Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/520302
50 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 3, 2015 (June/July) 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 to- gether." 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 hous- es, 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 ori- gins. 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 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 re- ally 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 pas- tries 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." Drop Coffee's founder Erik Rosendahl Gothenburg's coffee shops include: Alkemisten Café Husaren Conditori Norden Polen (Vara) da Matteo Drop Coffee Gunnebo Kale'i Kaffebar Viktors Kaffe The da Matteo Café courtyard at Vallgatan 5 in Gothenburg. Photo by Björn Samsioe