NOMA COFFEE | COPENHAGEN
THE FORAGING ENDS HERE
I'll admit, I was quite expecting to have a coffee served in a seaweed cup that has been through some fermentation and dry-aging on a rock with organic celtic salt, but no, it was served in a regular vessel.
Let's rewind a bit.
NOMA, the worlds most famous restaurant, started roasting coffee in 2024, spearheaded by Carolyne Lane. It began as a subscription model, and has now evolved.
Occupying the greenhouse at the front, they have now opened a permanent coffee shop, in an effort to not only showcase their coffee, but make NOMA a bit more accessible to the everyday person. Not everyone can afford spending hundreds of dollars on food, but most people can cough up $8-12 for a cup of coffee, at least once in a while.
The set-up is minimalist in terms of options. A modbar espresso rack, a grinder, some cups, a pour-over station. At the time of writing there were three options, a Geisha, an Ethiopian and Colombian. All were roasted on the lighter side, and the V60 a recommended method of tasting them.
In true NOMA style, they also sold bars of "chocolate" made of Koji, titled NOT CHOCOLATE. Through the partition is an experimental area where you can try various brews, concoctions, potions and fermentations under the friendly eye of staff who seemed constantly attacked by people handing them CV's.
But we came here for the coffee right? And in a city that has some of the worlds best coffee: Norange, April, Prolog, La Cabra, Poma, Coffee Collective, etc, is there really room for another?
Most importantly: the coffee itself was tasty. Well roasted, sweet, clean, prepared as you'd expect from someone who previously worked at Supreme Roastworks, and served with a smile and short explanation on the background of the bean.
I tried the Carlos Guamanga Caturra, washed, and it drank beautifully clean, with a touch of toastiness appearing as it had totally cooled down. A solidly balanced light-roast coffee.
Despite my (idiotic) reservations, everyone was exceedingly friendly. I have no idea why this shocked me. For some reason I was expecting some snobby chef-like staff who scowled at people, but no, this was the perfect environment to enjoy a cup.
I can see this place being wildly popular, especially in the summer months with the outside seating area. The inside is going to be a bit "sardines in a tin" for the next half year, as the Danish winter punishes anyone with outdoor affections.
If the team keep roasting and rotating their coffee, keep the standards high and consistent, then I don't see why this doesn't become another integral stop on anyones nerd-journey around Copenhagens specialty coffee scene.
For anyone who wants to embark on that holy journey, may we direct you to the ultimate guide for Coffee-Nerds in Copenhagen.
