso in half, and this is how delicious and quality coffee is prepared", emphasizes Spahiu.