Norway is a nation whose citizens love coffee as much as they love their cold environment and beautiful, scenic habitat. Norwegians commonly practice the art of being one with nature -- including white snow, a beautiful mountain camp or cabin and a cup of Joe in hand. And their coffee is not just plain powdered or brewed -- here, "steeped coffee" prepared over the campfire is the way to go.
The perception of premium connoisseur coffee that belongs to Italy alone is wrongly attributed. The Italians know their coffee, but Norwegians and the rest of the coveted Schengen region do too -- with Finland, Norway and Iceland consuming the most coffee in the country. Indeed, it defeats the "fast-coffee" culture of America.
Norway's coffee preparation differs from America and Europe's methods, which greatly affects the taste of their coffee. The Nordic Coffee Culture Blog -- discussing in its four-part post the history of Norwegian coffee making and consumption -- it was the English and Scottish who first brought coffee to the shores of a Norwegian town known as Kristiansund, which transformed it into a "coffee town."
The "coffee town" even has its own Nordmore Museum telling the story of Norway's coffe and even has replicas of original roasting machines that make Norwegian coffee what it is -- a tangy black yet fruity delight. Italy has espressos and lattes, but Norway wants it prepared over a campfire and roasted differently.
Norway's coffee culture borderlines into obsession -- and this stems from Norwegian coffee's history. A huge taxation on alcohol during the 19th century-- appallingly the most popular morning drink for most Norwegians -- had increasingly led people to find another stimulant in the morning -- in the form of coffee.
CNN Travel highlights highlights the coffee shop of Norwegian Champion Barista Tim Wendelboe, the 2004 World Barista Champion and 2005 World Cup Tasting Champion aside from the other coffee shops tourists and coffee aficionados in Norway could visit. As a showcase of modern Norwegian coffee making, Wendelboe's expertise has him "naturally protect the quality of his product from farm to cup." Reports from Euromonitor in 2013 indicate that the average Norwegian consumes 7.2 kilograms of coffee per year.
Anyone looking for the best coffee should not just settle for Italy on his or her next travel-- there is Norway and their specialist connoisseur caffeinated delights, which are evidently lovingly prepared and traditionally bound to its history.
