My friends were visiting from DC recently and we popped into Konditori for a quick coffee break while we were in Williamsburg.
Now, if you’ve been following my blog for a while now you know that we Swedes love our coffee. You’d also know that coffee is strongly associated with the culture of the Beat Generation and that I’ve written about Jack Kerouac’s coffee habit. But that one of my all-time favorite quotes is a quote about coffee by Saul Bellow. Of course, Brooklyn is far from the only place with a rich coffee heritage. So, really, is it any surprise that Konditori was on my list of places to check out?
I got the Swedish roast. It cost $2. I had a little mishap and the creamer top fell straight into my cup, so the hipster kid at the counter nicely gave me a fresh cup. I was too scared after that to try to put milk or cream in so I drank it black, which I usually do at home or in the afternoon anyway. I’m oddly not one of those people who takes my coffee the same exact way every time. Strange, I know. Anyway, the coffee wasn’t full and robust, but it did have a lot of flavor to it. I think if I were to go back, I’d try their latte.
What’s your favorite Swedish brand of coffee?
Stephanie Nikolopoulos 
For a real Kerouacian cup of coffee, purchase an old-fashioned percolator at the Salvation Army and brew up a pot of Maxwell House (does the brand still exist?). Or, if too broke for that purchase, pour the grounds directly into a pot, boil and then strain (the cowboy method). When he lived with me, JK drank instant, believe it or not. The point was: caffeine delivery.
If he was alive today, he would probably drink coffee in Dunkin Donuts or MacDonalds. Favorite NYC coffee places (all of them now extinct) the White Tower, Nedicks, Rudleys, Bickfords and the Waldorf Cafeteria.The point was: a cheap cup.
Joyce Johnson
“Cowboy method” — I like that! I haven’t seen Maxwell House too often in the groceries in NYC, but it still exists: http://www.maxwellhousecoffee.com/
Thanks for sharing the favorite NYC coffee places. I’ve done a bit of reading on Bickfords, and it seems to have quite a history.