Letter from Berlin

At certain times of day, the line stretches several meters along the busy Kantstrasse in western Berlin. Those waiting, heads down over their smartphones, are there for a takeaway cappuccino or a matcha latte – a green drink whose explosive popularity among people under 20 is fueling a frenzy on social media. The scene could take place in any European metropolis – except here, prices are nearly 50% lower than elsewhere.

With its €2.50 cappuccino as a flagship product, the Berlin-based chain LAP café – short for "Living Among People" – is recognizable by its turquoise blue lettering and white-tiled interiors; and has set out to slash prices in Germany, the largest coffee market in Europe. But what could be seen as a windfall in a city where the rapid pace of gentrification is regularly criticized − often embodied by the multiplying American-style coffee chains, local or otherwise − is actually sparking as much hatred as enthusiasm. "At the LAP in the Schöneberg neighborhood [in Berlin] where I work part-time, far-right AfD [Alternative for Germany] party stickers have been plastered on the shop window," recounted an employee at the Kantstrasse café.

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