Copenhagen Coffee Break

The Laundromat café

2010-06-17T04:14:00.002+02:00

Hello. I haven't had the time to play with this blog lately, but maybe I'll reclaim it one of these days.

It's finally summer, some days the temperature rises up to whole 20°C! and the weather is perfect for exploring coffee culture... though not so much for writing about it. :) (By the way, talking about the weather is a significant part of Danish conversation culture)

So, until I get myself to write, I'll post some recycled material to entertain those of you who still (occasionally or accidentally) happen to drop by.

First in the series is a draft post about the Laundromat café written in March. It's been a while and editing it now would be like re-inventing it, therefore, what you get is a pile of colourful observations.

"...

wood, warm, brown chairs, wooden floors , washing machines in a glass box, sound isolation.

combination of a cafe and a diner, bar at night. plastic lamps,70s look. leather bank seating.

The red walls and seats match the washing machines standing behind the windows of a small separated room. We should have brought our dirty clothes! We could have multi-tasked BIG time: Write blog, drink coffee, take pictures and do our laundry.

We are at Nørrebro, right at the centre of the quarter. Close to Sankt Hans Torv are several great cafés. The Laundromat is one of them. It is a fairly busy café this morning. People are drinking coffee and working on their laptops. Variety of coffee cups, coffee smells.. latte, cappuccino, espresso . A single tea drinking guy present.

The place is very cosy, one of the warmest places we have been so far. Although, the heating is pretty loud.

International feel, but not tourists...expats mainly.

Another observation is that of mac computers dominating the room,- which inspires Casper to ramble on about the coolness of the brand...

Casper is quite surprised about the absence of filtered coffee! Maybe he doesn't know the coffee culture that well. (his own remark!)

Service at the table. When the waitress brought the coffee I sensed the scent of chocolate. I sniffed at my cappuccino and a guy at the nearby table started laughing. He said I was like a cat sensing new info in the air and then carefully approaching. I smiled back and praised the coffee and its decoration. It turned out this guy shared my enthusiasm - he took out his mobile phone and proudly showed me a picture of his coffee that he had taken earlier.

This place is red, artsy. I guess "artsy" designer type people would feel here at home. interesting characters around. display look. Great place to work. Rather quiet. We can barely hear the music. Actually, we can hear there is music but we can't really hear it.

I don't like the logo letters-cut-from-a-magazine look.Too serial killer.

tables- diner setting salt ketchup pepper syrup sugar.."

(Un)creative mess

2010-04-02T05:25:00.000+02:00

We haven't really overwhelmed you with content lately. It's transition time.
For the time being, and possibly permanently, Di will be the only one updating the blog. And Di being known as the ultimate procrastinator, well...
So I'll stop writing about myself in the 3rd person and get to the point. (It's funny, but this blog has turned out to be more about trying to start a blog than about anything else...)
It's spring time at last and you probably got few days off for Easter. In Copenhagen, today, the Sun is supposed to show up in between few clouds and the occasional rain.
You can stay at home and write me comments about how much this blog sucks, or you can go out and be part of whatever urban, sub urban, village culture you are.
I don't think a Copenhagener would be stopped by a little bit of rain, however many students are preparing for exams at this time. The average Danish student being amazingly responsible (read ambitious), I do think many would opt for their books rather than go out for coffee. But then, all this young, hip people somehow manage to have all their balls up in the air.
(Side note - I watched "The Daily Show" the other day and Ben Stiller was a guest promoting his new movie called "Greenberg". They showed an excerpt where the main character was expressing his opinion on today's all-achieving generations. I'm not a Ben Stiller fan, but this kinda struck a cord, must see movie. Among other things he said something along the lines: " I hope I'll die before meeting any of you at a job interview..." Hm..The trailer here)
Now that I've aroused mixed feelings in you and you need a final push, check out this page on facebook - I know this great little place in Copenhagen. People share tips and impressions, maybe you will get inspired. There's also a page for Aarhus, Paris, Edinburgh and others...

Happy Easter and have a wonderful day!

P.S. Soon a post on the Laundromat Café.

Café Det Vide Hus

2010-03-26T02:32:00.001+01:00

Imagine you are wandering downtown, wondering where to go for a quiet getaway coffee, hoping to find something different - a place that is “just you” and not just another chain type coffee shop. Maybe a place you could consider making your regular meet-the-gang place, and certainly somewhere where you wouldn’t have to pay an overpriced (“downtown”) coffee.

Well, not sure it is “just you”, but there is one special place not too far from Nørreport and overlooking Rosenborg Castle and Kongens Have (The King’s Garden). It’s called Café Det Vide Hus.

Entering the cafe you are met with a colorful display of fruits and teas, various drinks, coffee, cakes and chocolates.

Up on the first floor a real “hyggehule” (cozy cave) as they call it, set up with a squashy sofa, wooden tables, candles and quiet music in the background. Stacked in the corner there are board games left at your disposition. The walls are covered with oversized paintings from new promising artists.

From the window openings on the front side you can enjoy a view of the castle and the park, while the windows on the other side give you an inside view of the neighboring building’s courtyard (you can also stare into the clothes hanged to dry between the floors or glance the silhouettes in people’s apartments... Not having curtains- so very Danish)

Being in this place gives you the feeling of hanging out at somebody's home - somebody very friendly who'd tell you “oh just go upstairs and make yourself at home”. It’s small and cozy, intimate. Not as much couple-like intimate but more like “we are the few people sharing this small space at this time” intimate. You don’t come here to see or to be seen; you come here to give your undivided attention to someone or something.

On top of it all, the owner is very charming and he prepares your coffee with utmost attention. If you need internet, just ask for the password - it’s free, and you can come here enjoy your coffee and work in peace.

For more photos here.

Bryggen Coffeeshop

2010-02-27T11:52:00.005+01:00

Café Bryggen is one of the cafés in town where you can sense the morning pulse of Copenhagen. Sitting on the bar-stools next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, you have a clear view over the morning busy Fiolstræde. Some people are coming in for a quick take-away coffee, some stroll straight by the cafe at a high pace, and yet others are taking a seat to read the newspaper and steal a quiet moment before going back into the street.

Everything in Bryggen is ecological - milk, juice, coffee, pastry... Our first impressions are that "ecological" seems to be the trend these days in Copenhagen.
But what are people sitting in the café this morning drinking?

Surprisingly enough - it's tea! Wonder if the tea is better here or is it just a coincidence?Are Copenhageners substituting their coffee with tea? Is it because they believe it is more healthy? Or it warms them better in this endless winter?

Just the other day a guy told us that he wants to stop drinking coffee, at least in the weekdays. However, he would stick to coffee in the weekends because there was a certain cosiness about it (Which is Danish "hygge" and, notably, not the "hygge" referred to in the visit Denmark campaign :-)) So, is it "hygge" or the need for a caffeine boost that drives us to reach for a coffee cup?..

Though the majority of the 10 people visiting Bryggen on this particular morning are drinking tea, we order coffee.

Bryggen don’t have filtered coffee. The equivalent they offer is called “Sort luksus” (“Black Luxury”) and they are making it on their espresso machine. What they do is they grind the beans a little less fine than what you would normally do when making espresso-coffee. Di tastes Sort luksus coffee while Casper is deviating from the normal filtered coffee by choosing a cappuccino.

All in all, Bryggen was a good place for a morning coffee. Although situated in a busy place, having your coffee break here it is not stressful at all. On the contrary. Quiet jazz is playing, and people seem to be taking their time. For a tourist this would be the ideal place to make preparations for the day, while watching Copenhageners go around their business.

...

We have been writing in “word” this morning. And are now asking the barista of the day for internet. Answer: “Yep, you get 20 minutes for free when you buy something”.

Hm, I guess we won't be doing school projects here. Well, 20 min are good enough for us. We hop on the world wide web and post.

See you guys…

Casper&Di

More photos at Flickr

Intermezzo

2010-02-23T00:57:00.009+01:00

Hello our faithful readers :)

We have been a bit slow posting this past week, but don't get disheartened, we are here and we are determined, more than ever before, to seduce you with our writings!
(Casper hates my announcement-with-a-drum style)
To bring you up to date:
There have been lots of discussions and wishful thinking behind the scenes. And while we were trying to figure it all out (in between the occasional emotional and technical break-downs), we have realized that we can't figure it all out. At least not beforehand.
So to calm down the more anxious ones among you (and us..ok, me), here is what you can expect in the nearest future:
- A coffee break. Morning, afternoon, nice, quick, long, relaxed, energizing, sensual...a stolen moment in a busy city, in a busy life...
- Around 3 posts per week. Truth is, we have lives to squeeze in, so for now, this is the most we can commit ourselves to.
... And by the way, it seems we are going to live up to our "discovering hidden places" promise. Well, we have stumbled upon at least one. Very charming place! More about it, coming soon :)

P.S. If our posts get boring, please, say so! Tell us what you think! After all, it is YOU we are writing this blog for...among other things :)

Coffee culture in the Copenhageners' homes (Part 1)

2010-02-20T15:27:00.004+01:00

I want to start a small series of postings about Danish coffee culture, as it is in the homes of the people I know. I have taken upon me this small task because Di and I want to map at least a small landscape of the home coffee culture in Copenhagen to be compared with the coffee culture outside the homes of Copenhageners.

When thinking about it, I realize that when drinking coffee at home, the people I know drink coffee in very different ways.

Let’s start with a student I know. He, as many other students in Denmark, lives in a student residence hall. He is somewhat of a connoisseur when he drinks his home coffee.

First of all, he has a coffee mill, which in my experience is not a very common tool in a Danish student’s kitchen. He buys his coffee beans whole and brings them home to this finely tuned coffee grinder. Of course he only grinds the exact amount of beans that he is putting to immediate use, in order to preserve the taste and aroma of the coffee beans left in stock. Afterwards, he uses his Bodum French press (Bodum is a famous super cool Danish designer brand), adding water with a temperature at around 85 ⁰C, which is supposed to be the right temperature for this kind of coffee. 4 minutes later he serves a very tasty coffee.

His affection for coffee is at a rather high level, therefore he does not mind his slightly prolonged coffee producing ritual. It is nothing compared to a Japanese tea ceremony, but some kind of perfection has been mastered in this shared students’ kitchen in the center of Copenhagen.

In general, this French press guy is not a very good example of a typical home Copenhagen coffee culture. He is somewhat of an exception. But he definitely deserves some credit for his brewing skills on this blog (I’ll have to introduce Di to his crafts one day).

What about you? Do you have the pleasure of knowing a coffee connoisseur? Are you one yourself?

P.S. Pictures are coming soon.

Café Sommersko

2010-02-12T12:30:00.014+01:00

“Girl from Ipanema” is flowing from the speakers. According to the old “flip” clock on the wall it is a (perhaps warm) Thursday summer morning in Copenhagen, more precisely June 12th, 8.10 am. This computer however, tells a whole different story - Friday, February 12th, 9.43 am.
Copenhagen fashion week has just started and Café Sommersko is located in the heart of Copenhagen, close to some of the hottest Danish clothing designer brand headquarters - Bruuns Bazar, Heartmade...

A young, chic guy sitting on the table next to us, is quite representative of Sommersko's fashion neighborhood: Hat, slim fit jeans, knitted shirt and a beautiful white golden retriever on a leash. He has just released hold of the dog's leash and the beautiful thing is now quietly wandering around the café, under the tables, few of them occupied. Not making a sound, just a quiet investigation of the premises... Just like us. :)

We are drinking “Kontra Brazil ”, a really good bitter sweet Arabica, served at what seems to be an extra high temperature when feeling the temperature inside. Even cafés are struggling to keep warm this winter. Yes, it is another cold, but sunny winter morning in Copenhagen.

Café Sommersko opened in 1976. It is the oldest French bistro café type in town. The owners have tried to establish this style by serving classical bistro dishes, providing service at the table and by creating a bistro atmosphere: in the middle of the room a piano, square tables covered with white sheets complemented with reddish leather banquette seating and wooden chairs, while a "traditionally" dressed waiter (white shirt, black west, butterfly and an apron) is moving around ably.

The place is very well lit with many different lamps but what interests the eye are the two big chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. Further up two fans are slowly turning.

Many paintings on the pale yellow walls. They are supposed to be from rising painters at the time the café was established. A huge painting Andy Warhol-like. It is full of “sommersko” (Danish word for summershoes) in bright colours.

Somehow, it really does feel like summer here. The café has a huge front of folding doors, making it able to open up when the clock on the wall matches the actual date. And it seems like the owners, by letting the fans on the ceiling circulate even on this cold day, want to evoke memories of summer.

For now, writing is over, a refill of the coffee for 10 kr and a conversation with one’s coffee blogger partner is on order.

An unexpected coffee delight

2010-02-11T06:59:00.008+01:00

In Copenhagen the metro is running all night long. There are no drivers because the trains are operated by a fully automated computer system. Nonetheless, regular maintenance of the tracks is necessary, especially, during this very cold weather. Hence, traffic gets interrupted for half an hour or so, most often during the night.

It happened that I got to Kgs. Nytorv station right at the beginning of this maintenance time. 1 o'clock in the evening, I'm tired and I just want to go home. There are about 10 people scattered around, waiting patiently. I guess they must be feeling content they are inside the station and not outside freezing their butts on -4 °C .

I have a book in my bag, but taking out my hands, hidden deep in my pockets, out of their warm, soothing gloves feels wrong. So I choose not to. Anyway, staring at people is always more fun :).
Half an hour goes by and the train arrives. However...(yes, however..) All passengers have to switch trains at Christianshavn. Mood: slightly annoyed, but still happy that things are moving forward.

2 min later, Christianshavn. Doors open, I get out and find myself in front of a trolley packed with thermoses with hot water and coffee, plastic cups, tea bags, sugar and cream. On top of that, a smiling ticket controller offering us to help ourselves. I don't think I have ever felt such positive feelings towards a ticket controller in my whole life!

So I poured myself a cup (coffee of course), thanked the controller and decided to walk the rest of the way home... And it was a wonderful night: glittering frozen lakes under a starry sky and I had my coffee to keep me warm...

Brainstorming, Headquarters

2010-02-10T12:40:00.005+01:00

Morning. Freezing cold. We are on our way to our first writing location. I took the metro, while Casper, as a true Dane, came by bike :). Regardless, we are both equally frozen. Café Paludan?

Café Paludan is placed very centrally, just about 2min walking distance from Norreport station, right in the heart of the Latin Quarter.

It's around 9 o'clock. Few of the tables are taken, mainly solitary readers and coffee drinkers. Take notice -until 10.30 am, a big glass of coffee is 10 kr only!

So, we rushed inside and suddenly got embraced by the warm air and the bitter aroma of coffee. Mmmm... coffee...

There are a lot of books put on display on the shelves of the café. Old ones and new ones, glossy, mat... People are leafing through them and when they stumble upon something interesting, they find a cosy place to sit and loose themselves reading.

The windows of the
cafe lie in the shadow of a building that until recently housed the royal library. Nowadays, this red brick building (in new gothic style) provides working space for students preparing their master thesis. And right around the corner is Copenhagen University - the original premises.

This university life setting makes Paludan a meeting/studying place for many students. Then again, this "regular crowd" further adds to the café's intellectual-coffee-break-café image, already created by the books, the quiet background music, the lighting, the old posters and paintings (on the few places on the walls not occupied by bookshelves)...

So, this place is going to be our starting work base. The headquarters.
Brainstorming begins. What do we want to do, how do we want to do it, how can we have as much fun as possible and at the same time be productive?

Apparently, some time had passed because the next time we look around - the place is almost full and some of the people are having what seems to be.. brunches.. We stop, take our hands of the keyboard, take a sip of coffee and look around...

A middle aged couple is waiting for their small midday meal, a younger guy just poured his tea and pulls, judging by the virgin book cover, a newly purchased book.

And just like that, as Di starts drawing the flower on the table, the first posting is now a reality

The Idea

2010-02-08T16:12:00.010+01:00

Two coffee enthusiasts with bohemian inclination join forces. What's it all about? It's all about coffee!

One winter morning there is a mail in Casper’s inbox:

Di: "I have an idea! Want to write a blog with me about coffee culture in Copenhagen"?

Having caught the future co-writer having a swell morning, the decision is not hard to make:

Casper: “Of course”…
and just like that the coffee blogger team came to being!

Casper: “Where is this idea coming from”?

Di leans back, taking a philosophical pose, throws her hair backwards, with one hand scratching her chin and begins:

“How does one reconcile one's need for freedom, the desire to feel carefree and have fun on one side, and the expectations of the surrounding for you to behave as a responsible and productive person, on the other?
Well, we live in times where we are made to believe that having it all seems possible. Even if it is not, it seems worth trying. I want to be part of the urban life here and now, I want to observe, indulge myself in soul searching and come out of it a better person…or not :)”

(“Yeah, yeah right whatever “- thinks Casper, with a puzzled look)
Casper summarizes what he makes immediate sense of: “Ok… So we are writing a blog. I suppose you imagine writing about something like:

Which cup of coffee is the Copenhageners favorite cup?
Do Copenhageners take pleasure in the smell and taste of big cups of filtered coffee served early in the morning?
A big cup that prolongs the drinking experience and makes the morning pass at a slower pace? Or an espresso that gives a quick kick to run from an errand to an errand? Do they prefer cappuccino or latte? Or…”

Di: “Yes, something like that. To find out how Copenhageners drink coffee!
Why do they drink coffee? Where do they drink it? What kind of coffee do they drink? Do they have company when they drink coffee?”

…

So, how hard can it be? On this blog we will try to answer these questions, and thereby try to draw a picture of the coffee culture in Copenhagen. In doing so we, of course, have to visit a lot of cafes in Copenhagen and drink a loooot of coffee. Lovely!