|
Grüners gate 1, 0552 Oslo, Norway https://timwendelboe.no/ Tim Wendelboe is, quite possibly, one of the best coffee shops in the world right now and, as a connoisseur, I don’t say that lightly. Named for the repeated Championship-winning barista who opened it, it’s an espresso school and roastery all in one, where the great and the good of the coffee world come to train and learn. In fact, coffee is all it does; no food, no flavourings just coffee done well. What sets it apart is how it treats its coffee though, treating it as a luxury experience, like fine dining or wine, and offering it up thusly. The baristas are dressed like waiting staff might be in a high-class establishment and will take the time to walk you through the flavour palate of whatever coffee you order. Each drink is presented exquisitely, complete with a napkin coaster like it were a cocktail, and the coffee is directly traded from farmers meaning dedicated staff members are flying around the world to find the best coffee beans and buying it with no middle man in place. I order an oat milk flat white and a coffee berry fizz before taking a seat. The space is decked out in classic Nordic styling, all brickwork and wood panelling, with chic minimalism permeating through its very essence. Simple yet cosy, magnificent yet uncluttered. The flat white is silky smooth, with a zingy, citrusy note slicing through earthier tones but what really intrigues me is the soft drink. Made from the skin and pulp of the coffee berry (coffee beans actually being a seed surrounded by fruit) this drink makes the most of that part of the plant so often wasted or composted. It comes served in a wine glass and has a dark, rich honey colour to it. Not a sweet berry, there’s a sharpness to it but not strikingly so. There is an element of alcohol about it, like a dry wine or mellow whisky, but without the sort of ethanol vapour one gets. The whole experience makes it feel more sophisticated, more elevated and I think that’s probably where the next wave of coffee is going. Tim and Co just seem to be one step ahead of the curve.
0 Comments
https://fuglen.no/ Universitetsgata 2, 0164 Oslo, Norway A gloriously weird coffee roaster-come-cocktail bar, Fuglen is decked out like a 1960s bar in an airport lounge. Raffia-clad walls with ceramic flying ducks and bizarre knick-knacks play host to undoubtedly Scandinavian-designed furniture, such as single-piece wooden tables and dark leather chairs with sharp hardwood angles from the arms and legs. It gives me a sense of items I’d definitely seen at my nan’s house or, latterly, the first home I can remember living in with my parents. The kitsch-cool vibe sort of embodies how much of Oslo feels in its effortlessly cool style that would be slightly out of place anywhere else but just seems right here. I grab a floral, yet crisp oat latte that tingles on the tongue and leaves me wanting more, so much so that this becomes a regular haunt for me throughout the rest of the week. It’s not just this that stands out though and, when the clamminess of my room becomes too much one evening, I turn to Fuglen in its bar form as somewhere to sit and write for a while. Not being a drinker though, I’m intrigued by their Espresso tonic slush; a slush puppy for grown-ups that zings a little in the warm evening and gladly has me sitting out on the street, sipping for quite some time. https://srw.no/ Supreme Roastworks Aker Brygge Stranden 67, 0250 Oslo Along the waterfront, there is a highly lauded spot that obviously caters to a more well-to-do clientele with its pristine countertops and baristas in formal attire. What really gives it away is the latest model of a Porsche sports car sitting in the lobby. Although operating as an entirely different entity, Supreme Roastworks finds itself sharing a space with, what I think is, a Porsche dealership but it only has the one car, surrounded by shiny images of Porsche’s racing history. Whatever the case may be, I’m told this is one of the premier coffee spots of the city so I put my reservations of buying coffee from car salespeople aside and take the plunge. I end up with a creamy oat latte, rich and viscous in its caramel nature making an auspiciously sweet cup of coffee that coats the tongue and has a burst of almost buttery smoothness to it that really makes it sing. If their coffee is this good, why the hell are they even bothering with cars?  |
AuthorThe Mean Bean Machine (Vincent Wood) Archives
September 2025
Categories |
Get Caffeinated, Get Coffee...
RSS Feed
