At EnjoyBetterCoffee.com, we have a range of the best coffees from the Nordic region of the world. You’ll find Paulig from Finland, Lofbergs and Arvid Nordquist, both from Sweden, on our site.
Just recently in Sweden, Stockholm’s National museum reopened after it had been closed for 5 years for restoration. The building, originally built in 1866, needed plenty done: Updating technology, security, accessibility, safety and temperature control. During the restoration, Swedish designers were commissioned to collaborate with more than twenty Nordic manufacturers to furnish and decorate staff quarters, a new restaurant and café, and the public spaces. A total of 82 locally-made products, from furniture, to lighting, to tableware, textiles and toys, are part of the $132 million budget. The designer team researched Nordic manufacturing, traveling throughout the region to find the best ideas. For example, inspired by fishing nets, beech plywood is molded into undulating strips, which are then formed into circular and cube shapes used as shades for lighting. The museum has tripled the number of objects than can now be exhibited, but that is still only 8 percent of their entire collection, which includes work spanning from the late Middle Ages to the present day. The museum reopened late last month, and worth a visit should you be heading that way.
You can be sure the National museum restaurant and café serve Nordic coffee to visitors, and we have the best Nordic coffee. Through Tuesday, get 15% off your orders of Paulig, Lofbergs, and Arvid Nordquist coffees with no minimum required at www.EnjoyBetterCoffee.com.*
Please use coupon code: NORDIC15
*Discount valid from 11/18/18 through 11:59PM ET on 11/20/18 at www.EnjoyBetterCoffee.com with 15% off no minimum order required on Arvid Nordquist, Lofbergs and Paulig coffees. Offer not redeemable for cash. Not valid with other coupons or discounts, special sale or case sale products. Questions? Call us at 800.582.6617 Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM ET.
Fika: The Swedish Coffee Break. Time For Coffee and Friends.
We have Lofbergs Swedish Fika Medium Roast Ground Coffee and Lofbergs Swedish Fika Dark Roast Ground Coffee. Fika Medium Roast is a light roast (3 of 5) of Arabica beans with a balanced taste and aroma. Fika Dark Roast is rated 4 of 5, made of 100% Arabica beans, including about 1/3 of beans certified by the Rainforest Alliance. These are two special roasts you should try.
Arvid Nordquist is a leader in premium coffee, food and wine products since 1884. We offer three roasts: Medium roast, Extra Dark roast, and Classic Gran Dia, all prime examples of Swedish coffee roasting. In addition, all three are UTZ Certified and CO2 Compensated (read more about these organizations on the product page). The Medium roast is balanced, with chocolate and spice notes. Extra Dark is full-bodied, and intense, with just the right amount of bitterness. Classic Gran Dia is a medium to dark roast, full-bodied, with nut and floral notes, and a nice finish.
Our last Nordic brand is Paulig, from Finland. The company roasts and packages their coffee from their facilities in Helsinki. We offer two roasts: Juhla Mokka ground coffee is light-roasted, rich, balanced and intense blend of beans from South America and Africa. Presidentti ground coffee is a light roast (1 of 5) from a blend of beans grown in Africa, and delivers a strong and rich coffee.
We get our coffee directly from the region, intended for the Nordic market, so you are getting the same coffee you would drink in those countries.
Coffee In The News
Coffee Cup Share Program Launches
A company in Boulder, CO delivers stainless steel tumblers to participating coffee cafes for use by customers who may not want to leave with a paper or plastic cup. Comparing the system to borrowing library books, the owners noted that books are borrowed for a while, and if not returned, a fee is charged. For their program, customers order requesting the special tumbler, which has a QR code for tracking, and then can keep the cup for five days before it should be returned to one of the company’s special kiosks found throughout Boulder. Keep the cup too long, and the user is charged $15.
As always, enjoy better coffee and thanks from the EnjoyBetterCoffee Team!
This week, we are highlighting the range of Scandinavian coffee we offer at EnjoyBettterCoffee.com. No mention of coffee from countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Sweden would be worth its weight in beans without the mention of hygge and fika, key parts of life in the Nordic countries. We aren’t talking about a coffee break, but an extended break, twice a day, with special baked items to make it all cozy and comfortable. And, it’s the law in Sweden that companies give employees two Fikas per day. It is considered socially unacceptable for employees to skip these gatherings.
These Scandinavian cultural norms, which put a premium on cozy and warm feelings as key parts of interactions with friends and co-workers, could be a big part of why the Nordic countries consistently place in the top 10 Happiest Countries, per the annual World Happiness Report. For 2018, the report deemed Finland to be the overall happiest country in the world. Following in order are Norway, Denmark, Iceland, with Sweden jumping to 9th place, up from 10 last year. You may already know that the report is based on values assigned to six variables that contribute to well-being: income; healthy life expectancy; social support; freedom; trust, and generosity. Data is pooled from Gallup World Poll surveys to calculate the happy ratings. (The U.S.A. comes in at 18th.)
It shouldn’t be surprising that a central figure in coffee history, a legend in the coffee industry, and the person credited with originating the term “specialty coffee,” was from Norway. Erna Knutsen died in June, just short of her 97th birthday. Knutsen emigrated to the United Sates in 1927, a couple years after her father arrived alone to work in the shipyards while saving to send for his family. Erna, her mom and two sisters would move to New York, where her parents eventually had four more children.
A new study found that people who drank a moderate amount of caffeine before a group activity were not only more alert, but better at tasks in the group. Those who had coffee before participating in an activity saw themselves and the others as more productive and more active. The study attributed the positivity of oneself and others to heightened alertness and improved performance (not a perception of improvements, but actual improvements). So, if you find yourself not liking someone you have to work with, try downing some coffee before the interaction.
That’s right! In Sweden and Finland, Fika is a seriously taken ‘coffee break’ where school and work are stopped two times a day, mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Workers can earn 5 minutes for every hour on the clock for their fika (or fika pause). The key here is that it’s rarely a solitary event. Friends, coworkers, family – all get together over steaming cups of coffee and cookies, cake, or a warm cinnamon roll.
4 Cups strong fresh coffee
Christmas is known as Jul or Joulua in Scandinavia. Santa Claus was originally described as a gnome, a simple bearded farmer, who did good deeds and caused a little trouble too. He expected a bowl of porridge with a pat of butter to be left out for him on Christmas Eve. In the last 100 years, he has become more like Santa Claus in size and shape, but instead of a chimney, the jolly elf enters through the front door.
Traditional foods include meatballs, ribs, specially-marinated cod, herring, cabbage, and ham washed down with a big mug of glogg, a mulled wine. Finding the almond in your Christmas pudding means you will have a prosperous year, and you may even get a little gift for the honor.
