Good to the Last Drop: Icelandic Coffee

Iceland has been much in the news lately for – believe it not – it’s national coffee culture.

Litli Bóndabærinn Coffee Shop

The International Coffee Organization recently released a ranking and map of the countries that drink the most coffee. It seems Icelanders drink the third most (an average of 9 kgs/20 lbs) per year per person behind Scandinavian cousins Finland and Norway. Canada finished a distant 10^th and the U.S. didn’t even crack the top 20 (sorry Starbucks!).

Around the same time, Huffington Post published a story on Healthiest People in the World Drink Their Coffee based on a new United Nations Human Development Report. Iceland was right up there again near the top.

 “Since coffee made it to the island back in 1703, it has been an integrated part of the culture,” writes Julie R. Thomson. “It’s tied to celebrations in much the same way that booze is for other cultures. And just so you really understand how much they love the stuff, decaf is not really a thing that’s offered in Iceland.”

In case you’re wondering where to grab a hot cup of java in Iceland, the online magazine Plan Iceland features an article on the Five Best Coffeehouses in Reykjavik. Included in their top five are: Mokka, Kaffitár Bankastræti, Reykjavík Roasters (a.k.a Kaffismiðja Íslands), Litli Bóndabærinn, and Stofan.

Mokka is one of Reykjavík´s oldest cafés