3.29.2013

Noma, Coffee in Restaurants, Blinders

So Noma is now doing high quality coffee service.

For many in the coffee world, this is huge (and long waited for) news. In case you've been living under a rock - coffee in high end restaurants sucks. Everyone in coffee has bitched about this for... well... for as long as I've been in coffee at least. And (again in case you've been cut off from society for years) Noma is generally considered the 'best restaurant in the world' by many.

So this is great, right?

You'd think so. But no.

After Oliver Strand penned a well thought-out analysis of both the Noma news and the (related) news that 30% of all Michelin-starred restaurants use Nespresso pods, Kevin Knox responded with his rebuttal. And the shouting began.

Rather than wading into the whole sour coffee vs burnt coffee debate; and rather than diving into the different dining behaviors in the US and Europe; and staying well away from getting bogged down in the difference between Scandinavian and American coffee preferences; and avoiding the whole difference between a restaurant that is purely a business and a restaurant that is also an artistic statement (like Noma); I'm simply going to get to the heart of the matter.

1 - Noma is one of the best restaurants in the world, and Rene Redzepi is one of the greatest chefs in the world.
2 - Noma is a representation of Rene Redzepi's beliefs, palate, vision and when it comes right down to it, his ego and identity.

I have a hard time seeing anyone disagreeing with either of the two statements above.

So given this - why the fuck would Rene Redzepi choose to serve something (in this case coffee) that doesn't taste good to him?
Given what Redzepi has accomplished and created... shouldn't we give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to what he serves?

He's earned at least that much.



4 comments:

onocoffee said...

Hehe, totally agree bro.

I prefer going to places like Noma and letting them serve me whatever they believe in and enjoy.

I may think it's weird, I may hate it, I may love it - but that's exactly why I go there.

chris said...

EXACTLY!!!

Well said and thank you.

Kevin Knox said...

Agreed - as long as you also agree that these points of yours also apply to all of the Michelin starred chefs who choose other coffees - including Nepresso capsules (just switch out their names and that of their restaurants):


______is a representation of _______'s beliefs, palate, vision and when it comes right down to it, his ego and identity...

Given what _____ has accomplished and created... shouldn't we give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to what he serves?

Unknown said...


I can only speculate as to why the chefs on the Michelin list chose Nespresso for their coffee programs. I've tasted the Nespresso espresso on several different occasions Each time the espresso tasted past crop and stale. The body was marginal and the sweetness was minimal.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been to Noma. From everything I’ve heard and read it sounds like a dream experience.

Over the years, it’s been my great fortune to taste many coffees that Tim Wendelboe has roasted. A number of these rank with the best tasting coffees I’ve experienced anywhere.

I’m delighted to learn that Noma (many consider this to be one of the best restaurants in the world) and Rene Redzepi have chosen to feature Tim Wendelboe’s coffee.

Noma’s vision to serve such amazing coffee is a huge win for the patrons of Noma.
It’s also a huge victory for everyone focused on producing and serving exemplary tasting coffee.

I can only speculate as to why the chefs on the Michelin list chose Nespresso for their coffee programs. I've tasted the Nespresso espresso on several different occasions Each time the espresso tasted past crop and stale. The body was marginal and the sweetness was minimal.