Supreme Roastworks, Oslo

Coffee is about building something step by step.

We find Supreme Roastworks near where we stay in Oslo, in the somewhat bohemian neighbourhood of Grünerløkka. While its shop opened its doors in 2013, the business started earlier in 2007 as a micro roastery by founders and veteran coffee roasters Joar Christoffersen and Magnus Lindskog.

That’s what astounds us about the Norwegian coffee scene: that one can start selling high quality boutique coffee to wholesale customers years ahead of even considering a retail presence; the reverse is more likely elsewhere in the world. That’s the strength of the country’s demand for good coffee — for brewing at home or in restaurants and cafés.

With the addition of a third partner, Odd Steinar Tøllefsen (winner of the Norwegian Brewers Cup Championship 2014 and World Brewers Cup Champion 2015), Supreme Roastworks truly lives to its name.

One would expect a high falutin’ coffee bar with all the bells and whistles. Instead what we experience here is a down-to-earth café that is a second home to the community it serves. (Their feisty tiger-face logo might be the only sign of their roaring ambition.)

到挪威遊玩前，我們在網上找了幾家當地人推薦的咖啡館，
打算在欣賞挪威瑰麗的風景之餘，順道去喝咖啡朝聖。
其中這家Supreme Roastworks位於奧斯陸的Grünerløkka波西米亞區內，
距離我們借住的朋友家只需幾分鐘的步行距離，
是我們拜訪的第一家挪威咖啡館。

踏入館內，自然光、裸磚墻和木質桌椅，
不算起眼的裝潢，但裡頭卻是鬧哄哄的一片，
也許正值上班時間吧，無論喝咖啡還是外帶的顧客都不少，
如往常般我們點了兩杯咖啡，一份糕點，
站在吧檯附近那慢慢享用。

說來慚愧，也許裝潢太一般，
在喝咖啡前，其實沒抱著什麼期望，
就以為這只是一個大家早上上班前來喝杯咖啡的地方，
試了一口手沖咖啡后，卻是眼前一亮，連忙催馬少嚐嚐，
沒想到第一家咖啡館就如此的對味，
讓我們對接下來的幾家咖啡館更是期待。

回來查資料才發現，
原來這家咖啡館早在2007年時就已經以烘豆坊的形式出現，
一直以來為當地人提供優質的咖啡豆，
但是卻直到2013年才開設了咖啡館。
老闆分別為當地兩位老牌烘豆師，
加上一位在挪威和世界咖啡沖煮大賽奪冠的人物，
難怪這裡的咖啡那麼優！
去了那麼多咖啡館，還是難免以‘店’取‘咖啡’，是我修行不足。