I had a great discussion about appellations with Jonas, a sommelier and barista from Stockholm. Over a few beers we pondered whether appellations could be adopted into coffee. He had some interesting insights in the wine world and how the appellations work there.

It certainly is a fascinating idea, to certify coffee either by origin or characteristic. It could result in areas that are known for producing coffee with certain distinctive aroma, style or just high quality. I don’t see how this wouldn’t be a good thing for the producer as it most likely would raise the prices. From the buyers perspective – you would always know or expect what you’ll get, both taste and quality wise. A bit like Champagne – they also produce good sparkling wine just outside the region but when you’re buying the C bottle you can be sure to get certain quality wine.

Of course there would be downsides, too. Managing the certification could be somewhat difficult in corrupted and disorganised countries like Rwanda. Some producers in the wine world have opted for dropping out from the certification since basically everyone can get it.

Any thoughts? I would love to hear you opinions.

Click here Helsinki Coffee Map for a larger map

Visit or regret afterwards - usually very good coffee, definitely a must for any coffee aficionado (Red pin on the map)

Kahvila Sävy (Kinaporinkatu 1, metro: Sörnäinen, trams: 6,8, 7A, 7B)

Coffee bar Sävy is a fresh breeze in Helsinki’s coffee scene. Sävy is the first one in Helsinki to serve excellent coffees from Turun Kahvipaahtimo as well as other micro-roasteries around the world – and serve them well. The cafe is run by a couple, Kaisa and Mikko, who have uncompromised strive for quality products. They were planning to serve ice cream this summer but have given up since they didn’t find one good enough. In my opinion without a doubt the right thing to do – but quite a brave decision for a small cafe with only a few products other than coffee.

Sävy serves consistently very good coffee, both espresso and brew. Actually, I would say that you are most likely to get a stellar cup of coffee here anywhere in Helsinki. House coffee is a Brazilian from Daterra brewed on a Fetco but I have to say, definitely the best Fetco brew I’ve tasted. If it’s not too busy you can also get AeroPress, V60 or anything else more exciting, just ask. If your companion is more into tea there’s a nice selection of them, too, brewed the right way.

Check out the Up with Kallio -map about the up-and-coming area of Kallio where Sävy is also located – some of the most interesting restaurants, clubs and shops are in there. Kallio is a little shady but trendy without the arrogant hipsterism¹ you can come across in Punavuori.

La Torrefazione (Aleksanterinkatu 50B, second floor, just next to Stockmann)

Located in the heart of Helsinki, La Torrefazione (meaning “roastery” in Italian) has earned its reputation within the inner city’s caffeine dependent workers. La Torre was originally planned to be an Italian-style drink-and-go espresso bar and ended up being popular cafe to meet friends and clients over a great cup of coffee.

La Torre’s owner Jens Hampf is brother of Svante, Kaffa Roastery’s founder, so they naturally serves Kaffa’s coffee – some of it is even roasted in the cafe (hence the name). There are always two espressos pulled through a La Marzocco FB/80, the filter coffee is brewed on a Fetco and coffees are changed on a daily basis. There’s some room for improvement in consistency, though – not all the employees take the coffee that seriously. Fortunatelly there are a couple really good ones and the filter coffee is almost always good if not great. Also great spot for lunch.

Kaffa Roastery (Pursimiehenkatu 29A, just behind Moko Market. Busses 14, 14B, tram 3B)

(Disclaimer: I currently work as a barista at Kaffa Roastery but this is my personal opinion. If it wasn’t good why would I work there?)

Kaffa was born when two friends, Svante Hampf and Benjamin Andberg, decided to establish a coffee shop chain. When they realized that there wasn’t good enough coffee around they figured out that they might as well roast is themselves. They first started roasting coffee outside of Helsinki four years ago and moved to another location in the Punavuori area in January 2010. That’s when the coffee bar was also set up.

Serving coffee roasted just behind the glass walls the barista at least knows how it’s done if not roasted the coffee himself. There are rotating coffees served as espresso and a daily changing filter coffees brewed through V60′s. When there’s not too many customers you can also ask for a syphon or AeroPress or a cold brew.

Flipping a coin – sometimes really good coffee, sometimes I refuse to pay. Depends a lot on barista, not very consistent but still worth trying. (Yellow pin on the map)

Caneli (Iso Roobertinkatu 46)

In my eyes Caneli is more of a super-food smoothie bar than a place to get a coffee. The owner, Nima, is convinced about super-food and his coffee (roasted by Johan & Nyström in Stockholm) but I’m not. As the coffee is roasted in Sweden there are also some problems with the freshness. Still, the coffee is better than in your average cafe. I might still opt for a smoothie to help with the over-caffenation.

Kaffecentralen (several locations, check the map)

To put it short: Kaffecentralen serves well brewed coffee roasted some time ago in Italy from unknown beans. Good spot for a cappuccino but don’t expect anything mind-blowing – well executed espresso can be only so good when it’s not fresh anymore. No filter coffee at all.

Gran Delicato (Kalevankatu 34, bus 14, 14B)

This genuine Greek cafe and deli used to be an underground spot for the ones looking for decent espresso. Now the situation is the same as with Kaffecentralen (where they mostly get their coffee from) – Gran Delicato offers usually good coffee from unexciting beans. Great ciabattas and atmosphere, worth visit if you’re nearby.

1. Not that it all would be arrogant. [↩]

A few people wanted to know where exactly did I go for a coffee in NYC. I’m not going to compone a coffee map of my own this time as there’s a lot better one, the one I pretty much followed. New York Times’ coffee guy Oliver Strand has produced this somewhat comprehensive map so check it out! For the iPhone users there’s a downloadable app Scoop, also maintained by mr. Strand.

Here’s a few photos and a list of the places I went to:

Ground Support on West Broadway. Serves Intelli, the coffee wasn’t that special though.

Waiting for breakfast at Bubby’s. Apparently known for its pies but should be known for the coffee. Very well executed espresso and delicious pour over of Ritual’s Kenya.

Tasting flight of three coffees at Cafe Grumpy in Chelsea. Coffees were alright but the service was a little too grumpy…

Forgot the name of this place. Somewhere in Brooklyn…

This was unfamiliar coffee to me. Had a pretty decent Clever of the PNG in a cafe just next to the Mast Brothers factory.

Northern Spy. Lovely food and great beer, too.

Shake Shack. The burger was as good as hyped but the fries were a disappointment. I only had to queue for about 20 min…

WHERE SHOULD YOU DEFINITELY GO TO (and where I went):

- RBC NYC

- Bluebird Coffee Shop

-Abraço

-Cafe Grumpy (several locations)

- Ground Support

- Joe (several locations)

- Ninth Street Espresso (several locations)

- Southside Coffee

- Stumptown (coffee bar at the Ace Hotel and roastery in Red Hook, Brooklyn that’s open only on weekends)

- Third Rail Coffee

Forgive me not including addresses or websites for these coffee shops. You can find all you need in the NYT coffee map.

Here’s a few great places other than coffee:

- Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream - delicous ice cream and supposedly great coffee, too (Intelly).

- Bubby’s - a 24/7 diner with good coffee, breakfast, pies and cocktails. Tried them all.

- The Spotted Pig – probably the only Michelin-starred gastro pub in the world. Walk ins -only. Amazing burger for a very decent price.

- Northern Spy – This bohemian hipstery restaurant is not located in Queens (haha) but in East Village. Great seasonal ingredients, increadibly pleasing food and good beers. Walk-ins only.

- Shake Shack – Legendary burgers in the Madison Square Garden. Be prepared to wait. Really good burgers and shakes, not very good fries.

- Mast Brothers – Really good chocolate. That’s it.

- Fort Defiance – Super cosy new hipster kids meet the old hippies -restaurant close the the Stumptown roastery in Red Hook. Lunch here and coffee at Stumptown (although they take their coffee seriously here, too). Nice beers, good food and great ginger beer/drink.

Coffee Crusade is now also in Tumblr. The idea is that here in the blog I’ll post longer and more informative or in depth writings. Tumblr I will update more often, trying to do that several times a week, and it’s more just single photos, quick notes, quotes or anything I feel doesn’t really fit in the blog.

So, make sure to follow my Tumblr here:

Coffee Crusade in Tumblr

MY TRIP TO…

WAS

A city with such a high pace needs coffee to keep it going – and a lot of it. Luckily, several of those fuel stops serve some really high-octane stuff from around the country. And to mend all those over-caffeneited dwellers the city offers very decent spots to tank in some delicious calories and wash them down with crafty beers.

Before the trip I promised myself two things. First – I will drink more really good coffee in one week than ever before. Secondly, I’ll enjoy more gourmet burgers than, well, ever before. I succedeed in both and therefore it must have been a good trip.

The North-East Regional Barista Competition took place in New York City right in the beginning of my trip. On Saturday night there was a huge Latte Art Throwdown with 48 participants. For the winner there was a decent prize – a trip to Brazil. NYC coffee scene meets M&M’s. I particulary like the Grumpy ones.

Somebody knows brewers with good biceps.

I did my homework and compiled myself a map with all the coffee places marked on it – seven pages with around 20 spots to sample New York’s coffee scene.

One of my favourite spots in the Big Bean was Stumptown’s roastery and brew bar in the old Red Hook harbour area in Brooklyn. No fussying about espresso and very few people meant that there was a lot of time to chat with the baristas and sample the somewhat comprehensive coffee menu. The roastery was beautiful, the wooden floor really emphasised the feeling of craftmanship. Red Hook is so called “up-and-coming” area, not yet completely populated with hipsters but in a few years time it probably will be. I think it’s worth a visit anyway.

The popularity of Chemex in the States still amazes me. I have never had a cup I still could recall. Cleanliness is a nice thing but I don’t really like the way it kind of strips everything else from the coffee. Nevertheless, this Burundi was completely enjoyable.

Inconsistency seems to be a problem even in New York. I had very high expectations for some shops as I had heard only positive things talked about them. Unfortunatelly when you have high expectations it is very difficult to beat them. Amazing shops that serve supposedly beautiful and delicious coffee but the barista fails to deliver up to the expectations. I know that each and every barista has a bad day time to time and it is therefore unfair to judge the establishment based on a single coffee served by a certain barista. But it’s that one time that counts. Why would I return to give them another try and prepare for disappointment? A “normal” customer probably wouldn’t.

It may be that I just don’t really understand the style of brewing coffee in the States¹. Some of the espressos were just undrinkable – salty, burnt, tar and lack of sweetness. If that’s the way you want your espressos to be brewed then fine. I get it as long as it’s justified (huge mouthfeel) but don’t expect me to be back, I can eat salty liquorice candies at home, too.

Luckily I managed to find a coffee bar serving espressos more to my taste – lots of sweetness, clarity and bright acidity but lesser body. RBC in TriBeCa was in my opinion the best coffee experience in New York. I ended up going the four times. What I really made me go back there several times was the fact that RBC is pretty much the only coffee place in NYC to serve coffee from different roasteries – some variety in a scene dominated by the two big ones, Intelli and Stumptown.

The baristas pulled some incredibly tasty shots with the aid of NYC’s only Slayer. The Über Boiler + V60 -combo worked did the trick too, I loved tasting all the different offeringsthey had from both coasts and even from in between. We had some great discussions and every time I left well-caffeineted. They were also interested in getting some coffee from Finland, all New Yorkes stay tuned…

Ninth Street Espresso in Chelsea food market. Where’s the orange?

Cafe Grumpy in Park Slope. They brew all their filter coffee in Coava Kones and do it well.

In general I think that the level and amount of great, freshly roasted coffee in NYC is very good. I haven’t been to any other city where there are more coffee spots than I can go through. The plethora of roasteries makes is very interesting – I counted that I tasted coffee from around 15 different roasteries. Trying some beans through different roasters is very exciting. Based on my observation in the barista party the coffee community is fairly strong although one thing surprised me. Almost none of the baristas I spoke to had visited all the shops I had on my map, many had only been to the ones in their local area. How can you aspire to serve great coffee if you don’t have general understanding and knowledge of the coffee scene?

Bluebird Coffee Shop

Oh yes, the burgers! There’s something utterly satisfying when it comes to burgers. Maybe it’s about what I most love in food – simplicity and the very best ingredients. That’s the recipe for a perfect burger and I recon that The Spotted Pig, a Michellin-starred gastro pub, did best job. In general eating out is a breeze compared to other cities. There’s no need for an hour-long search to find a decent establishment for dinner. If you’d like you can spend a lot or very little money and still eat very well.

Pork trotter at Northern Spy. The best dish I’ve had in ages. Incredibly delicious and satisfying.

Don’t settle for any less. The almost-legendary Mast Brothers chocolate.

Alchemy at South Side Coffee.

Lever machine for single origin espressos at Blue Bottle Coffee in Williamsburg. I just couldn’t comprehend why would somebody roast an Ethiopian coffee so that it tastes like an Indonesian…

1. This is especially true with espresso [↩]