Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.09.2017, Blaðsíða 32

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Best of Reykjavík 2017
32
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CITY GUIDE
Sveinbjörn’s guide
to Reykjavík Coffee
Confessions of a coffee snob
Words Sveinbjörn Pálsson Photos Art Bicnick
First things first - there’s no
such thing as the “best” coffee
advice. People have different pal-
ates and different needs, so real-
ly, this guide isn’t so much about
helping you find coffee as it is
about finding you and then getting
you some nice coffee. But that's
totally fine, as you’re probably in
Iceland to find yourself anyway.
So, who are you? The first
question is how preoccupied you
are with taste. If you’re a big taste
snob like me, you’re gonna want
to visit one of the speciality cof-
fee places. There are three plac-
es that stand out, that represent
three different eras of coffee.
Italian Coffee
First, you have the classic Ital-
ian coffee. This is the dark roast,
bitter thick brew that hits your
palate in a sharp but pleasing
way. The king of the crop in Ital-
ian style coffee is Kaffifélagið on
Skólavörðustígur, but most of the
smaller vendors go for this style.
Third Wave /
Scandinavian Coffee
In recent years, a new style of cof-
fee making has come forth. It’s all
about roasting the coffee light-
ly, so it’s less bitter and burnt,
and leaves more of the taste of
the beans behind. While italian
coffee is all about consisten-
cy–mixing together beans from
different producers to make a
trusty tasting coffee blend that’s
the same year after year, Third
Wave is about variety. Single-ori-
gin coffee means beans from one
farm. They are lightly roasted so
they taste different every time.
There are slight nuances between
farms, regions, plants and so on.
Also, since you can really taste
the beans, you can be certain
you’re only getting the best. This
makes for a very pricy coffee if
you buy beans or powder to take
home, as this type of coffee needs
to be completely unadulterated,
first rate stuff. However, this can
also mean that you might get a
cup that tastes pretty weird. It’s
more sour than bitter, so the
espresso can be a bit much as
well. My dad hates this stuff with
a vengeance, I love it. This is the
biggest splinter in my family. Oh
bitter nectar.
Reykjavík Roasters is the
Third Wave's flagbearer in the
North Atlantic. Pallett in Haf-
narfjörður is also a popular place
for this coffee, especially among
British journalists. Bismút on
Hverfisgata is a new contender in
light roast, a sparse minimalist
standing-room place.
Transitional style
This term I cribbed from typeface
history. I have no idea if it’s a real
thing. I really just made it up to
describe Kaffitár in Bankastræ-
ti. It sits somewhere snugly be-
tween the Italian and Scandina-
vian styles, darker than the fruity
Scandinavian tones, but not quite
the deep aroma of Italian.
African
Not sure if this is a thing. Well, it
is now. This is a super dark brew,
or burnt, really, to my weak-ass
palate. I think my dad would like
this one, many of my friends
swear by it. I don’t. The place of
legend for this style of coffee is
Café Haiti, a place with a slightly
corny decor and a good selection
of cakes, or in other words, a re-
laxing, unpretentious space. And
the service is lovely and friendly,
and it never seems very crowded.
American mega-
franchise style huge
cups of industrial
coffee
I didn’t know this was a thing,
but my friend told me she misses
the American mega-cups of Star-
bucks, with their bland taste and
huge selection of sweet flavours.
If this is what you’re hankering
for, Dunkin’ Donuts is the only
game in town. Their bagels are
also a steal, and tasty too.
A solid latté
If you’re looking for a pretty great
latté and consistency, Te & Kaffi
is the place to go. They’re all over
town, their regular coffee drinks
are much better than what you’d
expect from a chain, certainly a
few steps above Starbucks, Cos-
ta, Segafredo and the like. Their
speciality café at Aðalstræti also
deserves a special mention.
Just an Espresso
for me, please
Most people that are into espres-
sos go for the Italian variety, as
the Scandinavian light roast can
get pretty sour. Kaffifélagið is the
king here.
Pumpkin spice latté
frappuccino with extra
sprinkles
Te & Kaffi are the best at “speciali-
ty orders”. By the way I ordered the
vaunted “Pumpkin Spice Latté”
the other day, years after hearing
Americans buzz about this drink
of legend. Did you know that it’s
just a regular latté plus sugar and
cinnamon? And most cafés have
cinnamon, that you can just get
for free. Don’t get a pumpkin spice
latté! Just ask for some cinnamon
and sugar. Or better yet, grow the
fuck up and stop diluting your
coffee with sweeteners like an
overgrown toddler. Wean off the
sweets. No time like the present.
You can do it, we believe in you!
I’m just looking for the
best ambiance
If you’re a bit of an arty type, es-
pecially of the younger genera-
tion, you’ll probably like Stofan. If
you’re looking for a place to camp
out with your laptop, Te & Kaffi is
solid. Babalú on Skólavörðustígur,
and its neighbour C is for Cookie
on Óðinstorg are popular with the
free-er spirits. The young hip kids
camp out at Prikið in the after-
noons. Kaffibarinn’s afternoon
crowd is 50/50 guidebook tour-
ists looking for Damon Albarn,
and DJs taking a break from the
day job. And if you’re looking
for somewhere where you can
wash your clothes or stash your
screaming children while you
have a sly latté, the basement
at Laundromat is your place. If
you’re still trying to make up your
mind after this, you should prob-
ably just have a Red Bull.
Te og Kaffi