VUSHTRRI: At dawn, bleary-eyed workers pour into a traditional teahouse in Kosovo nestled under the minarets of the local mosque, seeking a rich amber brew that has outlived empires and continues to draw devotees.
But Kosovo’s prized teahouses, or “cajtores,” face growing competition from Western-style cafes and a burgeoning coffee scene vying to be among the finest in the world.
In the northeastern city of Vushtrri, the Balkan “capital of tea,” locals love the traditional version of the drink, brewed slowly in two stacked kettles and sipped from tulip-shaped glasses.
“We open the door just after 4:00 am so we are ready for the workers who stop by before the morning shift,” said Nebih Gerxhaliu, the proprietor of the Fisi teahouse.
Dubbed “Russian tea” by locals, the beverage is more widely known as Ceylon tea and is prepared similarly to Turkish-style brews, usually consumed with a sugar cube or a slice of lemon.
Its arrival in Kosovo is murky, possibly dating back to Ottoman rule or Russian occupation.
But the town’s passion for the black tea is clear, with an annual festival devoted to it and around one cajtore for every 1,000 locals.
“Vushtrri’s crazy about tea. You can’t be from here and not love it,” said Gerxhaliu.

- ‘Best macchiato’ -

But 30 kilometers (19 miles) southeast of the town, Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, is swept up in a coffee craze.
“Our macchiato is really the best,” Fisnik Mexhuani proclaimed in his bustling pastry shop, Matisse.
Complete with a resplendent Italian espresso machine, Matisse is one of dozens of similar coffee spots that serve Pristina’s famed macchiato, an espresso topped with a small amount of foam.
Turkish coffee has been popular in the region for centuries, but since Kosovo’s 1998-1999 war of independence, Western-style cafes have boomed.
The conflict brought international peacekeepers, who have remained in the country along with their favorite caffeinated beverages.
These drinks have been embraced by younger locals in Pristina, who can be spotted huddled around tables full of frothy cups at all hours.
“There is a generational shift underway,” Mexhuani said.
“The old ones, who were more interested in tea, are leaving, and new ones are coming who are consuming less and less tea.”

- ‘100 coffees’ -

The trend has driven cajtores further out to Pristina’s suburbs, with only two left in the downtown area. Some cafes are beginning to push back, offering the traditional tea alongside coffee.
Trosha, a growing chain in the city, is run by Arben Avdiu, who hopes to weave the Eastern tea tradition with the Western coffee trend.
“Trosha is a place where these two cultures are intertwined today,” he said.
With several shops around the city, Avdiu and his business partners see a future for both to coexist in the capital.
But for the purists in Vushtrri, nothing could entice them away from their fragrant infusions.
“If they offered me 100 coffees, I wouldn’t take a single one,” retired restaurant worker Burhan Collaku said as he savoured one of his 10 to 15 daily glasses of tea.
Nesim Ispahiu, a poet and photographer renowned for immortalising the cajtore culture, said Vushtrri will always be the “capital of tea.”
“In Vushtrri, tea comes first and coffee second,” said the 91-year-old.
“If you come for a visit and don’t have tea, it’s as if you were never here at all.”