It is quite common in Finland to be invited for coffee, but that usually means a bit more than coffee. Finns are also huge coffee drinkers. They actually lead in coffee consumption for the entire world. I read somewhere that the average Finn consumes up to 9 cups a coffee a day and 10 pounds of coffee a year. Another thing I read was that you are not considered an adult until you can drink Finnish coffee. They like their coffee black too. When Finns add things to their coffee it tends to be milk not cream. Coffee cream is very American. During tourist season some restaurants and cafes with have cream, but off-season you mostly find milk. I have to say I love Finnish coffee(kahvi) and I drink it black. I also fall in the category of drinking 6-8 cups a coffee a day.
This summer when I traveled back to the US and had my black coffee I found that I had the shakes because the coffee was not strong enough. I looked forward to returning to Finland to have my Finnish kahvi. 🙂
When we have visitors we like to invite them for coffee. One of the popular items served with coffee is Finnish Pulla. Pulla is Finnish sweet rolls. The pulla has a distinct flavor to it. The flavor is cardamon. They are also sprinkled with white sugar. I have made Finnish Pulla with another American friend, but I usually cheat and purchase pulla from the store. If we head out with visitors we like to hit Cafe Esplanad in Helsinki on the Esplanad. Their pulla is quite a large serving and yummy. They also serve a delicious salmon soup.
Here are some pictures from the Cafe Esplanad when I took my friend, Jennifer there.
Here is a fun video I found on YouTube of a young lady making some Finnish Pulla.
Here are a few pictures of some pulla I made with my American friend, Tara.
I am trying to figure out if I can fill a 20 gallon Rubbermaid container with Finnish coffee when we return to the US. 🙂
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