“We’ll teach you how to like coffee”: Prague celebrates specialty coffee at Filtruj! 2025 festival
Filtruj! 2025 is a sister event to Prague Coffee Festival, that functions as another opportunity for coffee enthusiasts in Prague, and for those visiting the city, to celebrate the country’s coffee culture. This year’s Filtruj! festival was held at the scenic National Library of the Czech Republic in Klementinum on May 24. Due to my fondness for great coffee, I went there to speak to its head coordinator Tereza Vybíralová.
First, let's talk about some of the inspirations behind this year's coffee festival, Filtruj. How did you bring it to life?
“This isn’t the very first year; we started in 2017, but the idea was slightly different. It has developed over time.
“When we started in 2017, the focus was more on sustainability. The main aim of the festival was to exchange coffee equipment. If you didn’t use something anymore, you could bring it, and other people could buy it. That was the main idea. A year later, we added an educational part with lectures, meetings, and workshops. Then, for several reasons, there was a pause without Filtruj, but two years ago we decided to start it again because we missed it. We wanted to create an event to prepare us for the summer, something easygoing, nice, and relaxed. So we organized Filtruj, connected to sports like volleyball.
“We wanted to have fun and enjoy it. The main difference from regular festivals is that it’s outside. We always try to find a very nice spot. We don’t organize it just for the sake of having a festival; we want to show beautiful locations. So when we got an offer from the National Library, we couldn’t say no."
So Filtruj has been growing. How connected are the people who visit this festival to the Prague Coffee Festival? Do they see it as a joint experience—attending the main event for workshops, then coming here?
“We aim to focus on local people for the festival, especially neighbors, but we also have connections in the Baltic states and elsewhere. This event is more local with fewer visitors, which affects the atmosphere; it’s friendlier, more relaxed, and focused on community, which is our aim.”
Initially, the focus was on sustainability, exchanging equipment and educating people. Was there also a fair trade aspect to it?
“I wouldn’t say it was about fair trade. It was more about sharing experience and knowledge. Over time, it grew into roasteries presenting themselves.”
It’s about the community of people?
“I would say it’s all involved, but for us, the main focus is community. We try to connect professional baristas and coffee industry people with hobbyists. If you like coffee, you’re always welcome. And if you don’t, you’re also welcome because we’ll teach you how to like coffee.”
Last time, you had some options like matcha drinks? What about this year?
“Yes, because if you want to spend the whole day at the festival, you need variety. We offer matcha, lemonade, chai latte, and we also encourage roasteries to bring decaf, which is an interesting choice.”
What are some organizations here that stand out or that you particularly recommend?
“Honestly, I wouldn’t highlight just one because we don’t do hierarchies. Everyone participates equally, and we are grateful for every one of them. Of course, we have some roasteries with whom we have built long-term relationships, but we are also very open to new partnerships and cooperation. Some partners are new, and we’re already working on building strong relationships with them.”
Last question: When is the next festival?
“We just announced it today; it was a secret until now, so you’re one of the first people to hear it. It will be a bit different from previous years. We’re moving to Holešovice, Vystaviště, where we’ll have two pavilions. It will take place on November 15 and 16. We changed the location and the month because we are growing and want to offer more.”
