Forget About Boring Coffee. Here’s How You Should Drink It Now!
“Coffee is mysterious and holy, but simple.”, that’s how the creators of Lemmel Kaffe have described the magical beans that transform into the famous liquid that keeps the majority of today’s society running. Mysterious is the right word to describe this coffee brand based in the Swedish Lapland. They call themselves lemmings and the real story of their origins is unknown, because when asked, the answer is always different.
What we know is that Marcus Lemke, one of the founders of this brand, was chosen by coffee producer lemmings to introduce the world’s first dark roasted coffee prepared in the traditional swedish way. What is the difference? There’s a popular saying which expresses that the best things always make you wait. Kokkafe is the traditional way to make coffee in Sweden, boiling the coffee in an open coffeepot over open fire. It takes time to prepare but is much more tasty and satisfying to your palate!
We asked them a few questions about Lemmel Kaffe, the Swedish coffee culture and its influence in the Scandinavian way of life. Read this funny interview and be inspired to scratch the boring latte off of your list.
What’s the story behind Lemmel Kaffe?
The word in the mountains says the coffee beans are picked by migrating lemmings from Africa and taken back to northern Sweden. From what we know the lemmings are sleeping together with the beans through a cold dark winter and the beans are roasted by the heat of the lemming body.
Interesting. So in your opinion, what is the coffee culture like in Sweden?
Sweden is a long country. The south parts are infected with the latte virus. It’s quite disgusting to be honest. Up north the coffee culture is like the winters. Pure darkness. We grind our coffee quite rough and boil it in fresh water in a coffee pot. If the procedure is made right the result is a dark soul enlargement liquid and the rough ground coffee has sunken to the bottom of the pot. No filters are needed.
What makes coffee culture in Scandinavia unique compared to the rest of Europe?
We build are lives around the coffee here. In Europe it seems like they drink coffee while doing other things, but here we live for the coffee, we see life as something in between the cups. The highlight of every day or night is coffee.
And how do you guys prepare it?
Make a fire or heat the plate. Put water into a pot. Heat the water. Add Lemmel coffee. Let the brew boil for a few seconds. Wait and then wait a bit longer. What happens after that is not possible to describe in words.
Fika (coffee break) is a very important time of day for Swedes. What do you pair your coffee with to make it that much sweeter?
Dried reindeer meat and kaffeost (a kind of cheese made to fit the taste of the coffee).
Why do you add salt to the coffee?
It’s a flavor thing, just add a little bit. You shouldn’t be able to taste it but it does something with the coffee.
Coffee is best spent with ______
Quiet people
You also have a coffee shop where your guests can try the exquisiteness of your coffee the proper way. How has travel influenced the way you’ve projected your coffee shop?
Very much. By traveling we have understood that the coffee we have here is something very special, and so far a well kept secret. The coffee you find in other parts of the world are not really coffee in our eyes. I mean, if you call latte coffee, than you can call coffee flavored ice cream coffee as well.
If we have inspired you to try real coffee to kickstart your week, forget about the traditional boring coffee shops around the corner and make something special this time. Life is too short to drink bad coffee.
Interview questions by Candice Savage.
