The 28th of April was a noteworthy day for the Icelandic barista community. As a final project for her Masters degree in Applied Studies in Culture and Communication, Hrönn Snæbjörnsdóttir, barista and student at the University of Iceland, organized a whole-day conference open to everybody, titled “Hinir ólíku vegir til kaffibollans” (roughly translated as The different paths to the coffee cup). Many of attendees were in the industry but the ratio of common coffee drinkers was surprisingly high.

The schedule included lectures from Pálmar Þór Hlöðversson, 2008 and 2009 barista champion; Sonja Grant, international judge and co-owner of Kaffismiðja Íslands; Tumi Ferrer, 2011 barista champion; Jónína Tryggvadóttir, 2005 barista champion and WBC-finalist (Marketing and International Business); Erna Elínbjörg Skúladóttir, barista and ceramic designer; and Unnsteinn Jóhannson, barista and kaospilot student held a panel discussion and after the conference the guests were able to enjoy various brewing methods of the same coffee as well as engaging in conversations with baristas, café-owners, buyers and genuine coffee lovers.

Pálmar broke the ice with a talk titled “Einn kaffi takk!”. He went through all the important things that made good service, emphasised hospitality and empathy and encouraged baristas to apply a mentality of giving each and every customer the best service they were able to give. Pálmar talked about the types of service a barista could give and compared them to characteristics of two Icelandic birds: the arctic tern and the white-tailed eagle. The behavior of the arctic tern is infamous: when a you enter its territory, the bird starts attacking from above, even pecking you on the head – a nervous bird and easily noticeable. The eagle on the other hand hovers over you with dignity, knows better than to irritate you.

Sonja talked about the history of coffee in Iceland, the founding of the Icelandic SCAE chapter, Kaffibarþjónafélag Íslands, and barista competitions. Sonja’s emphasis was on solidarity; how important it was for such a small community to share information and experience, learn from each other and bring back knowledge from abroad. Her lecture was filled with photos from competitions, the oldest from 2000, the year when the first WBC was held in Monte Carlo and the Icelandic Erla Kristinsdóttir came second to the Norwegian Robert Thoresen, now owner of Mokka, Java and Kaffa in Oslo.

After a short coffee break there was a panel discussion where Unnsteinn, Erna and Jónína gave talks on how they intertwined the barista profession to their respective expertise. Their stories were excellent examples of how one never truly abandons the barista profession because there is simply too much passions.
Erna Elínbjörg talked about her time in Quindio, Columbia, and what she learned at Agrado, a famous experimental coffee farm and cupping lab in the region. What she learned eventually resulted in coffee themed ceramic cups that she designed, a token of respect to the work of the coffee farmer.

Unnsteinn told the story of how he became passionate about coffee, starting in New Zealand where he was an exchange student, but then as a barista for Te&Kaffi and also as a competitor and member of the National Barista Team. He got an amazing opportunity, through his Kaospilot studying, to go to Bogotá, Columbia, at the same time the WBC was held there.
Jónína’s talk was themed around networking and the opportunities it gave you. She has stayed in London, Copenhagen and Nicaragua and she made friends everywhere – a network that has linked her to various places in the chain of coffee process. She views competing as a way to completely dedicate oneself to one subject, a golden chance to refine one’s skills and pushing boundaries.

The last talk was on the basics of coffee brewing, given by myself. It started with a quote from an anonymous author, God is in the details, a reminder of the necessity of precision. Some of the details mentioned were a good grinder (arguably of most importance), good water, scale, timer and good coffee (of course). Without the details, the end product is boring, forgettable, not worth your time.

After the conference, the guests enjoyed specialty coffee brewed on v60 as well as Aeropress, giving the attendees a chance to start conversations with the baristas on everything coffee related, One of the primary goals of Hrönn, the very pleased organiser after a successful event.

Hopefully this will not end here, plans are already in discussion for what could be done next year. The inception of an event is always the most difficult part, something that becomes easier, more fruitful, the more experience is behind it. An event like this is of great value both for the coffee professional as for the amateur.

Our second winner Jens’ favourite coffee memory won him a Wilfa Svart Manuell! A typical student, Jens is a big coffee drinker.

2009 was a busy year for me. I began the year moving to South Africa for a three-month stay. Every day there was great, with good coffee, surfing several times a day and new, unique friendships. After South Africa followed three months in Uganda, with bad coffee, bad surfing and worse food.

On arriving back in Oslo, the city I grew up in, I am told by two friends to meet them on the wall of the historical Akershus castle at dawn the next day. My friends had planned a glorious start to the day: as we were watching the sun rising and the streets waking up, one of them brought out a small packed lunch of fruits, the other a thermos of my then-current favourite coffee.

After lots of different coffee in both South Africa and Uganda, it felt great and comforting to be drinking good black coffee from a thermos cup while half of Oslo was still asleep.

Jens, what sort of coffee do you prefer?

As a normal student with an insatiable appetite for coffee and nowhere near enough money to match it, I buy the Friele Evergood family pack. My favourite coffee, though, is the Ndumberi, Kenya from Tim Wendelboe.

How do you brew your coffee?

I buy pre-ground and just plop it into the brewer. Perhaps not particularly impressive to a connoisseur, but it’s the truth – and I think it tastes good.

When I want to serve the very best, like when I’m entertaining guests, I’ve been known to run across the street and get some coffee at Tim Wendelboe‘s, serving it up without explanation. It’s kind of like taking credit for something that isn’t yours, but if they were to ask, I’d tell them that I have the best coffee in the world just outside my door.

How important is coffee to you?

Coffee is a strong #5, after food, drink, social relations and social activities.

Thank you, and congratulations!

The photograph of Akershus Castle taken by flickr user LarsT is used under the Creative Commons License.

After a wildly successful 2008 expansion from a simple coffee shop to include the sale of mid-century furniture and boutique cocktails, the venerable Fuglen (est 1963) – previously covered here – has opened a sister store in Tokyo. At first glance, the Oslo-Tokyo connection might seem tenuous, but there is much to unite the two cities in matters of taste, and Fuglen (“The Bird”) is nothing if not tasteful.

While most people might think Japanese prefer tea – and they might just – Japan is similar to Norway in that both countries put a high premium on quality when purchasing coffee. In addition, the palates seem to be quite similar, opting for lighter roasted coffees and brewing methods – such as the pour over. Japan is a regular buyer of the most expensive lots of coffee in the world.

Tokyo is also one of the fashion capitals of the world and in that sense a perfect – if challenging – place to branch out. The value of art and design is undisputed; we think Fuglen’s specialty, Norwegian mid-century design – having been largely hidden in the long shadows cast by the other Nordic countries’ offerings – will be a tremendous success.

Presiding over the Grand Opening was the Norwegian minister of Trade and Industry, Trond Giske (last picture right). In the lead-up to the opening, the Fuglen team had worked frantically to get the interior finished. Luckily, everything came together in time.

We can’t wait to see the Japanese embrace a small part of Nordic culture!

Fuglen in Oslo is a high quality coffee bar during the daytime and has played an important part in developing the world renown Oslo coffee standard, “which is the best in the world and is worth flying for,” according to NY times coffee columnist Oliver Strand.

Fuglen’s cocktail bar at nightime is renown for its innovative way of combining classic handcraft with new ingredients, such as the Norwegian liquor, Aquavit. Its bar chief became last year’s Nordic champion with his aquavit cocktail, Dandy Lion.

Fuglen’s both of high quality serving parts work as a frame around the most important part of the concept when taken abroad – the 100% authentic and exclusive Norwegian vintage design interior shop. Fuglen’s mission is to show and communicate the somewhat secret, but impressive Norwegian design history to the world. Everything in the shop is for sale and 100% authentic Norwegian design from the 50’s and 60’s can be enjoyed as you savor a coffee or a cocktail.

Fuglen has made a seamless total concept around all of the three parts of the business. Fuglen has won the highly esteemed 2011 Award for Design Excellence for its total concept. In addition, Monocle magazine announced Fuglen as one of the “five best small retail concepts of the world” in the fall of 2011.

Website: www.fuglen.no. If you can read Japanese, check out Fuglen Tokyo’s twitter @fuglentokyo.

If you’re curious about Fuglen in Oslo, check out our write-up!

The first of our contest winners is Geir Gåsodden, who won a Wilfa Malt grinder. We caught up with Geir to ask him a few questions about his relationship with coffee.

Today, Geir is a passionate coffee hobbyist – he was one of the first people to talk about the Wilfa Svart Manuell online (2) – and has a lot of experience with coffee and coffee brewing. His favourite coffee memory on the other hand, is not what you would expect!

It’s the early 90s. I’m sat in a run-down café somewhere in Telemark. I’m not alone. There’s a girl. She doesn’t drink coffee. Says she doesn’t like it. She’s lovely anyway.

We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. We just enjoy each others company.

The first cup is 15 kroner. Refills are 5. By the time they bring me my fourth refill, they just leave the pot. It’s good for another three cups.

The coffee is far from being good. Still, I keep using “I haven’t finished my coffee yet” as an excuse to stay. Eventually, the café closes for the night. We go our separate ways.

It’s raining. I’m feeling sick from all the bad coffee, but I’m smiling like an idiot. I realise then that I’m in love.

Geir, what sort of coffee do you prefer?

I always purchase freshly roasted whole beans. As far as origins go, I’m pretty much an omnivore. These days, I have coffee subscriptions from Has Bean Coffee and Square Mile Coffee, but often order online from roasteries offering that option. Kaffa, Supreme Roastworks and Tim Wendelboe are some of my current favourites. If I stop by a shop selling them, I more often than not pick up a bag or two from Solberg & Hansen.

I also prefer coffee that is good in other ways than just flavour: fairness, transparency and sustainability make for coffee that both tastes and feels good.

How do you brew your coffee?

I have an arsenal of brewing equipment! Chemex, Hario V60, Aeropress, Clever Coffee Dripper, Kalita Wave, Zero Handbrewer, French presses, Moka pots and lately also the new Wilfa Svart Manuell. At home, my current favourite is the Chemex. At work I prefer the Aeropress.

How important is coffee to your everyday life?

Coffee is my most consuming hobby by far and occupies most of my spare time. I taste as much coffee as I can, brew as much as I can and if I can spare the time, I’ll even try my hand at roasting. I realise that coffee isn’t the most substantial of hobbies, but I’m passionate about it.

When do you normally drink coffee?

-Whenever I can!

When asked about what Nordic coffee culture represents to him, Geir wrote the following:

The Nordic coffee culture is diverse: it stands out both with regard to quality and quantity.

We have hordes of more or less badly brewed coffee being consumed at home and at work.

We have traditional coffee pots everywhere: on open fires, in houses, in cabins and in Michelin-starred restaurants.

We have world-class roasteries and coffee ambassadors, willingly sharing their knowledge with customers, each other and with the world.

To me, the amazing quality of our coffee is the most important aspect, and I do my best to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy it.

Geir blogs about coffee in Norwegian on Kaffefryd.no and is on twitter as @zrrrzzt.

Lauri Pipinen, the 2011 Finnish Barista Champion, opened a coffee shop of his own recently. Kalle Freese caught up with Pipinen for a chat about what it’s like to open your own coffee shop.

Congratulations on opening your own coffee bar. When did you first start dreaming of your own shop? How long did the whole process take from start to finish?

First I began thinking of opening a restaurant. That was about five years ago when I was studying hospitality management. A few years later I became interested in and coffee started working as a barista. Two or three years ago, learning more and more about coffee, I started thinking of setting up a coffee shop or a café.

The work and research has been going on in the background for a while. During the last few years, when visiting cafes around the world, I’ve been gathering ideas and watching for details – cups, menus, lightning and atmosphere and so on.

About a year ago I made the decision to start looking for a space and learning about all the permissions that might be needed. However, during those years I’ve also been learning about coffee – background, visiting a farm, brewing and tasting. I think that’s maybe the most important thing.

Tell us about some things that were easier than you thought while setting up Good Life Coffee. Also, where did you face more difficulties than you had expected?

Setting up the company, getting the permissions and other formalities were easier and quicker than I had thought. Talking about hardships, finding the right space turned out to be much more difficult than I had anticipated. After a promising start, many landlords almost rang up as soon as I mentioned “café” or “coffee”. They probably were afraid that the café could eventually turn into a pizzeria or bar although that wouldn’t be possible with the right contract. Also, the difference between a quality-focused coffee bar and a typical “café” isn’t clear to everyone.

You hired an employee to help you out. Was it difficult finding the right person?

There were dozens of people applying so it was quite difficult to pick the right one among them. But I wanted someone who didn’t have previous experience in the coffee industry. I think it’s somehow easier to educate them to your style of doing things. And it’s also hard to find a barista that has some experience in Finland.

As the name says, your focus above all else is coffee. What kind of coffees are you planning to serve? Are there going to be several roasters in the selection?

I want to serve unusual coffees, off the mainstream. Personally I enjoy lightly roasted, fresh crop coffees where you can taste the natural flavour of the coffee. I also think that serving natural processed coffees to customers opens their eyes that coffee can be something else, as they are usually very fruity, smooth and sweet. However, personally I’m a little bit over this particular style of coffee.

There’s mostly going to be coffees from Finnish roasters like Kaffa Roastery, Turun Kahvipaahtimo and Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo. Since my taste preference is quite Scandinavian – light and clean – I’m also planning to have at least one varying Nordic roaster onboard. For the opening week we had Tim Wendelboe, Koppi from Helsingborg, as well as Drop Coffee and Johan & Nyström from Stockholm.

Using different roasters with ever changing coffees is a good way to keep up what’s happening abroad and keeps things interesting. I want to use coffees that I personally enjoy.

What’s your approach to filter coffee? How is it served at Good Life Coffee?

I’m a big fan of black coffee. It’s well balanced, nuanced, more consistent than espresso and just delicious. We use AeroPress to brew our two daily changing filter coffees because it makes the fastest, easiest and possibly best tasting compared to other pour over –methods.

Feedback from our customers has been great – nobody has complained of brewing by cup taking too long.

How would you like GLC to differentiate itself from other quality focused coffee bars in Helsinki?

Nobody else really has a rotating array of renowned roasters, most use just one. The atmosphere is stylish and well thought but still relaxed.

I want to challenge my customers a bit – for example the black coffee menu with two choices and their descriptions forces them to choose and also think their preferences – light and acidic or fruity and full bodied?

Which coffee bars and cafes inspire you?

I really like the feeling and atmosphere at Drop Coffee in Stockholm. Those guys have a relaxed take on things but do it on a stylish way – and the coffee is good too! The service and quality at Tim Wendelboe in Oslo is something I aspire to. Stumptown’s [Portland, Oregon] holistic approach where every little detail matters is also admirable.

Finally, what is the background of GLC’s name?

Let’s say that hip hop music is and has been close to me for a pretty long time now. And there was this place called the Good Life Cafe in South Central, LA, in the early 1990’s where some of the dopest MCs gathered for open mic sessions to show their styles. It was a place for people to gather for a certain thing, and there it was music. At Good Life Coffee it’s Coffee. The name is a kind of tribute to the original Good Life Cafe.

For more information about Good Life Coffee, visit their website or facebook page (Finnish).

The top photograph and portrait is used with permission from the talented Lari Järnefelt of Felt fotografi. The video is made by Balansia films.

Geir Gåsodden (on twitter as @zrrrzzt) posted this video, a first look at the Svart Manuell in action. He is brewing a Colombian Geisha from Kaffa.

Held on the 25th of April at Tim Wendelboe, this event introduced members of the press and other interested parties to the Svart Manuell, marking its official launch.

Tim Wendelboe and Arild Jørgensen of Wilfa spoke about coffee and manual brewing, brewed up coffee for the people there and explained the intent behind the Svart Manuell.

For more information about the Svart Manuell, check out our post about it here on NCC. For a video of the Svart Manuell in use, check out this article on DinSide.no (Norwegian).

Wilfa SVART Manuell is a recepient of a 2012 “Award for Design Excellence” from the Norwegian Design Council. The award has a long history in Norwegian design. It is awarded in recognition of new thinking and innovative solutions, and is widely considered a badge of honour.

The Design Council’s reasons for awarding the Wilfa Svart Manuell are available to read here. We translated some of them [they have since been translated into English by the NDC; the link has been updated]:

Besides being aesthetically pleasing, the Wilfa Svart Manuell is innovative. It gives the user a simple way to control temperature and brewing time. The accompanying brochure communicates pedagogically, employing the parlance of the coffee professional.

Wilfa is bringing brewed coffee back, and in in the process are also revitalising the coffee brewer as a product. The brewer itself, placed on a platform together with a water kettle, presents as a cohesive whole, and is both simple to operate and to keep clean.

 

The Wilfa Svart Manuell puts strong emphasis on the central role of the coffee itself.

You can read more about the Wilfa Svart Manuell here on the blog.

Held in Portland, Oregon in conjunction with the 2012 Specialty Coffee Association of America expo, this years’ version of the increasingly popular Aeropress championship saw Belgium take home the golden Aeropress, followed in 2nd and 3rd place by Norway and Sweden, respectively – a strong showing by the Nordic countries!

We have covered the format of the World Aeropress Championships in greater detail before. This years’ winner, Charlene de Buysere of OR Coffee Roasters in Belgium won – aside from fame and glory – a ticket to the 2012 Nordic Barista Cup!

Second place went to Ingri M Johnsen of Solberg & Hansen, Oslo (who brought tap water from her apartment!); third place to Emil Eriksson of Johan & Nyström, Stockholm.

This year, the competition coffee – a washed Ethiopian Sidamo – was furnished by Heart Coffee Roasters, run by Finnish former snowboarder and Portland transplant Wille Yli Luoma, a must-visit if you ever go to Portland.

The winning brewing parameters will be published on the official website shortly.

The top photography shows, from left to right: Ingri, Alan (Adler, inventor of the Aeropress), Emil and Charlene.

One of the defining traits of Nordic coffee culture is its emphasis on black, filter brewed coffee. In the last few years, we have seen a reappraisal of black coffee outside of its social role: from a ubiquitous beverage to the expression of an origin and the hard work of a wide range of people.

At the same time, coffee brewing has also been re-thought, or in many cases, de-thought. Radical simplification has been the guiding principle, emphasising high quality ingredients – coffee and water – as well as precision in brewing.

The pour over method of brewing is one of the best examples of this trend: it is slow, with ritualised movements closer to tea brewing – a complete departure from the push-button office coffee makers we are all familiar with. It is low-tech, requiring only a funnel, a filter and the knowing hand of the person brewing. It forces you to slow down, and in turn appreciate your coffee more.

No wonder then, that a brewing method as transparent and honest as this became an instant hit in the Nordic countries: it reflects two of the guiding principles of not only our approach to coffee, but our approach to life itself.

The Wilfa Svart Manuell is a natural evolution of this trend: understanding that the level of control and the manual nature of the brewing process are important aspects of pour over, and adding a supplementary – not restrictive – layer of technology. On its own, a beautiful object; falling away and becoming an extension of the user as he or she brews. It is a recipient of the Award for Design Excellence from the Norwegian Design Council.

Svart Manuell takes nothing away from the pour over brewing method. In fact it adds a way to control the flow of water, something that previously required switching funnels: an adjustable aperture.

It is developed in cooperation with Tim Wendelboe, aiming to create a device that would help people hand brew with added ease, but most importantly – brew fantastic coffee. An important part of that mission is to emphasise the importance of quality ingredients, the correct brew ratios and the simple but essential 7 steps to better coffee.

It is available from major retailers starting now.