Kaffismiðja Íslands- best coffee in Reykjavic?

We were slightly worried about how we would go about finding a decent coffee in Reykjavic. We needn’t have bothered.  Turns out Iceland has the third highest coffee consumption of any country in the world.

And a short 10 minute jaunt from the centre of town, up towards the Lego-esque church Hallgrimskirkja church is Kaffismiðja Íslands.

From the outside it looks like an innocuous little house. From the inside it feels a little like you’ve stumbled into your grandmother’s drawing room, with worn floors, sewing desks for tables and a big stack of Elvis records in the corner.

But unlike my Grandma’s this is also home to some very serious coffee. Up in amongst some bric a brac on a shelf is a trophy for second place in the 4th annual barista championships. It belongs to one of the owners of Kaffismiðja Íslands; Sonja Björk Einarsdóttir Grant.

Behind the La Marzocco machine today are two good looking young fellows. One is dressed in sports casual, the other attired a cardigan, shirt and tie. Like so many of the blonde dapper hipsters we’ve seen  in Reykjavic he’s sporting an impressive moustache. It’s almost as if there’s a fawn Tom Selleck competition going on.

Hang on- there actually is a Tom Selleck competition that goes on in this town.

There’s air is idyllic smell of cinnamon pastries that are baking. Above our heads is a big piece of brown paper with the coffee options written in marker. The prices are darn reasonable- it’s 390 Icelandic Kroner for a latte; (which when we visited converted to around £1.30).

It’s two lattes to start and one of their just baked fruit scones. The scone comes with a pat of Icelandic butter, a  flat slice of Gouda and a little pot of red berry jam. It’s a curious combination that works. It’s a bit like the Spanish union of manchego and quince paste- on a crumbly, fruit dotted scone.

The grinds get double tamped  and the result carries with it a nice  caramel flavour.  We missed out on proper latte art, though others around us haven’t.  But what we  skipped in pretty pictures was made up for temperature, strength and flavour. This is a good cup of coffee. Which after a late arrival into a city and a hotel room that would have benefited from double glazed windows, is just what we need.

Kaffismiðja Íslands is a very groovy place, frequented by locals who are much funkier than we are. There’s a gentle rockabilly sound track courtesy of the ancient turn tables and there is plenty of space to spread out with the local paper.

For us, it’s all about map spreading and people watching.  There are plenty of  patrons stumbling in with bleary eyes. In a city where most of the bars don’t shut until 5 am, that’s easy to understand.

Beyond the smell of grinding beans there’s s constant aroma of new batches pastries being baked.

It would be wrong not to taste the plain and chocolate croissants, which potter about on mismatched antique plates. 

Add a double macchiatto and it’s just the stern sort of stuff you need to steel you for a stroll by the lake, tickled by arctic winds.

You heard it from us; all  days in Iceland should start like this.

Kaffismiðja Íslands
Kárastíg 1, 101 Reykjavík
Tel: 5175535
http://www.kaffismidja.is/coffeeshop/

{ 5 Comments }
  1. Hi, I just spent the better part of an hour checking out your blog after your visit to me and my archives ;o)
    So glad I did, I really enjoyed myself (and loved your face while sampling the fermented shark – the closest I have come is eating lutfisk). Will be back!

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  4. Stefán Thor Sigfinsson on 1 April 2011

    There is no doubt that Kaffismiðja Íslands is the best coffeehouse in Iceland.

    One thing though that bothers me how they serve the coffee. Glass,and something that looks like a glass for toothbrushes turns me off. I like my coffee in a beautiful cup. At home a shot glass for my espresso is ok but at café I want my coffee in a cup with a saucer.

  5. Stefán Thor Sigfinsson on 1 April 2011

    Yeah and one more thing. This summer they’ve been serving latte in a jar. To very appealing to me.

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