Introducing Prolog Coffee from Copenhagen
We had the opportunity to sit down and talk coffee with Co-Founder of Prolog Jonas Gehl, where he shared some insight about Prolog, his journey through coffee and the specialty coffee scene in Copenhagen. Jonas proves to have a wealth of knowledge about coffee and truly knows his craft. What’s more is Prolog’s commitment to serving their customers the best experience possible with the highest quality.
Throughout the conversation Jonas talks about first and third wave coffee. For those not familiar with these terms the first wave generally refers to simply having access to coffee. The third wave can be thought of as a movement where there’s a focus on quality, consumer experience, sustainability, and brew methods.
Where did your career in coffee begin?
My passion for coffee started when I visited a local café in a small town in Denmark. Through a friend’s recommendation I got a Cortado. I remember it tasting like blueberries and at that moment I realized coffee could be similar to wine, and have fruity aromas. From that point forward, I started to understand how interesting co ee could be and put my energy into learning as much as possible.
Looking to develop my professional career and passion for coffee, I joined Democratic Coffee Bar. At Democratic there was an intense focus on the coffee and I stood fortunate to learn from the talented barista, Nobuaki Matsui. During my time at Democratic I was roasting and able to continue to improve and learn my craft.
Take us to Prolog today. Where did you connect with your Co-Founder, Sebastian?
Sebastian also worked at the bakery which is where we met. It became apparent that we had similar aspirations, yet our different backgrounds complimented each other. At Prolog we want to create more than just good coffee for our guests, we want to create an experience. We want to provide the highest quality cup and will do what it takes to make that happen, nevertheless putting the customer first is where we want to focus.
How do you approach roasting?
We look at the cupping profile first. If we want it to taste fruity, we know we should roast it lighter. Likewise, I don’t want to push a lighter roast to taste nutty. We have a consistent roast curve and only need minor tweaks in making adjustments. Sometimes we take chances however. We don’t want to make something that tastes alright, we want something that tastes great! That’s how you grow as a roaster, by never settling for less.
Do you think specialty coffee has become difficult for consumers to understand? Is it difficult to connect with them at times?
What I learned at the bakery is the difference maker wasn’t the coffee, it was the customer service. The guests were happy and the product at the bakery wasn’t even exceptional. We realised we can have this fantastic interaction with our customers that could be fun. So we decided: what if we could combine both the customer experience with high quality coffee? And I think that’s how we got to where we are today.
How have you seen the coffee scene change here in Copenhagen over the past 6 years?
As consumers we need to have an open mind. I think that exists here in Copenhagen which makes this a great place to serve coffee. Recently we traveled to Milan and served specialty coffee to first wave consumers and either they loved or didn’t drink it. Everyone put sugar in their coffee and in one day we went through as much sugar as we typically do in two months. During this trip, still, I made contact with a local specialty coffee owner where I witnessed him describe specialty coffee in brilliant way to this group of people. I now know you can describe what specialty coffee is to someone and in just 20 minutes you can convert someone from first wave to third wave consumers.
How can we brew better coffee at home?
Don’t underestimate water! Bottled water is much better than using water from the tap. I would recommend that or adding lemon acid to the water.
Favorite brew method?
Espresso, however we also provide pour overs such as V60 at the Bar. I think the V60 is beautiful.
Are there any coffee growing regions that are your favorite right now?
We have seen some amazing coffee come from Honduras. If I had to name one interesting place it would be there.
We hope you enjoy this month’s feature coffees from Prolog Coffee. Head over to Facebook on our Let’s Talk Coffee page and let us know how you enjoyed it. Also you can tag us on instagram (@beanbrosco) when brewing your Prolog Coffee. Cheers!
Viktor Dobai @wiiiiktor
Mikki Möglich @moeglich
With ❤️ from Copenhagen
