Scandinavia: Embracing the World of Specialty Coffee

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By Anne-Marie Hardie

Coffee to the Scandinavian region is more than just a caffeinated beverage; it’s an integral part of the culture.  With a palate naturally attuned to filtered brew, this region has embraced the nuances of specialty coffee. Norway primed the region with an early appreciation of origins while Sweden’s FIKA coffee culture ensures the daily sharing of coffee will continue to be celebrated. FIKA (kaffi transposed) is a coffee break with sweets similar to the English concept of afternoon tea.

Beautiful fjords and glaciers define the Norwegian landscape that intermingles a thriving specialty coffee culture, one that has strongly influenced nearby neighbor Sweden. It was 1998 and coffee shops were still a rarity in Oslo, Norway. The public had little knowledge of the industry. In fact, Oslo resident Tim Wendelboe, didn’t even drink coffee, but he made the life-changing decision to work at a local café.

“The timing was crucial as it was a very new phenomena in Oslo, and so we had to all learn together, every day was like a revolution,” said Wendelboe. “We had to learn how to tamp and all that stuff, that’s what got me started in coffee and kind of kept me going because I got used to researching, looking for answers all the time.”

Coffee shops held a natural appeal for the Oslo consumer as they provided an outlet to enjoy a high quality beverage outside of the home. Accustomed to decent beverages from the supermarket, the Oslo consumer gravitated towards products like Monsoon Malabar which was both low in acidity and roasted slightly darker than the supermarket coffee. Lattes, cappuccinos, flavoured syrups, and other espresso-based drinks were also frequently ordered. People wanted something new at the coffee shop, something that wasn’t easily replicated at home. However; the taste buds of the consumer continued to evolve and awaken to the world of specialty coffee.

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At the same time, Wendelboe continued to explore the dimensions of coffee, training as a barista and eventually winning the World Barista Championship in 2004. After his win, Wendelboe decided to venture out on his own as a freelancer, and train others in the industry. In 2007, Wendelboe opened his own micro roastery in Oslo, Norway, joining the ranks of a handful of other roasters in Norway. According to the Euromonitor International report: Hot Drinks in Norway, the popularity of these micro roasters is evidence of an increased demand for limited edition coffee, fair trade certified, organic, and high-quality coffee beans. Norwegian consumers want an experience or “added value” in their hot beverage and the specialty coffee industry is responding. Today, Wendelboe explains that 50% of the coffee ordered in his café is black, light roasted and prepared with an Aeropress, with another 10-20% traditional espresso. Summer brings with it the demand for iced coffee, brewed hot and then chilled, and at Tim Wendelboe’s it is served elegantly in a wine glass rimmed with sugar.

Swedes awakens to specialty coffee

Just over 100 kilometers away is Sweden, a country entranced with specialty coffee. With an 81% retail value share of all hot drinks in 2014, according to Euromonitor International, coffee is a Swedish staple. An affinity for good coffee can be traced to the closing days of the Second World War, according to Erik Rosendahl, founder of Stockholm’s Drop Coffee. During this time, the coffee industry became divided, with some regions reverting to coffee blended with robusta and lower quality arabica in order to make coffee affordable. Sweden emerged from the war with a stable economy. Compared to the rest of Europe the quality of the coffee was fairly high. The result is a market with a discerning palate for very high quality, dark roasted coffee.

On average, the Swedes prefer a dark strong coffee, the kind still found in traditional cafés. At Gothenburg’s Café Husaren, owner Abraham Staifo said that his patrons embrace both really good Swedish coffee and espresso-based beverages. However; what makes the Haga district’s Café Husaren a truly Swedish café is the combination of the brewed coffee and its traditional pastries from the world’s largest cinnamon bun to a decadent mud cake. Staifo’s vision was to create a place where both tourists and locals would come in for the atmosphere.

“We cherish FIKA, but the craft of making good coffee is very necessary, we have the espresso, cappuccino and we do that very well,” said Staifo. “We mix the cultures, but we praise the brewed coffee, that’s the best coffee in the world.”

Coffee in Sweden is an essential part of the culture, encouraging people to slow down and connect with each other and take time for FIKA. “I would define FIKA as a combination as really needing caffeine, but also sitting down with someone and just having a chat and taking a break,” said Pernilla Olow-Gard, of da Matteo, Gothenburg. “And usually something comes with the coffee like a cinnamon roll or another pastry.  In the normal offices where you have a office landscape, they do have these regular breaks where everyone just sort of stops and meets in the lounge to have coffee together.” In fact, Olow-Gard laughs that in some places it’s almost rude to talk work when taking FIKA, it is a time to relax and appreciate good food, great coffee, and each other’s company.

Within the past 10 years, the coffee culture has boomed, said Staifo. There are more than 50 coffee shops in and around Gothenburg. In the Haga district alone there are 10 cafes within 400 meters. “A lot of tourists get here and are amused by the houses, the environment here, a quieter place in the midst of this city,” said Staifo, adding “The pace is a bit slower, your heartbeat gets a little bit slower when you come here.”

Rosendahl said that in Sweden there are really two profiles of a speciality coffee roaster, one becomes an expert of the tastes of their local community and caters to their local clientele. The other seeks to awaken the Swedish palate to different origins and flavor profiles.

“We have discovered that this kind of (specialty) coffee is amazing, it’s very clear, very sweet, very acidic, and it’s not as heavy or full bodied, maybe, it’s not what you’re used to, it’s something else,” said Rosendahl. It has taken time for Swedish coffee drinkers to warm up to the dimensions in the lighter roasts. This love for the dark roast has created a slight stumbling block to increase the awareness of the depth of flavor in lighter roasts. “We can actually serve a specialty coffee and get people to try it, they are a bit sensitive to the acidity, but they are especially sensitive to the lighter roast,” said Rosendahl. “Most parts of Sweden do not have the softest water, and so the tradition is to roast dark. If you want to sell specialty coffee in Sweden you have two issues, one is that people like their coffee strong, dark roasted; the other part could be the acidity.”

Drop Coffee opened in 2009 to expose their guests to coffee’s many different origins. In the beginning, everything was either pour-over or espresso. Customers were encouraged to order from a menu that emphasized the origin first. “As the business developed and our guests were getting used to this, we managed to switch the menu so we now list the farmer’s name or the washing station first,” said Rosendahl. “And now people come in and say, ‘I want Natalia Baptista coffee from Honduras’ or ‘I want that coffee from Ethiopia from that women who has that small washing station.’ For us it’s been an amazing journey,” he said

At da Matteo, founder Matts Johansson takes his guests on a sensory journey,  

Established in 1995, the aim is for their guests to experience both the craftsman ship of a good cup of coffee while enjoying the art of FIKA, connecting with others, he explains. In addition to the café with several baristas on staff, the location is home to a roaster and a bakery. The café décor features furniture designed to seamlessly blend with the historical buildings that house the cafés.  Coffee remains the company’s essence.

To truly experience Swedish coffee culture, it is important to become immersed in two worlds: the café that embraces classical Swedish commercial roast paired with a decadent pastry and the merging world of high quality specialty coffee with its pour-overs and lighter roasts, according to Rosendahl.

“We are in a country where the speciality coffee market is quite small compared to a lot of places,” said Rosendahl, who encourages further exploration.

“I recommend that tourists find those specialty coffee bars and order a filtered coffee to experience what we have to offer. Despite the slow growth of the speciality coffee business in some ways the country has been very brave in its profile,” he said, “I think that’s the interesting part.”

With Norway, Finland, and Denmark as inspiring neighbors, Sweden’s coffee scene is becoming quite progressive. Embracing the tradition of FIKA, coffee will always remain an integral part of the Swedish landscape.