Hey everyone! I’m planning to move to Finland soon, and I’ve heard a lot about the country’s coffee culture. I wanted to ask for some insight from locals and others who know the culture well: Is coffee culture really strong in Finland?

Do people often go out to cozy cafes around the corner to enjoy their coffee, or is it more common to stay at home, brew your own coffee or espresso, and relax on the couch? I’m curious to know what the typical routine is like!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Kiitos!

by ImEranga

11 comments

  1. I fill the mug with whatevers been sitting in the pan and drink it. At work I have to let it sit for a while to become drinkable temperature.

    I don’t think there’s a specific “coffee culture” here, at least in the way you probably were asking.

  2. I’d say there’s a difference between coffee culture and cafe culture, where Finland has the former but not necessarily the latter.

    People mostly consume coffee at home or at the workplace. Coffee breaks are an important occasion for socialising at work, and while drinking coffee is not absolutely required for participating in this, it is what many people default to. And if you invite guests, it is kind of expected to offer coffee, so that some people who themselves don’t drink coffee keep a pack at hand for this purpose alone.

  3. I think the best comparison is fast food. In Finland, you have many, many options for the “fast food” of cafés. You get your coffee, maybe some pulla (sweet bakes) and that’s all there is to it. Of course you can get various barista drinks, but don’t necessarily expect any outstanding coffee.

    There are some places that are maybe “better” than others, but as a culture, Finnish people definitely favor the “fast food” equivalent options over exquisite or specialty cafés. There’s something for everyone, certainly, but be prepared to pay through the roof if you really go for taste.

    Keep in mind that by far the most popular and common coffee preparation in a Finnish home is using a Moccamaster or other drip coffee maker and the cheapest (and still quite expensive in today’s market) Juhlamokka from Paulig. In other words, bulk coffee made in bulk.

  4. I dont think there is right or wrong way to enjoy your coffee.

    Personally I brew coffee mostly at home and at work. Sometimes I visit a Cafe when further from home. But it is an expensive option to enjoy that all the time.

    The most common coffee in Finland is filtered coffee, but you can find people who have their own espresso machines at home. You can find more options at Coffee shops, but I see a lot of people still take the filtered coffee even in those places.

    Instead of trying different types of brewing techniques, I see people in Finland get variation from using different types of coffee beans with different roast levels.

  6. Finnish people drink A LOT of coffee but mostly brewed at home or at the office. There are some good roasteries here, but the third wave coffee movement is not too developed yet, especially outside of Helsinki.

    But you can definitely find excellent cafes and excellent beans to brew at home.

  7. We get free coffee at the supermarket. And at work, there is usually a coffee pot that has never run empty since 1985.

    There are of course also some proper coffee places, where you can get a munkki with your life elixir, but there isn’t really a coffee house culture, like in Vienna, or a hipster-speciality-coffees-which-may-taste-of-anything-but-coffee culture as in the US.

    I guess the reason is that people here like a simple coffee that just tastes of coffee, nothing else. And it shouldn’t be too strong either, so one can drink more of it!

  8. Sorry to shit on your romantic goggles, but coffee, yes – cafe, mostly no. In a brutal generalization I would say it’s quantity over everything else here. Some people drink a pot of shit saludo per day, some add booze in theirs, most buy presidentti coffee from a sale and everyone brews it at home. Coffee consumption continues, if not increases at offices.

    Cafe culture is present only in larger cities among wealthier individuals IMO. Those are a teardrop in the ocean vs the total consumption of coffee here.

  9. I think its good to note a very specific thing about Finnish culture to a foreigner; We basically have like a mix of two leisure cultures, one for winter and one for summer. The darkness and cold of winter kinda makes introverts of us all, and the sun and warmth breaths life into our social lives.

    During the summer, people are more active and the cafes are more lively, but during the winter like in all things people tend to not go out as much. I am personally a big fan of activity cafes, like boardgame cafes. For Tampere region I highly recommend Taverna and Lategame. Kinda the perfect places to meet up with friends.

  10. Coffee culture in Finland is like car culture in America, take it away and nothing will get done, the society collapses, there would be riots, but nobody is able to get out to join them.

    But this should not be confused with cafe culture, like in e.g. Italy. We have a few good cafes in Helsinki and people appreciate a good cup, but almost nobody goes daily. If you want the Finnish coffee experience I recommend Cafe Regatta, take the light roast coffee with a cinnamon bun. Even better of it’s rainy and cold. I’m actually not sarcastic. The joy of a mediocre, but warm coffee in the cold it’s the closest thing you can do to become a Finn for a moment.

  11. Coffee culture in Finland; make drip coffee in the morning before work, drink drink coffee all day at the office from the communal coffee machine, come home and drink more drip coffee. If the weather is nice, maybe grab some coffee from a nice cafe with a piece of cake (not applicable in winter). Some stay at home mums might meet some friends at a cafe during the week with the baby carts. Thats it.

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