At home at the coffee roastery

Kalle Freese spends all his time with coffee, so it is no wonder that he has learnt such an incredible amount about the finer points of coffee in such a short time. The Kaffa Roastery in the hip neighbourhood of Punavuori in the heart of the Design District started up around the same time that Kalle discovered coffee, and it is where he has initially learnt about coffee beans and preparing coffees. The entire staff at Kaffa Roastery share Kalle’s passion for coffee.

The café that adjoins the roaster comprises only a stand-up bar, but customers are welcome to sit down and enjoy their brew in the neighbouring Moko Market café. Moko is one of the most intriguing interior design boutiques in Helsinki, and it also sells delicacies, so foodies can kill two birds with one stone on Pursimiehenkatu street.

Premium coffee real estate in the city centre

He mastered the art of roasting coffee at La Torrefazione café and roaster on Aleksanterinkatu street in the centre of Helsinki.

“La Torrefazione is a fun café right in the city centre – many consider it the best in town. The salads and sandwiches they serve are excellent too,” Kalle recommends.

Another popular café favoured especially by students at the university is Fratello inside the Kluuvi Shopping Centre.

“The atmosphere is really nice, and it’s usually easy to find a table. The café’s specialty is siphon filtered coffee, which I usually go for. The coffee has to be fresh and the water temperature just between 90 and 95 degrees Celsius to make it perfect,” Kalle explains.

Kalle Freese likes the way that filtered coffee is prepared carefully, one cup at a time, at the best cafés. They also offer a range of alternatives, including different coffee beans depending on the season or even the day of the week.

He also doesn’t consider special coffees to mean only espresso-based mixes: “Special coffees refer to all good coffees that are prepared with a lot of skill using fresh roasted beans, whether they are espresso-based of filtered coffees.”

And what does the coffee freak enjoy with his coffee?

“I focus on the coffee and socialising. Enjoying coffee in a café is often a shared, intimate experience,” Kalle says.

But during the month of February, he admittedly enjoys his coffee with the seasonal Finnish pastries: Runeberg tarts and Shrove buns.