How to make kokkaffe (Swedish boiled coffee)

beans and groundsIf you were asked to name the top coffee-loving countries in the world, you might think of the USA. Or Britain, or maybe Italy or France. One country that might not immediately spring to mind is Sweden, but in fact Swedes love their coffee and drink a surprisingly large amount.

While the common types of coffee drink such as capuccinos and lattes are available, the traditional way of preparing coffee in Sweden is kokkaffe, which literally means ‘boiled coffee’. It’s very simple to make, and because it’s easy to prepare it outdoors with a fire or camping stove, it’s also very popular with hunters and fishermen. Although it’s made in a similar way to Turkish coffee, it’s much less strong and equates more to a standard UK black coffee. The secret is to use a very coarse grind of coffee, and a good quality medium roast bean.

Although special kokkaffe pots exist, it’s just as easy to use a saucepan. Simply put a heaped teaspoon of coffee per person in the pan, add 250ml of cold water per person and bring the mixture to the boil. Once it’s boiled, remove from the heat and strain through a filter into a cup or flask.

In Sweden, you can buy specific types of coffee labelled ‘kokkaffe’ for use in preparing the drink in this traditional way, but any type of coarsely roasted medium blend coffee will work.

Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we’re proud to stock a wide range of coffee beans suitable for all uses. We also have coffee accessories such as cups and stirrers, and coffee ingredients like milk and sugar sachets, so however you like to drink your coffee you can be sure you’ve come to the right place. For more information, please visit our website at www.wholesalecoffeecompany.co.uk.