Introduction The Phenomenon Coffee Trivia Arts & Coffee Coffee Hipsters Woollen Jumpers & sustainability Get Your Beanie On
Scandinavian coffee culture And how arts, design and fashion is a part of it.
The Scandinavian coffee culture has been put on the map during the last couple of years. Much thanks to the Norwegians creating the annual event of World Barista Championship and the new Scandinavian coffee shops popping up in the hip parts of capitals like Tokyo, New York and London. Furthermore, the growing awareness of ethical thinking, the origin of what we consume have become quite important in the world of coffee. For of course, buying a proper bag of coffee, you will know which type of bean it is and where you can find it on the flavor palette. But also, which is as important, you will know which country it comes from, which farmer produced it, if it was was washed and how it was dried and roasted.
“Because it looks like you’re cooking high end meth, and how cool is that!?” The coffee trend has become like a cult in the last couple of decades, a meeting place where you get the mash up between hipsters, elegant housewives and the odd local arch types. If you meet the typical Scandinavian “coffee hipster” you got to know your glossary, You would be chance less if you can’t discuss whether or not you prefer a Kalita over a Hario V60 or maybe Chemex? And Tim Wendelboe should be a name you’ve heard of. Cupping is your favorite hobby and you want nothing more than a Syphon coffee maker for Christmas, because it looks like you’re cooking high end meth, and how cool is that!?
This new coffee culture phenomenon is closely connected to art, design and fashion. You could say that, as different types of clothing goes in and out of fashion, so does the different brewing methods. Right now the filter coffee is the big thing, which is why Scandinavia, with their long traditions with filter brewed coffee is on the top at the moment.
Some fun coffee trivia “Even though Scandinavia drinks the most coffee in the world, we’ve had some strange ideas of the effect on coffee”
Even though Scandinavia drinks the most coffee in the world (this includes Finland and Iceland) we’ve had some strange ideas of the effect on coffee. In the 19th century coffee was banned in Finland. This was due to suspicions that coffee had a negative effect on economy, fertility, and work productivity. The Swedish tried it out as death penalty, thinking it would cause a slow death. The funniest is the Icelandic superstition that drinking really hot coffee made you ugly and colder coffee made you pretty. They also believed that if you put the cream in the coffee before sugar, it meant that you wouldn’t get married for seven years. Gotta love this!
It’s collaboration through different medias of art. Because a true barista sees his or her job as just that, and it’s all about helping out other artists. Most of the coffee shops advertises art. Usually by selling and hosting vernissages for local artists. But also having
collectives where art and design collaborates within the coffee shops. The interior of the shop is also important, based on Scandinavian design traditions and coffee culture. The visual idiom is distinctly Scandinavian in style, inspired by breathtaking nature,
wild animals, durable wood and proud craftsmanship. Quality and esthetics plays a significant role, because barista art is about showing and displaying beautiful coffee. And you can’t create something beautiful if the surrounding doesn’t go with it.
“The visual idiom is distinctly Scandinavian in style, inspired by breathtaking nature, wild animals, durable wood and proud craftsmanship.”
This also goes for the equipment used for the brewing of the coffee. The Japanese family company Hario, who’s famous for their filter based coffee drippers, made their own design collection especially for the Scandinavian market using olive wood, copper and heat resistant glass. The Chemex is a piece of modernistic art itself, and also the Danish design brand Bodum follows the 60/70’s modernistic design principals in creating their coffee pots. The Finnish brand Marimekko follows up with their cups and mugs.
Kristina from KB28 in Trondheim knows how to work the vintage look.
You’re not indifferent about how you dress, if all your surroundings are about sustainability and ethics. Quality comes with solid ideas, with a genuine and durable design that lasts. The quality of the taste that a good coffee will give you is sustainable. You could say that the flavor is all about the soil, so the soil should be clean.
“A good style is like a good coffee, it’s about how you approach it.” A good style is like a good coffee, it’s about how you approach it. Your appearance plays an important role in this coffee universe. You can’t be a proper coffee hipster, without actually dressing as a hipster. This is one of those work places where piercings, ear stretchers and tattoos are most welcome. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have that preppy suit style with long trench coats and smoking a pipe too. Your own individual style is important, as long as you stand out in some way and can boast about how you like your beans roasted. A simple recipe to fit in is to wear a pair of worn out shoes, a leather fanny pack around your shoulder and a beanie on your head, then, you’re good to go.
“A focus on high quality design, woodwork and craftsmanship. Slow fashion for slow brewed coffee.”
You could say that this trend tends to be quite arrogant, but it’s based on a way of ethical thinking. Vintage clothing and home knitted woolen jumpers are a big hit. The Scandinavian style crosses its pats with the Japanese in several ways, not just the appreciation for filter coffee, but also the minimalistic expression. There’s never an excessive consumption of materials. But rather a focus on high quality design, woodwork and craftsmanship, and because of the esthetics are based on the quality it makes is sustainable, because only quality lasts. Just like coffee beans. And this also reflects the fashion. It’s not about high end clothing, but sustainable. Slow fashion for slow brewed coffee.
“All in all it’s about a commute love of coffee and design”
You could combine it with Hario’s guidelines “elegance purity and clarity” -Yashuhiro Sibata.
It is high technology, willingness to innovation combined with a strong sense of aesthetics, design and functionality. All in all it’s about a commute love of coffee and design. So get your beanie on, grow back the movember stache and enjoy a delicious cup of Kokanna from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, preferably brewed on Chemex, but ey, that’s just me.
-Haugerud. L, 10.16.2014, Håndbrygg og Håndverk, Bryggmagasin. Vol.1 October.2014, p75-80. -Guastello. A, 24.07.2014, 7 Things to know about Nordic Coffee Culture, Article, http://pinetribe.com/7-thingsnordic-coffee-culture-2/, 11.10.2014. -Coffee Collective, 2012, God Kaffe .vol.01,Ørstedshus.Vester Farinmagsgade 41. DK-1606 Copenhagen V. People’s Press.