{"id":185875,"date":"2022-05-09T05:00:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/?p=185875"},"modified":"2022-05-06T12:30:56","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T19:30:56","slug":"the-sprudge-guide-to-coffee-in-odense-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/the-sprudge-guide-to-coffee-in-odense-denmark-185875.html","title":{"rendered":"The Sprudge Guide To Coffee In Odense, Denmark","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Come with us today to Denmark’s third largest municipality, a place with deep history and excellent coffee: the city of Odense, Denmark. Here in the storied birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen (recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Greatest Places<\/a> in 2021), on the island of Funen, you might be forgiven for thinking you’ve found someplace out of a fairytale, but now’s the time to look closer.<\/p>\n

Before you start thinking the only reason for a visit is to follow in the footsteps of this 19th century writer (alternately a point of pride and chagrin for locals), let me say this: Odense\u2019s candlelit cafes in cobblestone alleyways provide one of the most hyggelig <\/em>(\u201ccoziest\u201d) places in the country to drink coffee. After all, isn\u2019t literature one of coffee\u2019s best friends? Even better if both are accompanied by one of Denmark’s famous cinnamon buns (kanelsnegle<\/em>).<\/p>\n

\"establishing<\/p>\n

Odense, with its protected old quarter, lively harbor, and well-kept bike paths, is home to a small but growing specialty coffee scene. The fact that Odense is located on the island Funen creates a close-knit community, and most of the cafes we\u2019ll introduce you to get their coffees from micro-roasters on the island. From the eco-minded local chain Nelle\u2019s Coffee & Wine to the light-roast pioneer Caf\u00e9 S\u00f8lle to the rugged art and music cafe Analog, let\u2019s shine a spotlight on an alternative city for coffee lovers just two hours from Copenhagen.<\/p>\n

\"nelles<\/p>\n

Nelle\u2019s Coffee & Wine<\/h4>\n

Local Odense chain Nelle\u2019s Coffee & Wine<\/a> was founded by four friends in 2012, and is named after CEO Charles Saysette\u2019s daughter Nelle. The Filosoffen location, on the bank of the Odense River across from Munke Mose park, opened in 2017. Its ample outdoor seating makes it popular for people-watching when the weather gets warm. Locals love Nelle\u2019s cappuccinos; you\u2019ll also find a V60 pour-over, cold brew, and coffee cocktails including espresso martini and iced latte Bailey\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The cafe’s contemporary and international design was created by the award-winning Stupid Studio<\/a> as an expression of the owners\u2019 desire to create a place where you instinctively feel at home. The bar is purposely placed in front of the entryway so staff can greet everyone who visits, complemented by funny posters sporting phrases like, \u201cDid you know that 2-3 glasses of wine per day can reduce your risk of giving a shit [sic].\u201d The cafe\u2019s rotating selection of wines are selected by a sommelier who is also the manager at Nelle\u2019s Odense Teater location.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s culture revolves around this chain, it seems: They offer regular wine and coffee tastings and a running club for coffee lovers. Be sure to visit the Filosoffen culture house and art gallery upstairs for free after your coffee!<\/p>\n

All five Nelle\u2019s locations serve an organic dark-roast espresso blend from cooperatives in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia and a medium-roast Brazilian filter blend brewed on Rancilio Classe<\/a> espresso machines. The coffees are from a micro-roastery in Haarby on Funen.<\/p>\n

Nelle\u2019s Filossofen is located at Kunstbygningen Filosoffen, Filosofgangen 30 C, 5000 Odense C<\/a>. Find their four other locations here<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook <\/a>and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"cafe<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 S\u00f8lle<\/h4>\n

A local darling of the light-roasted coffee scene,\u00a0Caf\u00e9 S\u00f8lle<\/a> opened a week before closing down because of COVID-19, but is now full to the brim on the Wednesday morning I visit. According to co-founder Jonas Klindt, the name, whose direct translation is \u201ccafe silly,\u201d is based on co-founder Xenia S\u00f8llingvraa\u2019s last name and former nickname.<\/p>\n

The relaxed, \u201chidden\u201d cafe is located in Nedergade, a street with \u201ckind of a Paris or Berlin vibe\u201d that people must seek to find\u2014and are always greeted with warm, welcoming service. The cafe\u2019s \u201crough\u201d interior (Klindt\u2019s words) features original concrete walls accented by a few wide brushstrokes of light blue paint. You\u2019ll find large, long wooden tables where the owners hope people will gather and talk to each other (a big feat for stoic Denmark). If anyone can make it happen, though, it\u2019s this plucky, colorful cafe that bans laptops after 2:00pm and serves its light\/middle-roast Honduras COMSA espresso, brewed on a Simonelli Appia II<\/a>, in speckled ceramic cups. All Caf\u00e9 S\u00f8lle\u2019s single-origins, which are changed out yearly, are from Holy Bean Coffee Roasters<\/a>, a well-established and women-owned roastery in Aarup, on Funen.<\/p>\n

The cups are for sale alongside \u201cno bullshit\u201d natural wine and mostly-Danish craft beers, and the three co-owners (Klindt, S\u00f8llingvraa, and Mads Klindt) bake all their bread and cakes themselves every morning. \u201cWe wake up early,\u201d Klindt says\u2014good thing they have fantastic cappuccinos and flat whites to keep them company.<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 S\u00f8lle is located at Nedergade 18, 5000 Odense C<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"cafe<\/p>\n

Analog<\/h4>\n

Analog<\/a>, which replaced Baboon Coffee in January 2020, is the aloof, undercover cool kid of Odense\u2014home-grown, down-to-earth, and located right at a turn in the newly-built light rail.<\/p>\n

Owner Peter M\u00f8ller Kristensen, who knows much of his age-diverse clientele personally, wants his cafe to be \u201ca low-key spot with soul and commitment […] a room in the neighborhood\u201d where happy employees go the extra mile to provide great service and where he can host local art, yoga, music, and community dinners. The name Analog<\/em> (\u201cah-na-lo\u201d) is a vector for Kristensen\u2019s commitment to quality and tradition; he makes everything by hand\u2014from the desserts to the sourdough bread that complements delectable homemade sit-in or take-home lunches.<\/p>\n

The cafe brews a variety of organic, fair-trade single-origins from Middelfart\u2019s The Brew Company<\/a> on their Carimali Diva<\/a>. I recommend parking yourself on one of Kristensen\u2019s hand-built benches or the reclaimed ’60s-era courthouse chairs next to a sunny, wall-to-floor window, and enjoying a nutty, chocolatey V60 pour-over, their delightful cold brew tonic featuring a homemade lemonade concentrate for an extra refreshing tang, or their locally-brewed \u201cstout coffee\u201d (because it\u2019s more coffee than beer). If you\u2019re lucky, Kristensen will add a cup of free carrots, which he calls his \u201ccontribution to national health.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you care about \u201cswans and flowers\u201d in your latte art, Kristensen says, this may not be the place for you\u2014but it is <\/em>for anyone who cares about the quality and quantity of milk foam served on coffee at the perfect temperature, in pre-warmed cups.<\/p>\n

Analog is located at Albanigade 54c, 5000 Odense C<\/a>. Follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"cafe<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 UNIKA<\/h4>\n

You\u2019ll always be welcomed with a smile at Caf\u00e9 UNIKA<\/a>, where the reigning motto is, \u201cAlways remember that you are absolutely unique\u2014just like everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cafe varies its white walls with notes of pink, gray, and seafoam, and is filled with furniture found in secondhand shops and flea markets. I love sitting at the wooden stools in the window that face the Albani Breweries<\/a>.\u00a0If you\u2019re looking for a great brunch place with perfectly plated, be-flowered meals that source organic ingredients whenever possible, look no further than UNIKA. You\u2019ll find a perfect complement in the customer-favorite cappuccino and iced coffee that feature Guatemala Finca Ceylan with notes of pistachio, caramel and blood orange from burgeoning coffee wholesaler Copenhagen Coffee Lab<\/a>. (If you\u2019d like to cheat on your coffee for the day, you can also get a matcha, golden, and beetroot latte.)<\/p>\n

The sisters have received the Best of Odense Award for their attention to detail, and ensure coffee is always brewed to its best on their Dalla Corte<\/a>, on which Nathalie and Mathilde cut their teeth working in the London coffee scene. They hope to expand and open more \u201cunique places\u201d around Denmark, including their second Odense location, the juice bar and cafe Bar UNIKA.<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 UNIKA is located at Albanigade 17, 5000 Odense C<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

\"velodrom<\/p>\n

Velodrom Kaffebar<\/h4>\n

While we\u2019re on the topic of uniqueness, Velodrom Kaffebar<\/a> has been a work in progress since owner K\u00e5re Loll began renovating the defunct train station\u2014which dates to 1876\u2014alongside a cycling path in the residential Fruens B\u00f8ge neighborhood in 2015. Loll used the \u201ccorona times\u201d to further restore the building to its roots before reopening in early 2022. The cafe has an industrial yet cozy feel that includes a station clock and coup\u00e9-style seating areas with wooden doors and benches. Some of the 19th and 20th-century period fixtures, with authentic patina, are original, and some date to an earlier 1952 renovation.<\/p>\n

Visiting Velodrom requires a short bike ride from the city center towards the Odense Zoo<\/a>. In fact, this mode of transportation is perfectly in the spirit of the cafe\u2019s founding: \u201cCoffee and cycling always complement each other,\u201d Loll tells me. For your perseverance, you\u2019ll be rewarded with a hyper-local cafe patronized by all-age residents socializing over coffee in one of the cafe\u2019s three rooms (the caffe latte and cortado are bestsellers).<\/p>\n

Everything Loll brings to the cafe is steeped in history, from roaster Kaffe Lars<\/a>, just four kilometers from the cafe, slow-roasting since 1912 with a traditional gas-powered, 1941 vintage German \u201cIdeal Gothot Rapid 90Kg\u201d to his choice of machine in a Faema E61<\/a>, an Italian brand Faema formerly sponsored a cycling team that included professional cyclist Eddy Merckx, among others.<\/p>\n

Velodrom Kaffebar is located at Fruens B\u00f8ge Skov 4 5250 Odense SV<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Chlo\u00e9 Skye Weiser (<\/em>@apostropheskye<\/em><\/a>) is a freelance writer based in Denmark. This is Chlo\u00e9\u2019s first feature for Sprudge Media Network. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where to drink coffee in Odense, Denmark.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":381,"featured_media":185887,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7029],"tags":[25908,17290,25902,25907,3228,25906,19214,6637,5462,4741,25911,9420,25904,25910,25899,25898,25901,25903,25900,25905,19981,25909],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185875"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprudge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}