A New Tone

Sävy-bike for shopping milk as well as transporting their kids.

This is what you get when a couple who happen to be coffee enthusiasts set up a cafe – or actually a coffee bar, as they’d like to call it. Luckily, there’s a reason for it – the coffee. Unlike in so many cafes in Helsinki, coffee is not what it’s all about. Here it is and I deeply hope that they’ll keep it that way. That’s because the coffee is often pretty damn tasty.

Kaisa (left) and Mikko, the couple behind Sävy.

First place in Helsinki to use and retail coffee from Turun Kahvipaahtimo, a micro-roastery in Turku, Sävy (“tone” or “shade” in English) is a fresh breeze in Helsinki’s coffee scene – the first real coffee place to use other than Kaffa‘s coffee. They will also be having guest espressos from other roasteries, something I’m really looking forward to.

Probably the best thing about Sävy is that it’s about 5 mins from my new flat, just by the metro station so it’s the perfect spot for a morning cappuccino or afternoon brew. At the moment their house brewed coffee is Finca La Fany from El Salvador, absolutely lovely coffee. It has to be the best Fetco-brewed coffee I’ve drunk, it just somehow seems to work very well even from thermos (the brew new batch every hour). Aeropress, Abid, Syphon and V60 are also in use, just ask for something exciting.

I love their principles – no fat-free milk, no espresso or single capp take-away. Their minimalistic menu is also great, not too many options for the customer to choose from. All the teas are loose leaf and brewed with attention (but I have to admit – I’ve opted for coffee) and there’s also some pastries and pralines to accompany the coffee.

All in all Sävy is exactly what I’ve been waiting for in Helsinki. Great coffee and lovely fellow coffee enthusiasts. Sävy is one of the first places to appear on my Helsinki Coffee Map. Hope to see you there, I’ll be around pretty often.