By Pierre Orsander

A fresh trend is brewing: coffee tasting menus. Think multi-course coffee experiences – not just your regular take-away cappuccino. These curated tastings combine specialty beans, inventive brewing techniques and storytelling, all served with a side of barista showmanship. It’s the coffee world’s answer to the tasting menu – a clear contrast to the à la carte offerings typically found in cafés and coffee bars today.

At the acclaimed Copenhagen-based roastery and coffee bar, April, which recently launched its own take on the concept, it’s clear this is nothing like your standard cupping session. One of the baristas on site puts it like this:
“The idea is inspired from the restaurant world – where guests are offered tasting menus to experience a full narrative. We wanted to translate that into coffee.”

And with price tags reaching up to €120 for a single hour of rare micro-lot brews, this is far from your average afternoon caffeine fix.

Meanwhile, across the Öresund Bridge in Malmö, a new coffee gear store and lab, Nordic Brew Lab, has opened its doors. Part boutique, part playground for coffee enthusiasts, it also offers its own take on a “competition-style coffee experience” – mirroring the format used by baristas in international championships, where an espresso, a milk-based drink, and a signature beverage is prepared, presented and evaluated, combining precision brewing with immersive storytelling.

So, are tasting menus the next big thing when it comes to offering a personal, unique and immersive premium experience at coffee bars? At least in Scandinavia, it’s blooming into a full-bodied trend.