- Hot coffee is good for everything and at all times, wrote author Alexander Kielland in 1882. Even back then, Norwegians' coffee habits were remarkable and even the well-versed social scientist Eilert Sundt was "shocked" by their consumption.
The story goes that coffee first arrived in Norway and Christiania with a returning merchant in 1674. At the time, beer and spirits were flowing in the streets of Kvadraturen and perhaps it was the anaesthetised state of the public that meant the news was ignored. The unfortunate merchant would probably have drowned a few sorrows in alcohol himself if he knew that it was an upcoming popular drink he was trying to sell in vain. As a man of his time, there was probably no danger of him keeping his hands off the bottle anyway. Before coffee became a widespread beverage, beer was a natural part of the daily diet, from breakfast and lunch break to dinner and supper. As a result, you could usually manage eight to ten litres a day, often interspersed with a few sips of wine and spirits.
Have you begun to visit him in his chambers, at the café and other places?
Jealous lieutenant at work in Kongsberg (1774)
From anaesthesia to enlightenment
It's no coincidence that the spread of coffee coincides with the Age of Enlightenment (1650-1800). During the 18th century, the invigorating drink became increasingly popular in Norway, and it was the upper classes who first embraced it. It didn't take long for coffee to go from being reserved for socialising to becoming a regular part of everyday life in the finer circles. In 1769, British dance teacher Mr Stuart and his wife opened the country's first café. Stuart and his wife opened the country's first café, London Skienk on Stortorvet, which was modelled on the modern cafés found in European cities. Here you could enjoy wine, spirits, English beer, chocolate and freshly brewed coffee or tea. With such exotic temptations on the menu, it's easy to understand why visiting cafés became a favourite pastime among wealthy suitors who wanted to impress young women in Christiania at the end of the 18th century.
Good morning, you hot coffee! It smells of you to my senses
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1895)
The 1800s was the century when coffee would be moulded into the popular beverage we know it as today. During this time, the world's coffee production increased dramatically while customs duties were significantly reduced. This meant lower prices and coffee was no longer the preserve of the richest. Coffee was roasted, ground and brewed within the walls of the kitchen, an elaborate process that was taken very seriously. To extend the life of the coffee rations, they were often sprinkled with chicory or bread dough that was fried, dried and ground together with the coffee. By the middle of the 19th century, the drink was established across social classes and Norwegian geography, as British inventor and adventurer William Mattieu Williams describes well in his book "On Foot in Norway in 1856":
In Norway, the coffee is always good, even in the worst places (...) Norwegian farmers never roast the coffee before using it, and they grind it and let it steep while it's still hot
W. Mattieu Williams (1856)
Born in the age of coffee
In the middle of the new, coffee-drinking Norway, a boy was born in Østre Toten. The year was 1852 and the name of the baby in the crib was Carl Solberg. The little boy received the merchant trade in his mother's milk and was practically raised in the shop of merchant Michelsen in Gjøvik. Barely 20 years old, the cream puff travelled to Christiania to work for merchant Bernt J. Olsen. Here, Carl would meet another man who shared his interest in good coffee and profitable trading. Carl Solberg and Fritjof Hansen founded Solberg & Hansen in 1879, in the midst of an explosive growth period for Norwegian coffee imports.
The company established itself at Dronningens gate 18, across from the main post office in Kvadraturen, and quickly specialised in importing coffee and tea. With its close proximity to the harbour and railway, Kvadraturen was the city's commercial centre until well into the 20th century. Solberg & Hansen occupied Dronningens gate 18 until the end of the 1930s. Already at this time, the coffee range was broad and included beans grown in several countries and continents. These included both Java Mocca and Malabar, names that are still well known among coffee drinkers around the world. As a curiosity, the wholesale price of one kilo of Java Mocca at the time was NOK 3.25, which corresponds to approximately NOK 270 in today's (2023) monetary value.
