Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break

Illustrated recipes and explanations of the Scandinavian country's rich, complex coffee culture

Sweden consistently ranks near the top in coffee consumption per capita and that’s largely thanks to (along with long hours of darkness in the winter) the fika: a once or twice-daily coffee break with a snack that’s something of a cultural institution. Originally a slang word devised from reordering the syllables of “kaffe” the fika is a daily ritual observed in all workplaces in some …

Sweeter, Healthier Chocolate

Researchers have found a natural way to make chocolate not only healthier, but tastier too. After analyzing the production process of chocolate bars, the researchers decided to make a few tweaks. By storing the cocoa pods for a few days after they were picked and by roasting them at lower temperatures for longer times, they were able to help retain more of the natural antioxidants …

Copper and Wood at Midleton Distillery

The materials influencing whiskey at Jameson's masterful home in Cork, Ireland

With the US release of acclaimed Irish whiskey Yellow Spot, and news of a very rare Irish oak-aged whiskey being produced, we once again made our way to Jameson‘s Midleton Distillery in County Cork, Ireland—where the aforementioned, and everything else in Pernod Ricard’s superb Irish Distillers portfolio are produced. With such an array of outstanding spirits, long overseen by former Master Distiller Barry Crocket and …