Is the Nordic roast style alive and well in Copenhagen?
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It seems it definitely is. Last Thursday, August 9th, we held our fourth ‘Taste of’ event for the year. We created the ‘Taste of’ series to invite everyone, coffee pro or not, to come taste coffee with us in our shared roastery space in a fun and relaxed manner. Here’s what happened that night.
Another keen group at Bureaux Collective had the rare opportunity to taste through some absolute gems from Copenhagen’s best roasters.
Copenhagen is home to one of the most exciting, progressive food scenes in the world, with many high-end starred restaurants serving up top-shelf coffee programs. They’ve produced four World Barista Champions, the most of any country. Their contribution to the ‘Nordic’ roast style has been significant, and this approach has been a major influence to how the world is roasting coffee now.
Interestingly, all five coffees were roasted on a Loring, the world’s first machine capable of smokeless coffee roasting, with three roasters using the exact same Loring, the S35 Kestrel. The Factory Roastlab, one of the roasters featured, runs a similar shared roasting space to Bureaux, proving once again the shared roastery model is gaining ground.
So what were the five coffees featured? Who were the roasters and were we tasting what they are tasting?
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The Coffee Collective
Tegu / Washed / Nyeri / Kenya / SL38 & 34
They say: Lively acidity, juicy and sweet. Big mouthfeel and a lingering aftertaste of blackcurrant and apple.
We said: Juicy, very sweet, golden delicious apple and black tea.
Along with Tim Wendelboe in Oslo, The Coffee Collective have been pioneers of the Nordic roast style. They’ve bought Tegu every year for 11 years, and have worked hard to deliver on a strong and transparant direct trade model.
Prolog
La Virgen / Washed / Concordia / Colombia / Colombia & Caturra
They say: Stone fruit, orange and peach
We said: Rum & rasin, cocoa nibs, yellow plum and cola.
Founded by Sebastian Quistorff and Jonas Gehl as a pop-up in 2016, Prolog has lived on and are now roasting their own at The Factory. Their small bar, based in the meat packing district, encourages conversation and they pride themselves on great service.
Anderson & Maillard
Kirinyaga / Washed / Kirinyaga / Kenya / SL 28 & 34
They say: Elderflower, rhubard, sparkling acidity
We said: Sweet, juicy citric acidity, marmalade, grape and redcurrant.
With top notch roasting and famed pastries, Hans Kristian Andersen and Milton Abel of Andersen & Maillard have come a long way in a very short amount of time. Their space is on Nørrebrogade is beautiful and the Kirinyaga is equally so. They’re also the 2018 Danish AeroPress Championship hosts.
April Coffee Roasters
Karagoto PB / Washed / Nyeri / Kenya / SL 28 & 34
They say: Redcurrant, floral
We said: Nectarines, goji berries, lemon tea and brown sugar.
Patrik Rolf Karlsson is an alumnus of top roasters da Matteo (Gothenburg) and Five Elephant (Berlin), he’s also a Coffee Masters tournament finalist, a Barista Guild of Europe CoLab featured speaker, and has coached competitors in both the World Brewers and World Barista Championship — and he’s only in his mid-twenties.
The Factory RoastLab
Gakuyuini / Washed / Nyeri / Kenya / SL28 & 34
They say: Blackcurrant, papaya, tomato and thyme
We said: Blackcurrant, grape, kumquat and brown sugar.
Not only is The Factory a shared roasting collective, much like Bureaux, they’re also distributors of Loring for Europe. Prolog and April both also roast at The Factory, and they’ve show the collective roastery to be a great solution for smaller cafes and wholesalers.
. . .
The favourite of the night? The Gakuyuini from The Factory!
Big thanks to all five roasters who shipped their coffee across the world to us and also to Promised Land Coffee for the tour de force in batch brewing. Thanks also to MoonDog for their beer and Chamellia for their ice tea.
See you on 25th October for Taste of: Jakarta!
. . .
All proceeds from our ‘Taste of’ events go to FareShare, who rescues surplus food and cooks free, nutritious meals for Victorians doing it tough. Our team will also be volunteering our time at Fareshare’s Kitchen Garden later in the year.