Joana isn’t Swedish, but she experienced various Fikas herself and wanted to bring this tradition to the Belgian capital. Located just off Place St Boniface in Ixelles, this is a spot you shouldn’t miss when passing by. Fika’s big wooden framed windows facing the street, look very inviting during mornings when you can take a peek inside and watch Joana and her small team prepare fresh cakes and pastries for the day. Towards the end of the late afternoon the windows are often fogged, by all the steam that comes from preparing all the cappuccinos, flat whites and lattes.

Once inside, it’s hard to resist all the home baked cakes and pastries, which are made every morning from fresh and local ingredients. Sometimes when you enter the place you can still smell the cinnamon and yeast from the fresh cinnamon buns, or Kanelbullar as they call it in Sweden. The 100% Arabica coffee comes either from Café Capitale, a local Brussels coffee roastery, or from ‘April’, a Swedish roastery. Both make a great basis to your morning cappuccino along with the hot steamed milk that is organic – and from Belgium, too!

The place itself is minimalistic and peaceful, decorated with beautiful tiles on the floor, light wooden details – the whole coffee bar is made from it – simple lightbulbs hanging from the ceilings and a few pillows and plants make up part of the interior. Fika is definitely an addition to the Brussels coffee scene that one couldn’t think away and which, if you haven’t yet, you should explore someday, too.

And in case you want to drink your coffee outside – there’s a garden.

Price: Coffee is around 3-4€ and pastries around 2-4€

Address: Rue de la Paix 17, 1050 Ixelles

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Good news for those who look forward to their daily dose of comfort. Belgian scientists from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) have managed to produce coffee with the desired acidity and fruity notes via the controlled fermentation of freshly harvested beans, whereby all undesirable aromas and flavours are eliminated.

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Part of the coffee hype is that nowadays many cafes write the different tastes coffee can have next to the origin and name of the coffee bean. So what you’ve been used to when ordering wine will now happen to you when choosing your morning cup of energy. “Tastes of apricot and floral” or “cherry and notes of dark chocolate” is just a few flavours that your coffee could have. You call bullshit on this one? Well, this certainly can sound slightly pretentious, but if you pay attention to it you’ll be surprised how many different tastes can hide within a single mug of your coffee.

 

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So why Ethiopian coffee? To me Ethiopian coffee can be drunk at many occasions but not always. Maybe it’s just the ones I tried (Sidama – the larger region in Ethiopia – and Yirgacheffe – a small region within Sidama – beans) but they’re been very floral, with taste of citrus fruit, apricot and peaches. They were light in colour and very soft, fruity and light in taste. This means I’d probably not have a cup of Ethiopian coffee with a heavy chocolate brownie, cause you’d lose all the nice taste of the coffee. Rather, I’d have it with a light dessert, some scones (Ethiopian coffee often resembles tea because of its lightness). But don’t get me wrong, Ethiopian coffee works great with milk chocolate or dark chocolate to balance the heavy taste off with the fruitiness of the coffee, but it shouldn’t be anything too heavy!

 

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Aksum meets the price-value criteria. You’ll get a cup of great quality coffee for a fair price, some advice on Ethiopian coffee and you can enjoy it with some sweet treats. It’s not far from Grand Place, but in a more quiet, little hidden street. There’s also one close to Bourse and one at Galerie du Roi. The interior is very cozy with wooden and traditional details, a painted ceiling and ceramic pottery. Aksum roasts their coffees daily, so the moment you enter the place you’ll be surrounded by a cloud of rich and beautiful scents.

More info here

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If you are consuming a lot of caffeine (around 500mg a day) or if you regularly experience anxiety, restlessness or headaches it may be a moment to look at your coffee habit. Bear in mind that an average espresso is about 80mg of caffeine, a larger coffee (contrary to popular belief) has more caffeine in it as more water has passed through the grains to take the caffeine with it (around 95-200mg depending on size). Other factors also play a role including level of roasting and whether beans are coarsely or finely ground. Oh yes… and adding sugar and milk does not reduce the caffeine!

So what are the perks?

Caffeine helps to stimulate alertness, can improve mood and concentration and even performance (some athletes have a coffee before a run). It has been shown to help reduce Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and also contains some antioxidants (basically stops us rusting from the inside!)
Great… lets have a cup then!

But, you also need to know that caffeine has its problems:

Caffeine raises blood pressure and stress levels (stress hormones including cortisol) in the body and can also exacerbate gastro-intestinal problems (abdominal pain, diarrhea). For women it can also increase PMS, osteoporosis and a series of other issues. It also raises blood sugar in the body (even more if you add sugar!)
So what’s the bottom line?
Pretty much like most other things we know we need to keep in moderation:

1. Quality
2. Quantity
3. Timing

Good to know:

•  not too much (keep well under 500mg per day – better around 200mg)
•  the best quality you can… better one good one than 4 office filter coffees!
• avoid coffee on an empty stomach… after breakfast or after lunch are the best times
• reduce or cut out sugar in it (try a small piece of dark chocolate at first to see if that helps)
• when you have one… really enjoy it!

The post Let’s talk about coffee appeared first on Brussels Express.

Ethiopian coffee places as some of the best coffee in the world. The beans REM use are solely sourced from two renowned regions where the Sidamo and Yirgacheffe beans grow.

Due to the high altitude of the region they are grown, the beans enjoy a slower development which allows the absorption of more nutrients; creating a richer flavour that remains fresh for up to a month.

Once the coffee is brought to Brussels, it is only roasted-to-order, ensuring the flavours remain locked right up until you purchase and delivery, with any home or business within the Brussels capital region enjoying delivery for free.

Prices range from the amount selected and which bean suits your taste; so all you have to do is pick and sit back and wait for your premium delivery.

If you are a coffee drinker and are looking for a nuanced drink, then why not try one of Brussels own and reinvigorate with the rich flavours this coffee provides.

Good to know:

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1. Caffelatte Espresso Bar:

A great café, led by Italians that serves delicious flat white, Cappuccino or Macchiato, along with delicious Italian cookies and pastries – their Tiramisu also looks amazing. If you’re here around lunchtime make sure to try one of their Panini. It’s always crowded, and in the mornings it happens that there’s a queue that starts outside the place.

Good to know: Rue du Commerce 19, 1000 Bruxelles, Website

2. Corica:

Opened just about half a year ago this place roasts coffee itself and believe me, their 2-shot Cappuccino won’t let you fall asleep over your work desk. It’s a small place, with just some space to stand at the bar, or to take-away your coffee.

Good to know: Rue Caroly 39, 1050 Ixelles, Website

3. Caffe Italiano:

A very authentic Italian place, serving lunch, pastries and coffee. Simple interior, very nice staff and good coffee – that’s all I need in the morning.

Good to know: Aarlenstraat 27, 1000 Brussel, Website

4. Fika:

It’s not exactly in the EU Quarter, but not far and probably on the way to work for most people. This little café, which gets quite crowded during weekends, sells great coffee, Swedish cinnamon rolls, different cakes and little pastries. They get their coffee from Café Capitale and April Coffee Roasters in Copenhagen. I didn’t have cake, but my friend tried the marbled one, which apparently was a bit dry but besides that tasteful.

Good to know: Rue de la Paix 17, 1050 Ixelles, Website

5. Living Room:

The café is spread onto two floors, downstairs being cosier with sofas and armchairs while upstairs is better suited for those of you looking for some alone time between you and your laptops. People working here are always very nice, attentive and happy to talk to you while preparing the perfect cappuccino to give you a good start into the day.

Good to know: Place Jean Rey 8, 1040 Etterbeek, Website

6. The Office:

A loud and buzzy place that’s maybe not optimal for an intimate conversation, but it’s a place with good coffee that you can enjoy while relaxing on a big armchair.

Good to know: Rue d’Arlon 80, 1040 Bruxelles, Website

7. Or Espresso:

Located right next to Place Jourdaan this coffee place is the perfect pit stop when on your way to work. They have great cakes, too and also offer daily changing filter coffees In case you need a break from buzzing office life, they have some tables that seem perfect for an hour or two of afternoon working.

Good to know: Place Jourdan 13a, 1040 Etterbeek, Website

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