Blessed with a name well suited for a mafia don (Ryklys means a shark), he is nothing like it. Calm, kind, outspoken and dealing only in legal stimulants — caffeine to be exact.

I visit him at his minimalist coffee bar expecting some dark coffee and a good story. The bar looks more like a modern art gallery than your usual coffee place. That’s probably the reason why Emanuelis is the man most photographed by The Monocle in Vilnius (twice and counting). White walls, a white counter, a bunch of Chemex, French presses, some odd looking alchemist coffee drips and an ever-turning coffee bean roaster. That’s pretty much it. I admire the elegant simplicity of the place.