Searching for the Best Coffee in Stockholm – Part 2

Here’s part two recapping my Easter visit to Stockholm (click here if you missed part one). As it turns out, most shops were closed during the Easter holiday, but we did manage to stop at Drop Coffee and Snickarbacken 7, while peeking in at a couple other places.

Cupcake STHLM

One place we popped in to for a visit was Cupcake STHLM, a shop bringing the cupcake trend to Stockholm with Swedish flair, including coffee roasted by Lund based Love Coffee. We dropped in, a weary band of caffeinated nomads, to show support for their budding effort to pair cupcakes with equally tasty coffee. At the moment that just means a carafe of brewed coffee, but who knows what a little encouragement might do.

Drop Coffee

Next up, one of the big names in Stockholm, Drop Coffee (website / blog), is home to Sweden’s current Barista Cup national champion, Alexander Ruas, who went on to represent Sweden at the World Barista Championship in Bogota. They do their own roasting, offering a number of coffees from highly regarded farms and cooperatives. I was interested in trying the winning espresso blend, but from what I gather it was gone by the time we visited, if it was ever available in shop. I did really enjoy the espresso I was served, and I recall it being one of the best on my trip. We also tried a few pour over coffees which tasted strangely muted in flavor to me. That could be attributable to any number of things, not least the fact that we’d been drinking coffee all day, so I wouldn’t judge based on one random visit. I also hear that they have recently upgraded their roasting facilities which should improve consistency and quality; always a good thing. The shop itself is on a nice street with outdoor seating and a fair amount of bright, airy space inside. If I’d had more time I would have enjoyed hanging around and doing a little reading here.

Snickarbacken 7

We also visited Snickarbacken 7, a gallery & boutique with coffee bar owned by the same people behind Kaffeverket (see Stockholm Part I). This is another da Matteo account pulling their Vallgatan blend for espresso, and single origins via Chemex, along with guest roasters like Square Mile. The espresso was quite alright, if a bit overextracted. Do give them a try and tell me what you think in the comments, as I heard they might have changed their extraction style. The large space is interesting during the day, though it’s a bit like being in a bar with the lights on, and I think it would look best for an evening visit – especially if they make use of all the candles lying around for interior lighting. Take a look through the boutique in the back for an interesting selection of curiosities.

Johan & Nystrom Concept Store

Finally, we tried to visit Johan & Nystrom’s concept store, but it was closed for the holiday. It does look nice and I’d try to visit in the future. As Sweden’s largest specialty roaster, they offer a very wide range of coffees. I especially like their “Cherry Red” project coffees, so keep an eye out for that.

If you make a trip to Stockholm, do check out Kalle Freese’s map for some more recommendations.

Here’re a few more photos of Stockholm – it’s a beautiful city, and I wish I’d had more time to explore!

Only in Sweden