The Swedish Starbucks

The Swedish company Espresso House has come to Finland a few months ago and is now well situated in several spots in the city center such as Kamppi and Stockmann.

With a cozy interior they invite to sit down for a short coffee break and a chat with friends. And for all you Frapuccino lovers out there, this is a real alternative to the ever-present Starbucks. Espresso House has some nice coffee and milk mixes to offer that are worth a try as well.

Check it out and have a nice day!

A coffee at Charlotta's

There is another place for all you coffee geeks in Helsinki. Just a few hundred meters behind Kamppi Kauppakeskus the cozy Kahvi Charlotta awaits. It is a bit hidden and you might not spot it right away but it's for sure worth a visit.

At Kahvi Charlotta you can get some real good stuff. Decide what espresso you want your cappuccino to be made with or get a delicious filter coffee. And of course some tasty snacks are available here as well.

Get comfy and relax in one of the window seats and sip your cup'o'joe. Kahvi Charlotta is the perfect place for a short break from the city rush. Give it a try.

Helsinki's first time cafe

There is a new pop up cafe Hauskafe in Lasipalatsi that you really should try. It is Helsinki's first time café. The concept already exist in some other big European cities and now also came to the Finnish capital.

Instead of paying for what you order you pay for the amount of time you spend here now. When you enter you receive a card marked with your entrance time. Every hour costs 5 €. During the time you spend you can have as much delicious Johan & Nyström coffee, tea and cookies as you like. 

You can also play table football, board and cosole games, read books or use the meeting room. Some special cakes and sandwiches are charged extra but still for a rather reasonable price. You can also bring your own food or beverages if you like.

For now Hauskafe will be at this location until mid December. If things go well, the cafe will be established there permanently.

Give it a try!

Good times as Bon Temps

How about trying out a new cafe this week? Maybe with a good afternoon coffee or a nice breakfast before heading to work?

A beautiful and cozy small place is Cafe Bon Temps in Meilahti on Mannerheimintie. Apart from several small and big, sweet and salty breakfast options they also have a good selection of teas as well as good coffees.

Sit down at one of the wooden tables or sink into one of the pillows on the window sill and relax while looking out onto one of Helsinki's busiest street.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Chill at the docks

Are you looking for another nice terrace in Helsinki to hang out with friends and enjoy a great view over the water and the city?

Then off with you to Ihana Kahvila. It is probably one of the most extraordinary places Helsinki has to offer. In midst the old industrial harbor area behind Suvilahti it is build right next to the water out of two big containers. Grab a cup-o-joe and sit down in one of the comfy bean bags. The view is great. The atmosphere is as well. And if the weather is good you probably don't even want to leave anymore.

Check it out and enjoy the summer! Make sure to check the directions before you go there from their website though!

Freeze coffee pop-up

Want to try some really good coffee? And have it prepared by someone that really knows how to make it good? Well, then you still have a few days left to check out the Freeze Coffee Pop-up in Forum.

Right next to the entrance at Mannerheimintie you find the small cafe that serves some really good cappucinos, lattes, espressos and also some amazing filter coffee. 

The pop-up is still open until Sunday. And if you are really fast you will even get a half prized coffee there. The first 10 people that come to Freeze and mention HelsinkiIn get their coffee for a 50% discount. 

And if you want to know more on how to make really good coffee at home check out their youtube channel. There you get some useful tips.

Helsinki Coffee Festival

Finns are crazy about coffee. They consume around 12 kilos of beans per person every year. Quite a bit number. Not surprising that there is also a coffee festival for all those coffee lovers. And that starts tomorrow.

It is the first time the Helsinki Coffee Festival takes place. Here you get to learn different roasteries and coffee shops from around Finland, learn how to make the perfect coffee yourself and of course get to try it.

The Helsinki Coffee Festival goes on until Sunday and takes place in Suvilahti. Entrance fees differ depending on time and day and tickets can be bought online.

Enjoy a good cup o' joe and have a great time at the festival!

Everything for coffee

Are you one of the many coffee enthusiasts living in Helsinki? Then you probably already know Kaffecentralen. If not, then you should definately go.

Kaffecentralen has pretty much everything you could ever need for making your own good coffee at home. From coffee filters, mashines and pans to real good grinded coffee.

But you can also have your ready made coffee right away. Kaffecentralen serves good coffees to have right there or to go.

Give it a try. You can find them in Helsinki in three different locations: Museokatu 9 in Etu-Töölö, Frederikinkatu 59 in Kamppi and in Korkeavuorenkatu 25 at Erottaja. Or find them online.

German coffee culture

A new German cafe opened in Helsinki. At Cafe DaJa in Kruununhaka you can now enjoy delicious German pastry and good coffee while breathing in the German athmosphere of the place. Read some German magazins and listen to German radio from the speakers.

DaJa offers more though. You can also come here for lunch. They have daily changing offers like Flammkuchen, Maultaschen and more. Or check out DaJa's breakfast during the week and brunch on the weekend. 

For more information on food, drinks and special events at DaJa check out their website.

Good coffee at the airport

The security check at the airport Helsinki Vantaa normally goes quite fast. That leaves lots of time for a hot drink and a small snack. And the probably best place for that is Johan & Nyström. The Swedish coffee chain that also sells its coffee through other vendors runs a really nice little café here at Terminal 1.

You can find delicious hot and cold sandwiches with e.g. egg and caviar, peanutbutter and tomatoes or cheese and melon here. And of course you can get their delicious coffee as cappuccino, espresso or just black.

Enjoy and have a good flight!

Raw pleasures at Café Kokko

Raw food is a huge trend around the world. And also in Helsinki you can find places that offer the healthy alternatives to cooked and processed food. One of them is Café Kokko.

The cozy two stroage cafe in one of the beautiful old brick buildings in Katajanokka was opened this summer. Here you find a wide selection of raw cakes and pastries. 

They might not be everyone's thing and are way less sweet than other pastry but you should definitely give them a try. You can also have one of their delicious smoothies and of course good coffee.

Sit at one of the comfy sofas and feel just like being invited to a friend's place. Check it out!

Red Espresso

Have you every tried red espresso, cappuccino or latte? No? Well, then it is time. At Fazer Cafés around town you now have the chance to try them.

But what is red espresso really? Actually it is rather a tea than a coffee. Rooibos is prepared in the same way as normal espresso. The result is a hot beverage that has a little hint of both tea and coffee. The versions with milk, like cappuccino and latte, which have the same red color as the espresso, remind a bit of Chai Latte.

Give it a try. And if you go for a cappuccino or latte, try it with cinnamon and honey. Enjoy!

Töölönlahti's Blue Cafe

It is one of the nicest cafes in Helsinki and right now might be the best time to visit it. The Sinisen Huvila Kahvila on Linnunlauluntie offers probably one of the best views in town. Located a litte above Töölönlahti its terrace gives you a view not just over the bay but also over many of Helsinki's landmarks such as Torni, Opera, Finlandia Talo and the National Museum.of Finland.

Get a good cup of hot coffee or tea and enjoy the scenery. The best time might be during the evening hours between 17.00 and 19.00 when you can watch the sun set over the city. And if it gets to cold just grab one of the blankets.

Sinisen Huvila Kahvila is open daily from 10.00 till 22.00. Stop by as long as the weather still allows it.

Töölö's exhibitionists

No, this post is not about people running around naked in town. Nor is the wonderful small café in Töölö with the peculiar name The Exhibistionists.

But it is a place you should pay a visit to. The Exhibistionists on Museokatu has room for just a few customers but is dedicated to making their stay as cozy and comfortable as possible. While listening to French music from the loudspeakers feel free to grab one of the books from the shelf and let your thoughts travel. The occasional sip on a cup of good, freshly brewed coffee makes that experience even better.

The Exhibtionists is also a good choice for a bite in the morning. They serve breakfast every day of the week and on the weekend also offer brunch. For breakfast you can just drop by any time. Make sure to make a reservation for the weekend brunch though. As mentioned the seats there are limited so they need to know how many people are coming.

Give it a try!

Coffee or Bear?

There are tons of cafés in the Kallio area. One of the most unique and original is probably the Kulmakahvio though. It is a gay café located at the corner of Karhupuisto and it welcomes of course everyone.

The interior is something. The whole place is filled with pictures, postcards and other decoration hanging from the wall or standing on the table. The bright colors give the place a happy and cozy feeling.

Choose your favorite among their long list of great coffees and other hot drinks. And of course get one of their delicious pastries on the side.

Give it a try!

Bonjour à Chofé

There is a new beautiful small café in town. Just a few weeks ago the French art café Chofé has opened its doors in Lönnrotinkatu just around the corner from Vanha Kirkkopuisto.

Chofé is a great place for a coffee break on your way through the city. Choose from their wide coffee selection. Maybe instead of the usual cappuccino try one Cafe Miel (with cinnamon and honey) or a Cafe Bonbon (with sweetened condensed milk) for a change.

And don't miss our on their amazing French pastry as well as the sweet Tunisian delights (hence to the owner's origin). Then sit down in one of the comfy armchairs and enjoy the French tunes from the loudspeaker.

Chofé also has live music though. To find our when check out their Facebook page.

It wouldn't be an art café though without its changing art exhibitions from local artist. You can just take a look or also buy pieces. As well as Finnish design that is on display in the back part of the café.

Check it out and have a great time there!

The sweet smell of coffee

Have you been wondering what this sweet smell in the streets of Helsinki during the last days was?

It is the smell of roasted coffee. The Kulta Katriina coffee is roasted pretty close to the center in their roasting facility near Pasila. Depending on the wind the smell is carried pretty far and can even still be smelled a few kilometers away.

That's pretty good advertisement actually for their coffee, I would say.

A bakery with tradition

Kanniston Leipomo at Lasipalatsi is one of the oldest bakeries in Helsinki. And no doubt also one of the best. This year they celebrate their 100th anniversary. Kannisto has several locations throughout the city. The most central one is the one at Lasipalatsi. It is very easily overlooked since the place is really small. But it's really worth a visit.

Kannisto has lots of good bread. But of course also really delicious pastry. If you are lucky you can catch one of the two small tables at the window and enjoy your sweet treat there together with a cup of really good coffee.

Kanniston Leipomo is a real gem and popular among locals. Give it a try!

Starbucks in Helsinki

Now I also finally made it to the new Starbucks in the center of Helsinki. Many Finns have waited for the opening of this place for a long time. Now Starbucks coffee can be bough right in the center of Helsinki at Akateeminen. And even tough the café already opened several weeks ago you still have to wait in line for quite a while for your coffee. At least during the weekend. The place is especially popular among teenagers.

And no doubt Starbucks Helsinki is a really nice place with lots of seat at the big glass windows in one of the best locations in town. It is cozy with the well known Starbucks style you know from other places around the world. And of course the selection is also pretty much the same as anywhere else. Prices might be slightly higher than what you are used to through.

All together it's a nice place to go to. If you are planning on going try it during the week and avoid the weekends. At least for the next couple of months. Before waiting in line for half an hour or more rather support one of the local businesses such as La Torrefazzione and get an even better coffee with way less of a hustle.

Morning coffee at Picnic

The week starts again. Should you belong to the many people that have to pass through Kamppi every morning to get to work then change your morning routine for ones and stop for a hot cup of coffee at Picnic on the third floor. Here you can sit next to the window and have a nice view over the square between Kamppi Kauppakeskus and Tennispalatsi and see the sun slowly rising above the city.

Have a great start into the week!