So I too am back from my European extravaganza. My trip took me to many of the outer peripherals of the continent: Hungry, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Denmark. I also had enough time in Germany to try a shot or two. I must confess most of the shops I went to had employed folks who despite their best intentions, and occasionally with my neurotic instructions still delivered balls-up beverages. This was striking because of the reputation Europe seems to have here in Michigan.

I am amazed by how often the European card is pulled here in the states. Some of you may have experienced this. Have you ever run into the know-it-all coffee fan that validates their opinion on how, or how not, this or that should be done, by simply mentioning they went to Europe, once. Never mind the research, years of experience, and continual dedication to quality the Barista may have undertaken. One trip to “the land of coffee,” and all that is rendered null and void in the omniscient gaze of a European traveler.

This to me is one of the most frustrating kinds of exchanges in the business (second only to the powerful Seattle native empowered from birth to discern good and evil, and all that is not their beloved Starbucks). However now that I have sufficiently ingested the amazing array of espresso offered in the fine beaneries across the pond I am equipped with the same Omniscience donned upon the travel weary consumers who make their way into my humble place of employment. And for the most part I can say European coffee sucks just as hard as our own.

With that said I would like to talk a little bit about the places that did a great Job. There were a few shops that delivered a drink that made me smile. In Budapest Mike, Laura, and I found one little shop down an alley that had great service and served a decent macchiato. Unfortunately I was just waking up when we got there and forgot to write the name down. In Ireland, well I tried, but the coffee wasn’t so great. I didn’t really come across a cup that caught my attention until I got to Copenhagen.

My cousin, Erica, mentioned that a place called Estate Coffee served a wicked brew. Although she hadn’t been there herself rumor had it they were one of the best. At this point it had been quite a while since I had had a drink that I had truly enjoyed. I think Laura was about ready to kill me from my continual pining after the Ugly Mug. I asked Erica where Estate was and she told me it was by the Reuters office where her husband Gelu worked. Laura and I rode out to the shop that afternoon.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was the La Marzocco GB/5 3 group manual sitting there. Pure beauty to a fatigued coffee deprived traveler. The shop was small and pretty quite. I came up and ordered a drink. I watched as the Barista dosed, tamped, steamed, and poured. It was perfect, a real top notch Job. I looked him in the eyes and thanked him and told him of my quest to find a good cup of coffee. He asked if I was a coffee geek. I said yeah, and he asked where I worked. I told him about the Ugly Mug. He had heard of us and all the baristas there hooked us up for the rest of our time there. It was really great. They even let me make a few drinks on the GB/5 (which, by the way, is kinda leaky). THANKS LINUS AND THOREY!!

Estate gave me a nice list of local shops to check out. I spent the whole day bouncing from shop to shop. First I checked out Ricos. They had a pretty chill environment, but the coffee wasn’t drinkable. Then I went to Risteriet. This was a small roaster with better coffee then Ricos, and a great home Barista store in the back. Their coffee was alright but not quite up to snuff. Next I went to Europa. This place was packed. It wasn’t nearly as friendly as Estate, but the coffee was pretty good. My main complaint was that the Barista let my shot sit way to long before she added the milk to my macchiato. The tamp was also sloppy and it started channeling a little. I decided to stick with Estate for the rest of my time there.

Check them out at http://www.estatecoffee.dk/

The rest of my trip was filled with adventure, fun times, and a whole lot of stories.

Come by the shop and I’ll tell you a few

Signing off,

-Billy Kangas