The Danish coffee scene is booming, and the capital is the epicentre of this new wave of coffee aficionados. There are a whole host of amazing Copenhagen coffee roasters and cafés keeping the city perky – some newly established and some with roots stretching back decades. The coffee shops range from fancy, specialty affairs to the more laid-back venues, but whatever you’re feeling like on the day, you’re bound to find somewhere to match your mood. So, whether you’re a coffee snob or just looking for a place that serves up something warm and delicious before a full day of sight-seeing, have a read below of our top picks for the best coffee in Copenhagen.
Coffee Collective
With a few different cafés dotting the city, Coffee Collective is a Copenhagen coffee mainstay and often seen as one of the first to start the Nordic light roast trend. Open and headquartered in the capital since 2007, their staff is packed full of coffee experts who’ve been honoured at various national and international coffee competitions, and their cafés are that perfect Scandinavian blend of cosy and modern, as well as being very reasonably priced.
With a focus on sustainability, this Copenhagen coffee roasters have direct links to their growers and are proud to support independent farmers to make sure their beans remain the highest quality, so you can indulge in a coffee without any guilt. If you’re really getting into coffee culture, they also offer various coffee tasting courses. The most popular of these is the Black Brew Course, which gives you an overview of aroma and flavour profiles in beans, and how to use various brewing methods, costing EUR 78 (GBP 68).
Prolog Coffee Bar
Located in the edgy meatpacking district, Prolog Coffee Bar is an independent café that roasts their own high-quality, hand-picked beans. Perfect for a morning pick-me-up or to take a break in if you’re exploring the ultra-hip area, with its cool bars and artsy vibe, the baristas and management here are real artisans who take huge pride in their work. Like most of the best roasters and cafés in the city, they work directly with their farmers to ensure the highest quality beans, and they pay a fair price for them. Of course, this ties in with a focus on sustainability, and on their website you can see exactly how much they pay their farmers, meaning they are one of the most transparent vendors in the city.
The baristas here are also highly trained and incredibly knowledgeable about coffee culture in general, so if you do want to learn something and the place isn’t too busy, they’ll likely be happy to talk to you/ An espresso at Prolog will set you back EUR 4 (GBP 3.50), but it will without a doubt be one of the best in your life.
Impact Roasters Valby
This Copenhagen coffee roasters has deep ties to Ethiopia and Ethiopian coffee culture. Founded in 2015 by born and raised Ethiopian Daniel and his Bosnian-Danish wife Nidzara, they work with small scale farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia to get the best beans shipped over. They own two specialist roasteries in Copenhagen, the first one on Valby Street, which also has a little shop where you can sample the product.
Impact Roaster’s real selling point is the blend of Ethiopian heritage and more modern roasting and pressing techniques. Ethiopia is often seen as the home of coffee, and provides the perfect climate for growing the beans, which are often brought down from the remote regions by donkeys.
Moreover, over half the coffee produced in the country doesn’t leave, because the locals know just how good it is; in fact, Ethiopian coffee culture stretches back centuries, and the drink is important socially and culturally, with coffee ceremonies a big part of their most important life events. Impact Roasters have brought this enthusiasm and reverence to their work, and you can tell with every sip.
CUB Coffee Bar
A café with two different locations, both wildly different in terms of their placement but both serving up some incredible brews. The first and older CUB Coffee bar is a hidden gem in the heart of the city, this gorgeous, quaint little café tucked away on the ancient, cobbled streets of the capital, and just next to the Parliament building. The second venue is just a few minutes’ walk away from Amager Strand, in a new development just outside the city.
Short for Copenhagen Underground Brewers, they roast in collaboration with Copenhagen Coffee Lab, using a Giesen drum roaster to enhance the flavour without drying the beans out too much and making them bitter.
Roasts occur several times a week, so the coffee will always be extra fresh. In terms of sourcing the beans, they partner with Nordic Approach, who – like all the roasters and cafés on this list – will only purchase ethically and sustainably sourced beans.
ROAST Coffee
A little under the radar but considered one of the best spots for Copenhagen coffee by those in the know, ROAST have been open for half a decade, but their coffee tastes like they’ve been perfecting the art for much longer than that. With typically uncluttered yet homely Scandinavian design in their cafés, a quick brew at ROAST is relaxing and delicious, and mostly filled by locals who are fuelling up on caffeine for the day.
Of course, they roast their own beans, and their famous 50-50 initiative means that the farmers they source their beans from will get at least half the retail price of the drink, which is well above even what most ethical coffee companies pay.
Moreover, their baristas are among some of the best and most knowledgeable about coffee in the city, meaning if you do want to chew their ear off about beans and roasting techniques, they’ll be more than happy to oblige. The beans they have on sale tend to be more varied in origin and flavour than most other specialist cafés, and the atmosphere is always welcoming and warm. If you’re looking for a great brew, then this Copenhagen coffee spot is a good option.
Ready for some brunch to go with that classic Copenhagen coffee? Our guide to the city’s best breakfast and brunch spots is the logical next step for you.
Can’t wait for that first Copenhagen caffeine hit? Download the Orbzii app today to Dream, Plan, and Book your Scandinavian coffee journey.
