Does an iced latte count?

Swedes awaken with the sun.  Swedish Summertime means long days followed by short, practically non-existent, nights.  The weather is not particularly hot, but Swedes celebrate the sun as if they were on a Mediterranean beach, exposing themselves to as much sunlight as possible.  People immerge after a long winter of hibernation, take off their gray clothes, and throw on their favorite summer shirts or dresses, or nothing at all. Outdoor seating is once again available at almost all restaurants and cafés, and the streets are lined with old friends catching up over an afternoon “fika”.  

Along with the sun comes the appearance of iced coffees, caffè lattes, teas, etc.   Sitting on my picnic blanket, eating a cookie and drinking an iced caffè latte, I considered the validity of my “fika” experience.  Can an iced latte be classified as “fika”?  This question gave way to long Midsummer discussions passionately defended by Swedes on both sides of the topic. 

Traditionally, “fika” is a defined as a coffee break accompanied by some sort of a sweet.  The beverage could be coffee or even tea along with anything ranging from of cinnamon buns, pastries, or seven types of cookies or baked items, which we will discuss at a later date.  Some argue that "fika" means a coffee break only or merely a break,  using terms such as fikapaus ("fika pause"), fikarast ("fika break"),  kaffepaus,  or kafferast.  For those who defend this view, the type of beverage, or the existence of a beverage at all, is not essential to the “fika” concept.  The key ingredient is a break. To me, though, the name itself connotates a cup of coffee or a warm beverage enjoyed during a moment, break, or rest.  An iced latte is often consumed on-the-go, alone, on the beach, or in a busy public place, which leads me to conclude that it does not qualify as "fika". I think that "fika" needs to consist of a warm beverage and a sit-down break during the day.  I will not be so particular as to reserve the "fika" break for coffee beverages. Tea or hot chocolate can substitute coffee nicely.  

But the jury is still out. What is your take on what qualifies as "fika"?  Does the beverage need to be warm?  Does a beverage need to be involved at all, or is the concept the act of merely meeting with friends? Or is it just taking a quick break? Be sure to leave your comments and take the quiz!

Movement Makes Change #SaluteTheReuser

As many of you have gathered, I am a firm believer in sustainable alternatives.  This is a resonating theme in my life.  I am not perfect., I do pollute, waste, and over consume. My fridge is not filled with organic, eco, and locally grown but I am striving to be a good citizen of this planet.  That said, KeepCup is my brand of choice.  I will not get into a product review now and, yes, there are pros and cons to the cup itself, but the company is something I believe in.

Recently KeepCup launched a challenge that aims for 30% reuse rate globally!  This is no simple task, yet it can be done.  I am making the complete switch from discard to reuse, will you?

Check out this awesome video!

Caffé Sospeso (Suspended Coffee)

I admit it! I am a sucker for a fad and if that fad helps another then even better!  There I said it I am a self-loathing follower.  That said, it is not always a bad thing.  Work out plans and groups, diets, recycling, organic/free range shopping, save the planet, and pay-it-forward are all good things to get hooked and hyped on.

I have always loved the concept of pay-it-forward and the movie just warmed my heart.  The news has been latent with pay-it-forward-esque acts of kindness, with everything from surprising your single-working-mom neighbor with a freshly plowed driveway or a $100 tip for your steak ‘n shake waitress.  The food and coffee industry is an easy outlet for random acts of kindness.  It is so easy to pick up a tab, buy a coffee for someone else, leave extra tips etc. So, coffee houses we a natural target for “paying-it-forward”. 

Though this seems to be some sort of social consciousness awakening, it has been around for a while in the coffee world.  In Italy you have “caffé sospeso” or suspended coffee.  The idea is to buy one or two coffees for someone else that might need one later in the day and is unable to pay.  Barista’s keep track of the suspended coffees and people come in and inquire if there are any available.  Some sources say this tradition can be as much as 100 years old and has had revival in the last few years due to economic troubles within the EU.  Bulgaria alone has 150 cafés participating in this concept and, even in Stockholm, I know of one café encouraging the act.

Whatever the history might be, the idea is spreading and I, for one, am a big fan.  I encourage you to think of the cold person sitting outside, the frantic mom who forgot her purse, the college student who cannot seem to find a part time job. Maybe you have a spare couple of dollars, or a Starbucks gift card.  If you do, try buying someone a cup-o-jo.  It may not be the most lifesaving gift of money, but kindness is contagious.  The smallest acts can change how we or others give and how we consider others.

I leave you with this small article from Mother Nature Network.

http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/stories/pay-it-forward-coffee-style

Fee-kah

Reading the newspaper this week I see that 6 out of 10 Americans prefer Swedish brand coffee (Aftonbladet:Gevalia).  I had no idea this change was happening.  It made me want to know more and dig deeper or it could have been the 3 shots of espresso I was hopped up on.  I knew it was only a matter of time, FIKA is hitting it big in the USA.  Thanks to Gevalia (Swedish coffee brand), my friends and family are not alone in the fight for a new coffee tradition. Feek-Ah is soon to become a regular part of the American vocabulary.

I will leave you with this commercial from the Gevalia youtube channel.  Enjoy Johan and his message ;-)

What is your take-away?

I have been a latte/cappuccino girl for almost 15 years now (EEK!) and ¾ of those beverages have been take-away.  I feel like I am now an expert on the take-out coffee and all the accessories that go with the process.  This has been a long road, but I think I now know what I look for in a take-away cup.

Doing dishes this week I was confronted by my “small” collection of to-go containers and I wondered if others have traveled down the path of finding the right to-go mug/thermos/cup or hybrid?  Long ago I realized paper/plastic was not for me.  There were too many trees and pouting seals staring me in the face to use them in good conscience on a regular basis.  So what do I use?  I have used my mini thermos for my “shot-in-the-dark”, my hybrid thermos/mug (i.e.Starbucks mugs) for everything from hot chocolate to latte’s, and my latest coffee fashion of the Keep Cup for the same.  I have even used glass mugs with silicone lids… all the more eco-friendly right?  I think the question to ask yourself is, what is my purpose with the container?  Are you environmentally motivated?  Are you looking for spill proof? Is your main concern with keeping your drink piping hot?  Or do you want quick and easy throw away and forget?

I will be reviewing various mugs later in this blog, but I thought it important to provoke a little thought on the subject.  For me, the environment has been the main concern.  At 16 years old I was an ignorant hippy that thought it was cool to “save the planet” and, at that time, you received discounts for bringing your own mug.  Today I feel dirty every time I throw another cup in the heaping trash, especially in Sweden. As a 30 year old adult and corporate hippy it is now my duty to help “save the planet”, and it is still cool. =)

I use all of my mugs, each one with a purpose.  I realized long ago, there will never be one mug to suit all my caffeine needs.  It is, however, important to find the RIGHT one for each need. I take public transportation daily, with a book in one and a coffee in the other.  I do not save my drink until I get to work nor do I stick it in my bag to drink over the next hour.  My daily drink-holder is my Keep-Cup, a light weight easy to use (for baristas too) mug that suits my subway riding, line waiting, bus sitting lifestyle. I will be reviewing this mug/company this week so be sure to check back later!

What’s your takeaway?

Make your own fika and try this!

I made somewhat of an oath to myself that I would not make this a recipe blog.  Those who know me, know I love to bake for people and this could be a serious risk.   I stand true to my oath, this will not be a baking blog but, since I have been home sick for over a week, I am making an exception.  And a tasty exception at that.  Sometimes you get busy at home working, studying, family, or just cannot be bothered to leave the house to go to a café, what better way to fika then to create your own sweets for the afternoon coffee break.  Try this classic from our household.

Banana Bread Cupcakes 

(aprox 20 cupcakes)

3-4 large bananas

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 Tbs rape or vegitable oil

1/3 cup milk or cream

1-2 eggs  (1 lrg 2 smaller)

1 1/2- 2  tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg(usually add to feel)

1/2- 2 tsp cinnamon (to taste/feel) 

1 cup nuts, raisins or chocolate chunks (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the rack in the center of the oven. Place muffin forms in a muffin baking sheet or on a cookie sheet. In a large bowl mash the bananas using a fork or a potato-masher.  Add sugar, brown sugar, oil and milk, mixing until well blended.  Whisk in eggs.   In a separate bowl mix together the remaining (dry) ingredients using a fork or whisk to blend.  With a spatula slowly fold in the dry ingredients into the wet. Only mix until blended, over working affects the consistency of the bread.  This recipe is as much about "feeling it out" as following the recipe, so have fun with it.  Fruit breads are VERY forgiving. 

Fill forms two thirds full and place on the center rack and bake approx 20 min.  It is important to note that muffins are extremely sensitive to baking times depending on the oven and baking times can vary drastically.  I recommend checking the muffins with a toothpick at about 15 min and every 5 min after that.  Remove and let cool.  

Serve with coffee, sit on your balcony and enjoy.  For a more festive muffin try a cream cheese frosting.  Happy Fika!!

note: This is an adaptation to an old Betty Crocker recipe and thus not metric =)

Fika What?

Just another fika break to get me through the day.

Of the many quintessential Swedish words, "fika" has to be near the top, right behind "lagom," a discussion we'll save for another time.  Fika is essentially a coffee break that often includes coffee or tea, conversation, and some sort of pastry or sweet. Fika can take place between breakfast and lunch, in the afternoon, or sometime after dinner.  You can even skip lunch and just fika. Oh yes, fika is also a verb :)!  What do you do on a first date? FIKA!

 You cannot take a trip to Sweden or even meet a Swede without experiencing this cultural pasttime that is, in fact, so much more than a cup of coffee; it is an installment of society, a cornerstone to culture, a doorway of communication.  Business meetings are strange and incomplete without coffee and cookies or "bullar," Swedish cinnamon buns.  Every parent meeting, sports event, or even holidays, involve fika; Swedish Christmas  Eve just wouldn't be complete without gingerbread cookies and saffron buns after watching "Kalle Anka," (Donald Duck) in the afternoon!

To give you a little perspective, Sweden's average consumption of coffee in 2002 was 7.8 kg per person, making Sweden fourth highest in coffee consumption behind Norway, Finland, and Denmark.  Not only do Swedes like their coffee, but they are also the worlds highest consumers of sweets at almost 17 kg per person per year.  Sweden even has three holidays that the entire nation associates with certain buns:  Cinnamon Bun Day (October 4th), St. Lucia (December 13, saffron buns), and Fat Tuesday (usually sometime in February; semlor, sweet rolls filled with cream and almond paste)

The purpose of this blog is to discuss fika, fika culture and origins, and, of course, the best and worst places to have fika in Stockholm.  And, as it is after 15:00 now, I think I need to go make some coffee and see if there is anything sweet in the house to eat ;).