Coffee & more : Behag din smag

Hi everybody! Some of you might know that I like to go to coffee bars to have a nice cup of coffee. Especially slow coffee. Well I have to admit it was one of the first things I looked up about Aalborg. Where are the coffee bars? Vincent did some research for my awesome going away present and told me that Behag din smag is the place to be in Aalborg. So I went to check it out with Alexandra.

It was always barista Lene Hyldahl’s dream to open a coffee bar.  So it was good news for Aalborg when she and her husband Jeppe Hasager decided to open one. They are not originally from this town but they noticed that there weren’t that many good coffee bars in Aalborg. Good thinking in my opinion.

After my first visit to their lovely place I decided to ask them if it was ok to come back when it wasn’t too busy for an interview. One of the things that caught my attention were all the troffees they had. Apparently they have a golden team. Lene has won several barista prices over the years, Jeppe won 2nd place during the World Cup Aero Press 2010 in London and Maria Lynge is going to represent Denmark at the World Championships in Korea in November.

On a friday morning I went to the city center for my interview. I was really looking forward to it. Maria, the latte artist, was going to show me how to draw a swan in your latte and Jeppe wanted to give me a quick Aeropress introduction. Of course I asked them if I could film it all so I can share it with you guys. Here is the result, hope you like it!

Maria Lynge started working at Behag din smag almost 2 years ago. Her love for coffee only flourished when she began working with it as a barista. Due to this passion for coffee she actually won the first competition she entered. She won first place in the art of latte. We’ll keep our fingers crossed during the World Championships in Korea this November. Her favorite drawing is a swan. Isn’t it just lovely? By the way girls, if you want to practice your latte art skills, don’t use skim milk because it won’t work as good.

Jeppe showed me how to use the Aeropress upside down. He explained that this way the coffee has the time to brew simultaneously and it will have a better taste. The tips he gave me were :

1. Use a rough grind
2. Let the water cool down to +/- 85° degrees for a better taste
3. Let it brew for 1 min
4. Don’t forget to stir after serving it in a cup/glass

One of his favorite coffees is the Kenya AA. It is my favorite as well. The fruity taste gives the coffee an extra flavor. He told me that if you want to taste a coffee, you need to taste it more than once. Take a sip every once and a while. Every temperature has its own taste.

Jeppe and Lene also sell their own blend, roasted by Copenhagen Roaster . I’m planning on going to CPH in a few weeks. So if I have the chance, I will probably visit their factory. I’m really interested in their “direct trade” concept. Hopefully I can interview them so I can tell you all about it.

Besides coffee they also serve all kinds of tea and chocolat milk. I tried the chocolat milk and it had a really soft and creamy texture. Besides drinks you can also order something to eat. From a warm croissant to a delicious scone with whipped cream and jam. They also have a variety of cakes from a bakery.

Let’s face it, good coffee sells. And you can see the proof of that during rush hours. Not only the coffee is good. The people are friendly and don’t mind telling their story. So if I’m not working in my own room, you’ll probably find me in Behag din smag. My new work space.

Maren Turis Gade 5, 9000 Aalborg

På gensyn

Julie