Swedes take a ton of pride in their coffee. They like it strong. Long, cold winters might have something to do with it. I'm proud to say, I live just around the corner from the best coffee served in all of Stockholm. In fact, I will venture to say it is the best coffee I've had in my life.
It's Italian coffee, so it's served by forcing hot water through densely-packed ground coffee beans. I will have my coffee one of two ways, Americano or Espresso. More often I will have it as an Americano, typically for breakfast or during a midday fika, served with foamy warm milk on top, and a bit of brown sugar. Sometimes I'll have it as an espresso with a cannoli dessert. No matter how I have it, Nero makes it perfectly. It's made in a way that only your local neighborhood Italian restaurant and cafe can make it. And Nero qualifies itself as something that, when it disappears, or when I disappear, will be completely and utterly irreplaceable in my life.
So sadly I've become strangely addicted to it. Every morning before work, I wake up and I walk just around the corner to Caffe Nero. Everyone knows me there and expects me there. I'm one of the first to arrive in the morning. With my Americano, I have a freshly-baked croissant (cornetto) filled with either apricot preserves, vanilla cream, almond paste, or chocolate. And every morning when I walk in the door, they get it started for me, no matter where in line I am. I'll then sit down and savor the thirty minutes I have with my Americano, my cornetto, and my book. It's my chance to unwind before I begin a day at work, or to appreciate the time I have with myself on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I am typically not a person of routine in any way, but I am probably Nero's most regular and predictable customer ever.
And with their success comes great opportunity. As of today, they're moving their main restaurant to a far larger space just two doors away, where they will have a bar and more seating room (something they are in desperate need of) and their current space will eventually be turning into their fresh bakery/cafe after some renovations, something Stockholm is desperately missing.
Nero is an assault on the senses with their amazing coffee, their good, fresh baked goods, and their outstanding service and I humbly resign myself to the ridiculous power it has over me. If every place in Stockholm were like Nero, I'd never have any reason to want to leave. read more