Finnish Coffee Culture and Kaffeost, the Coffee Cheese
Share
Finnish coffee culture is famous for two things: Finns drink more coffee per person than almost anyone on Earth, roughly 10 kg (about 22 lb) a year by Finnish industry estimates, and they traditionally prefer it light roasted. Coffee is part of every workday, family visit and celebration. And in the north, some Finns drop chunks of a squeaky baked cheese called leipäjuusto, or kaffeost in Swedish, right into their cup.
Here is what makes Finnish coffee different, how it fits into daily life, and how to try coffee cheese at home.
The World’s Biggest Coffee Drinkers
Finland regularly tops rankings of per-capita coffee consumption. Finland’s public broadcaster Yle, citing the roaster Paulig, has reported that Finns drink about 10 kg of coffee per person per year, roughly double what they drank a century earlier. That works out to several cups a day for the average adult.
Coffee arrived in Finland in the eighteenth century, reaching the city of Turku via Stockholm in the 1720s. At first it was a luxury for the wealthy, but over time it became an everyday drink for everyone. During World War II, real coffee became scarce and people brewed substitutes from chicory, dandelion root and barley. Rationing lasted for years after the war, which may help explain why Finns still treasure a good cup.
Why Finnish Coffee Is Light Roasted
Walk into a Finnish supermarket and the coffee shelf looks different from an American one. Light roast, known as vaalea paahto, has long been the everyday standard, while dark roasts are a smaller category. Finnish coffee is typically brewed in a drip machine, often a bit weaker than espresso-style cups but drunk in generous quantities throughout the day.
Light-roasted coffee tends to taste brighter and more acidic, with fruity or floral notes and a lighter body. Brewed by the pot, it is easy to drink cup after cup. For a deeper look at how roast level changes flavor, see our guide to light vs medium vs dark roast.
| Feature | Typical Finnish coffee | Typical American coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Usual roast | Light | Medium to dark |
| Brewing | Drip machine or pot | Drip machine, pods, espresso drinks |
| Flavor | Bright, light-bodied | Rounder, more roasty |
| Additions | Often black or with milk or cream | Milk, cream, sugar, flavored creamers |
Finnish Coffee in Daily Life
Coffee in Finland is less about cafés and more about routine and hospitality:
- The coffee break. Known as kahvitauko, it is a fixture of the Finnish workday, typically mid-morning and mid-afternoon.
- Welcoming guests. Visitors are almost always offered coffee, usually with something baked.
- Life events. Birthdays, weddings, confirmations, graduations and funerals all come with coffee tables loaded with pastries and cakes.
- Pulla. The classic partner is pulla, a soft, sweet cardamom bread often braided into a loaf or shaped into buns.
- Old customs. Older generations sometimes held a sugar cube between their teeth and sipped coffee through it, or poured coffee into the saucer to cool and drink from there.
Kaffeost: The Coffee Cheese
Leipäjuusto (“bread cheese”) is a fresh, mild Finnish cheese from Southern Ostrobothnia, Northern Finland and Kainuu, where it is also called juustoleipä. In Swedish it is kaffeost, meaning “coffee cheese,” and in the US it is often sold as Finnish squeaky cheese or bread cheese.
It was traditionally made from cow’s colostrum, the rich first milk after calving, though most commercial versions use regular cow’s milk. The curds are pressed into a flat disc, then baked, grilled or flamed until spotted with brown patches, which is why it looks like bread. Traditionally it was dried so it would keep for a long time.
The texture is the fun part: firm, springy and squeaky against your teeth, a bit like halloumi or fresh cheese curds. When hot coffee is poured over cubes of it, the cheese softens and turns slightly gooey while soaking up the coffee.
How to Try Coffee with Leipäjuusto
- Brew a pot of light or medium roast coffee. Use about 2 tablespoons (10 g) of ground coffee per 6 fl oz (180 ml) of water. Our coffee to water ratio guide has more detail.
- Cut about 1 oz (30 g) of bread cheese per cup into bite-size cubes.
- Place the cubes in the bottom of a wide cup or mug.
- Pour the hot coffee over the cheese and let it sit for a minute or two.
- Sip the coffee, then eat the softened cheese with a spoon.
Tips and variations: Warm the cheese briefly in a pan or oven first for an even softer texture. Some people like a little sugar or cream in the coffee to balance the salty cheese. You can also serve slices of warm leipäjuusto with cloudberry jam as a dessert, with coffee on the side.
Finnish Coffee FAQ
How much coffee do Finns drink?
About 10 kg (22 lb) per person per year, according to Finnish industry figures reported by Yle. That places Finland at or near the top of global per-capita rankings.
Why do Finns drink light roast coffee?
Light roast has long been the national standard in Finnish supermarkets and homes. It brews a bright, light-bodied cup that is easy to drink in large amounts throughout the day.
What is kaffeost?
Kaffeost is the Swedish name for leipäjuusto, a squeaky baked Finnish cheese. It is traditionally cut into cubes and placed in a cup before pouring hot coffee over it.
Is drinking that much coffee safe?
For most healthy adults, the FDA cites up to 400 mg of caffeine a day as generally not associated with negative effects, roughly four 8 oz cups of brewed coffee. If you are pregnant, have a medical condition or take medication, ask your doctor.
Brew Like a Finn
Finnish coffee is about pots, not pretension: light roasts, frequent breaks and a cup always ready for guests. To recreate it, try our Light Roast Breakfast Blend or our light, sweet Blonde, and if you want a bright single origin, our Kenya is a natural pick. Every Feel Espresso coffee order is roasted 1 to 5 days before delivery, so your light roast keeps all its delicate aromas.