>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway, curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ Take me home where I belong >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

>> Grieg Suites.

Chocolate with apples from Norway.

♪♪ Havila Voyages.

Pure Northern.

>> Ekstedt: Hi, and welcome to "New Scandinavian Cooking."

I am Niklas Ekstedt, and today, we are in my hometown of Stockholm.

The sun is shining, and all the coffee shops are filled with people.

In Scandinavia, we drink an enormous amount of coffee.

Why is that?

That is what I am going to find out today.

And I'm going to meet this amazing baker, Petrus, and also, I will be going to Colombia to see where the Scandinavian coffee grows, and there it will be some cooking, as well.

So there's a lot to see.

Come with me.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ We are now at my own restaurant, Ekstedt, in the heart of Stockholm.

Here, I only work with open-fire cooking, and this is my wood oven, and I will show you how to make Swedish doughnuts.

This is a very traditional Swedish doughnut batter.

It's just like making pancakes but a little more flour.

So there's salt, eggs, butter, milk, and baking powder into this, and then we're going to fry these in clarified butter in a hot cast-iron pan.

So if you do not have a wood oven at home, it's fine to do this in a regular oven.

So hot pan like this and then put some clarified butter into this.

We want the fat.

That's what's nice in this recipe.

Batter into this.

And it's important that the batter is room temperature, so not straight from the fridge.

And then we're just going to stick the whole pan into the oven for about 12 minutes.

[ Whistles ] So if you're doing this in a regular oven at home, you need the oven quite hot, like, 300, 280 Celsius or 530 Fahrenheit.

The Swedish doughnuts are done.

I just need to coat them with a little bit of sugar.

So roll this around in just regular-cut sugar.

With that, brewed coffee.

That's the essence of Swedish !fika -- a delicious pastry and some regular filter coffee.

A little hot but delicious.

Wow.

♪♪ !Fika, it's the Swedish word for a coffee break, but it's nothing you can do on the go or in a rush.

You need to take your time and relax, and for me, the perfect fika is a good cup of coffee and a perfect cinnamon bun.

♪♪ So I'm now in the south part of Stockholm, and just here next to Mariatorget, there's this little bakery called Petrus, and Petrus himself, he bakes the best cinnamon buns in Sweden, so please come with me, and he'll show you how he makes those.

So the pressure is on.

I just told the viewers that this is the best cinnamon bun in Sweden.

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah?

>> It could be.

>> Ekstedt: Could be.

One of them?

>> Yeah, one of them.

>> Ekstedt: So what's the secret to a good Swedish cinnamon bun?

>> A lot of butter.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> Sugar, and our little secrets in every of our sweets products is a little percent of whole grain.

>> Ekstedt: Oh, right.

>> We make the dough in the morning.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> And we proof it for one hour or so.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> And then we cool it down.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> So it's much easier to work with.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

And then roll it out?

>> Yeah.

Just roll it out.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

Like that?

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: It's cardamom in the dough?

>> Yeah.

It's a lot of cardamom.

>> Ekstedt: And the cinnamon roll has cardamom and cinnamon?

>> Yes.

And I really love this, childhood-memories thing, when customer come in here and... >> Ekstedt: The smell!

>> ...remember the smell of grandma's kitchen.

>> Ekstedt: The smell of cardamom and cinnamon is really a nostalgic... Yeah.

So this is butter and sugar?

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: That's it.

Mix?

>> Just mix to a good filling.

>> Ekstedt: And then you add cinnamon and sugar?

>> Yeah.

This is not the usual one you find in the store.

It's from Sri Lanka.

It's a real nice taste.

So we don't use the cinnamon in the filling because I like this sugar and filling on butter.

>> Ekstedt: On the bottom.

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: But also... >> Because we're going to make more a caramel bottom.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

So basically what happens is that the butter and the sugar that's in the filling will caramelize in the oven and then melt down on the bottom of the bun.

Nice.

So the dough is folded, and now you are going to cut it.

>> And we want to twist the filling so it's all over the buns.

>> Ekstedt: Oh, like a twist, like that.

>> And take the right one up, and this one will fit in there.

That one.

And just change it over.

So we will make this sheet tray full, and then we proof the cinnamon bun for 26 degrees.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

You start early in the morning here, right?

>> Yeah, 4:00 is the first one in, 4:00 and 5:00.

>> Ekstedt: Do you ever get used to getting up that early in the morning?

>> My first five years was... >> Ekstedt: The first five years were tough, and then you're all right.

>> Then you're all right.

Now the bun is ready for the oven.

We're going to bake them in this one, yes.

>> Ekstedt: Two hundred and fifty Celsius, so that's around 520 Fahrenheit.

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> And we're going to brush them with egg wash. >> Ekstedt: With egg, of course!

You brush the buns with egg to add color and so that the topping sticks.

>> Yeah.

And it's really sweet right now.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> But it's very classic and typical for the cinnamon bun to have this white sugar.

Okay.

>> Ekstedt: And then just straight into the oven?

>> Yes, straight in.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> For, like, 10 minutes, and we're going to watch them not getting burned, so we can twist the trays.

>> Ekstedt: Look at that.

>> We bake the buns at kind of high temperature... >> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> ...just to make the color difference.

>> Ekstedt: A little bit of sugar on top?

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: So this is important that you do this while they're warm, right?

>> While they're warm, just to make them shine a little bit more.

>> Ekstedt: Mm-hmm.

>> And it keeps the bun fresh longer to have this sugar on top.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

What's the perfect time from oven to eating?

What would you say would be, like... >> I think it's, like, 7 minutes.

>> Ekstedt: Seven minutes?

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: So there you go, 7 minutes from the oven to the perfect fika.

>> With a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

You can find all our recipes on our website, newscancook.com.

Okay.

Let's see.

Seven minutes.

>> I think we have the time now.

>> Ekstedt: Let's see if it's the perfect cinnamon bun.

Wow.

>> It has a really beautiful caramel on the bottom.

>> Ekstedt: It's so good.

I'm so happy that you started to bake because otherwise, you know, Stockholmers wouldn't enjoy these delicious buns.

Thank you for having me today, as well.

>> Thank you.

>> Ekstedt: It's great fun.

I didn't have to look further than my backyard to find great pastry and cinnamon rolls to go with my coffee, but what about coffee itself?

This very Scandinavian drink is grown very far away.

A large part of the world's coffee is grown in South America.

This is Colombia, one of the largest coffee producers in the world.

Welcome to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

This is an amazing city with 10 million inhabitants and a vibrant food scene and, of course, great coffee.

To find the coffee plantations, one must leave Bogotá and travel into the jungle.

I continue my journey and flew to Neiva, further south into the country.

From here, I must travel by car into the coffee-growing regions.

I've asked Roger to be my guide.

I met Roger when I was in Oslo, and he really knows his coffee.

So we're two lost Vikings here.

>> In the middle of Colombia.

>> Ekstedt: But we have a map.

>> Still, we have a map, yes.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> You have to be the map reader.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

I'll see if I can help you out here.

But you know Colombia quite well.

>> Yes, I do.

I've been here many times.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> So I think now it's at least 12.

>> Ekstedt: Really, 12 times?

>> Twelve times, yes.

>> Ekstedt: So you're a bit of a local here in Colombia.

>> More or less.

>> Ekstedt: Roger picks coffee from around the world to be part of his blend, and Colombian coffee is the most important source.

>> Colombian coffee is the base in that blend.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> So we need to have the right flavor, the right acidity, the right body, so everything has to be the right way, otherwise we cannot make this nice coffee.

>> Ekstedt: The trip took us through beautiful landscapes, and along the road were small stands and restaurants.

We stopped at one to get water, some snacks and coffee.

This is something else than Norway, huh?

>> Oh, yes, absolutely.

>> Ekstedt: But it's really beautiful.

>> Oh, yes, it is, and, you know, all the green mountains, it's so nice.

>> Ekstedt: And this is the longest river in Colombia?

>> Yes.

Magdalena.

>> Ekstedt: Magdalena, it goes all the way down to the Atlantic.

>> Exactly.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

And where are we going?

>> We're going up to Pitalito.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> Small coffee city, it's the only place where we can have this really nice flavor in the coffee we are looking for.

So the climate, the earth, everything makes this very nice taste.

>> Ekstedt: Okay, great.

I can't wait.

Let's roll.

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: Most of the roads were modern, but still the journey took us most of the day.

Finally we made it to one of the larger plantations in the region.

So I'm now in Pitalito, the coffee capital of Colombia, and I'm here to find out more how coffee is grown.

One striking difference from the coffee plantation in Brazil was the absence of large machines.

Here, all the coffee beans were picked by hand, usually on small-scale farms.

>> This is the coffee bean.

>> Ekstedt: Wow.

>> So it's very important that the farmer pick the red one.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: So that's the ripe one?

>> Yes, exactly.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

>> So here you have an example of the green.

>> Ekstedt: So that's not ripe?

>> No.

>> Ekstedt: But this is ripe?

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: The red one.

So what happens if they pick only the green ones?

>> The green is not matured yet, so you will have a grassy taste.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

>> So that will destroy completely the blend.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> But many farmers pick red and green together.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

>> So it's very important when you are a buyer of coffee that you make sure that they only have picked the red cherries.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

Can I taste this?

>> Yes.

It's very good.

>> Ekstedt: That's sweet.

It's like a sherry.

>> It's like a sherry.

Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: Hmm.

The coffee bean is not a bean at all.

It's a fruit of the coffee plant, and inside the red-purple fruit is a white seed.

After the beans have been picked, they are delivered to the washing and sorting plant.

The best coffee beans fall to the bottom of the large pools of water, with lower-quality beans floating on top.

After the sorting, the bean is peeled to reveal the seed inside.

>> So what happened when you take away the skin here, you wash it, and you put it wet in a big tank for 18 to 24 hours.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

All right.

>> And then some of the honey go into the coffee bean and make it sweeter, so you have a fantastic flavor.

>> Ekstedt: So coffee is actually a fermented product?

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: Like wine and tea and so on.

>> Absolutely.

Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: And we can see that process here?

>> Absolutely.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

Let's go and see that.

>> So let's go in.

>> Ekstedt: Some farmers wash and sort their own coffee.

Close to Pitalito, we met with Giovanni Vargas and his family, who even roast some of the coffee grown on their small plantation.

Okay.

What goes on in here, then?

>> So what Luis has been doing here, he is starting the fermentation process.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> So it's very important that the farmers do this exactly the right way.

Otherwise, you can have overfermentation.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> So then it will go into wine.

It will have a little bit of this vinegar.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> So that would destroy the coffee totally.

>> Ekstedt: Hmm.

So these beans that float on top, those are the bad ones?

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: Ah.

>> They are unriped, so they are not matured really yet.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

All right.

And the nice beans that you want, they fall to the bottom.

>> They...

Yes, exactly.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

>> So it's very important that he take away the unripe beans.

>> Ekstedt: So these are the ones that you want.

>> These are the ones I want, yes, exactly.

>> Ekstedt: The rain forest, where lots of the coffee is grown, is a very wet place, so most of the coffee is dried indoors.

I know now what Colombia and Norway have in common.

>> The rain?

>> Ekstedt: The rains.

Yeah.

Always.

>> It can rain heavily here, also.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah, I can tell.

Okay.

So where are we now?

>> So here is where Giovanni dry the coffee.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> Yeah, and you need to dry is slowly with maximum 30 to 35 degrees.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> Between 20 and 30 days.

>> Ekstedt: So that's why they have the greenhouse?

>> Yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

>> Ekstedt: And these look good?

>> This looks very good.

So this is my quality for sure.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah?

>> He has done a very good job.

>> Ekstedt: And what happen now with these beans?

>> Now he deliver the beans to a cooperative... >> Ekstedt: All right.

>> ...so they can take away the skin here, the pergamino.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> And then they make a sortation of the beans because there can be, of course, a black bean or something in between here.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

Okay.

>> And also, they do a screen size to sort on the different kind of screen size of the beans.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

Thank you, Giovanni.

What's better in the rain than a good cup of coffee?

Giovanni's daughter, Dani Alejandra, has prepared coffee since she was very young using beans grown all around her home.

Ooh!

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Most of this region of Colombia is dependent on coffee.

It was here that most of the cocaine was grown, and the people here had close encounter with the military conflict.

♪♪ Do you know where we're going?

>> No, no.

I have no idea.

Can you tell me?

>> Ekstedt: All right, straight ahead, I think.

>> It's very important to come here and to visit some farms and also to do the cupping together with our exporters so they know exactly which kind of cup profile we are looking for.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

A lot of hard work, huh?

>> It's a lot of hard work, yes, so you really need to be spot-on.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

Roger wanted to show me more and convinced me to follow him to Costa Rica.

San Jose is only about an hour flight away from Bogotá.

Despite the obvious similarities between Colombia and Costa Rica, the two countries are very different.

Costa Rica has a population of 5 million people, half of the amount of people in Colombia's capital.

Welcome to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.

I'm here in this beautiful country to learn even more about coffee and what's unique with the Nordic coffee blend.

To find out exactly what's so special about Costa Rican coffee, I have joined Roger at a cupping session.

I've done this before, but it's true as they say -- practice makes perfect.

So now I'm with J.D.

and Roger here in Costa Rica, and we're going to do a little bit of cupping.

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: So what do you actually do here?

>> Well, cupping for us, for the coffee industry, is a cultural quality that we have to do every time we buy coffee, we sell coffee.

With the cupping, we know exactly the precise cup that we are sending that we are cupping, that we are buying.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

Okay.

So this is a very important process?

>> Exactly.

>> Yes, yes.

>> This is key quality control.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

So what happens now?

>> We are going to break the cup.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> This is the first step of the cupping session.

>> Ekstedt: What is breaking, exactly, like?

>> Well, as you see, there's, like, a seal right here.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> So what we have to do is to break the seal, and you smell this first smell that you can... >> Ekstedt: Okay.

Ahh.

Okay.

So if you do this, Roger... Let's see if my nose is as good as yours.

>> But I have to take another cup.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> Mm.

>> Ekstedt: I can see, Roger, that your nose is, like, on the spoon.

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's very important.

>> Ekstedt: So that's important?

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: So then I... >> Now we have to take away the foam.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> Because it can be some bitterness in this.

>> Ekstedt: All right.

>> So we have to take that away before we start cupping.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

The more that I explore this coffee profession, I understand that it's actually more similar to a chef than a sommelier.

>> I think so, yes.

>> Ekstedt: Or maybe something in between.

>> Because the blending, the blending, you need to know what fits together.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

Yeah.

>> Yeah.

So if you make a good sauce, for example, that is very similar.

>> Ekstedt: Okay, J.D., what do we do now?

>> Right now, we are to start cupping.

We try always to cup hot and then wait a little bit and cold.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> Because we can find different things in different temperatures.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

Then you also can find defects and stuff like that, when the temperature goes down.

>> Exactly.

>> Ekstedt: So that's why in bad coffee places, they always serve you really hot coffee.

>> Yeah.

Exactly!

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

>> Ekstedt: So like a sommelier, you sip it in, get a lot of air in there.

>> Yes.

You have to sip it, yeah.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah, and then you can... >> What we do, because this is very important, we cup different areas, so I can explain to him what we need and what we absolutely not can use in the blend.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

Okay.

It's also kind of like getting to know your supplier in a way.

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: Like, what does he have?

What can he give me?

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: And then it's vice versa for you, J.D., right?

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: So now you understand what the Norwegian blenders don't want and what they do want.

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: Oh.

That's really interesting.

>> [ Clears throat ] Mm.

This is Tarrazu.

>> Ekstedt: Mm-hmm.

>> This is a fantastic coffee if you drink it as a single origin.

>> Ekstedt: Okay.

>> But in the blend, you have too strong chocolate flavor.

It's not smooth enough.

This is the perfect coffee from Costa Rica for us.

>> Ekstedt: This is bingo?

>> Yep.

>> Ekstedt: J.D.?

>> This is bingo.

Real nice.

Because here you have the passion fruit.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> You have this nice sweetness.

>> Ekstedt: Mm-hmm.

>> It's a nice balance... >> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> ...between the sweetness, the passion fruit and also a little bit of this chocolate note, but just very, very little.

So this... And you also have the strengths in here, so this gives the blend that you're looking for.

>> Ekstedt: Fantastic.

>> Yeah.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

So get your ordering pen out.

>> Yeah.

For sure.

>> Ekstedt: Great.

>> This is what we need in the blend, absolutely.

>> Ekstedt: Okay, so, Roger, we're done here.

We've found what we're looking for?

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: Okay, good.

!Skal.

>> Skal.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Ekstedt: Okay, a cup of coffee.

>> Mmm.

It smells very good.

And it tastes also very good.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

That's a good blend, Roger.

>> This is a very good blend, absolutely.

>> Ekstedt: A Norwegian one.

>> A Norwegian one, yes.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

What are the important steps in brewing coffee?

>> You need clean equipment.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> You need fresh, clean water.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

>> And then you need, of course, a good coffee, and it have to be grinded the right way.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

Then you're there.

>> Yes.

>> Ekstedt: So how much coffee for, let's say, a liter of water?

>> Around 60 gram, but you have to taste a little bit.

I mean, if you need the coffee a little bit more, let's say, with more body or stronger, put 62 or 63, but not more.

>> Ekstedt: So you need to be that precise?

>> Yes.

Exactly.

Yeah, but that's true.

>> Ekstedt: I like the coffee.

>> I do that at home, actually.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah?

>> I have exactly 63 gram.

>> Ekstedt: Sixty-three at Roger's house.

>> Yes, for one liter.

That makes a fantastic cup.

♪♪ >> Ekstedt: After all this coffee, I needed some food.

I went to Nuestra Tierra in San Jose, a restaurant that specializes in traditional Costa Rican dishes.

Most of the food looks very much alike, but the flavors are distinctly different from one another.

There is boiled and steamed meat and vegetables, often served with rice and beans.

The plantains round off the flavors and have a slight sweetness that works so well with this kind of cooking.

Remember, you can find all our recipes on our website, newscancook.com.

I don't think there's a better place in the world to end this trip than here in beautiful Costa Rica.

>> Now you deserve a really good cup of coffee.

>> Ekstedt: Yeah.

Actually, I do.

Wow.

Looks great.

Wow.

Yeah.

>> That's the best there is.

>> Ekstedt: That's a good coffee.

>> Yes, it is.

>> Ekstedt: Thank you so much, Roger, for having me on this trip.

>> It's been a pleasure to be together with you.

>> Ekstedt: Thank you.

Thank you, and goodbye.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> For more of the "New Scandinavian Cooking" experience, visit our website or Facebook page.

♪♪ >> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway, curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ Take me home where I belong >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

>> Grieg Suites.

Chocolate with apples from Norway.

♪♪ Havila Voyages.

Pure Northern.

♪♪