Nord Coast Coffee Roastery - Hamburg

Nord Coast coffee roastery

Nord Coast coffee roastery

Nord Coast coffee roastery

Nord Coast coffee roastery

Nord Coast coffee roastery

Nord Coast coffee roastery

Some cities are like visual earworms; the slightest things such as a smell or sign in your surroundings hint to its existence and the flashes won’t go away until you pay a visit (again). For me this is the case with practically any place I visited as a young child. Little details stick as they apparently made quite the impression. The same goes for Hamburg, the northern hub of German coolness close to the borders of Denmark. It might be the name that induces a cognitive wave of MacDonald’s commercials in my mind. But as a sucker for aesthetics, I think it is its eclectic feel that I remembered so well. Hamburg is trendy, but authentic. After a four-month exchange program in Copenhagen, my super-dad met me halfway with his car in the land of the Curry Wurst. As it was the 23rd of December, both our schedules were empty so we decided to make it a daytrip: hooray, I finally got rid of my visual earworm.

I recognized some street art, the townhall and the theatrical but warm vibes of German Christmas markets. Moreover, specially coffee is ubiquitous in Hamburg thanks to its function as the third biggest port city in Europe.

Our first stop was Nord Coast coffee roasters, a hotspot that I found spontaneously without flagging it in maps before, obviously (not) ;-). The menu offers choices for specific coffee varieties and terroirs and descriptions of specific tones and aftertastes of aromas such as “hints of walnut and plum”. Equally exciting as intimidating. To be honest, I felt like a total coffee noob when I scanned the earnestly complicated alternatives, but as for any passion, there is always a dozen of experts above you and that is oké; I like to see myself as a women with expertise for atmospheres and an additional, humble coffee devotion.

Overwhelmed by my nescience, I chose the “Guatemala - las Capuchinas’ on the spot. They served my filter coffee (brewing method: V60) in a minimalist jug along with an empty cup — a perfect one, with just the right thickness and tapered edge that is supposed to guide the aroma’s over your tongue in a ‘balanced’ way (yes, this is a thing). I decided to play along with the specialty coffee experience and indeed, I recognized the low acidity (sourness) and medium body (consistency).

Nord Coast reminded me of how much coffee is related to forthright science. How odd that it still interests me so much, concerning I once cried in full surrender during a chemistry exam. I guess the Dutch saying is true: ‘Wat de boer niet kent, eet hij niet’ (farmers don’t eat food they don’t recognize). Conversely: when your knowledge on a topic grows, it gets more fun. Hamburg encouraged me to study coffee more thoroughly this holiday. What topic do you want to learn more about?

Joe for now,