minzy1702 wrote:Hello! I been hearing that Finns drink a lot of coffee...
What type of coffee do they drink? Found some comments online saying its quite like espresso.. diluted with lots of hot water...
Most commonly
drip-brewed filtered coffee in domestic settings. The coffee is usually bought factory-roasted and factory-ground
in half-a-kilo packs.
Finns have traditionally tended to prefer the lighter roasts and put their trust mainly on a couple of big domestic brands. That said, darker roasts (and a variety of less known foreign or “indie” coffee brands) have gained some popularity in the recent years, especially among the younger adults.
There are, of course, coffee enthusiasts who will ground their beans themselves — buying various blends and roasts from specialist coffee shops — and who will buy and use fancier devices for brewing. Or who will make espresso, cappuccino, etc. at home, with proper equipment.
There are also fancy coffeehouses with baristas etc. And these days you can usually get your low-end standard cappuccino or espresso (or whatever) from almost any coffeehouse. But at home, and in many workplaces, the majority of Finns will simply drip-brew their coffee with an ordinary coffeemaker without putting any extra effort in it.
Capsule coffeemakers have recently been heavily advertised, so some homes and workplaces now have those, often as an optional, fancier alternative to the standard drip-brew coffee.
Beware of the “coffee” self-served in low-end service station cafeterias from a pot that has probably been sitting on that hot plate for hours to end. It will usually taste like poison.
Instant coffee is not particularly popular here, except perhaps in coffee automats.
minzy1702 wrote:Apart from visiting cafes for coffee, do they make their own coffee at home? and with milk or without milk.
Yes, we do. As already mentioned above, drip-brewing is the most common method.
If you’re arranging any sort of informal gathering for your friends at your home, or — heaven forbid —
a more formal party, serving coffee is almost a built-in expectation from the host.
Kahvi and pulla are the bane of most informal gatherings among adults, and also many workplace meetings.
Most will drink their poison black or add sugar, but there’s always the occasional milk user.
Some, especially those among older folks, might prefer cream instead of milk, if available.
Back in the old days, coffee was typically made
in kettles like this, usually on a wood-burning stove. But now it is pretty rare, or mainly reserved for special contexts, such as visiting the summer house which used to belong to your late grandmother and has no modern amenities, or when going on a camping trip.
minzy1702 wrote:Is instant coffee powder readily found in supermarkets in Helsinki and whats the price range?
Yes. No idea about the prices and selection, though. The main focus in the supermarkets’ coffee aisles is on those hard-as-a-brick vacuum packs of factory-ground coffee for drip-brew coffeemakers.
It seems the younger generations no longer as readily take up the habit as their parents. Some have even mysteriously managed to pass into adulthood without so much as drinking tea; sustaining on soda, energy drinks or hot chocolate, instead... which I find very strange and un-Finnish. (Me? Started the coffee habit before starting elementary school. First with milk and sugar, but then dropped both and began consuming it black.)
