At Java in Oslo, Specialty Coffee is For the Birds

We at Sprudge have long admired Norway for its progressive approach to roasting coffee, child care subsidies, and 12-hour television features about firewood. But this stylish Nordic nation has done itself one better with its latest TV program, “Piip Show“, a slow-moving “reality” show featuring a bunch of birds and squirrels hanging out inside…hey, is that Java Espressobar in Oslo!?

Java was one of the first modern specialty cafes in Scandinavia, founded by Robert Thoreson, winner of the very first World Barista Championship. Thoreson was formerly an architect, and his shops are renowned for their attractive design (mostly) faithfully captured on Piip Show.

According to an article in yesterday’s Guardian:

advert new rules of coffee now available

NRK’s latest offering, the creation of birdwatcher turned advertising photographer Magne Klann, follows the lives of the cast of birds as they visit three specially constructed houses over three months.

The action started last week in a feeder styled loosely after Java, one of Oslo’s better-known coffee shops. The clientele have so far included a nuthatch, a magpie, a blue tit, a bullfinch, and a passing red squirrel.

Artist Lars Aurtande built the bird-scaled coffeebar for Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), the publicly funded Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. This adorable model of one of Scandinavia’s most-photographed cafes includes a miniature La Marzocco Linea espresso machine, two Mazzer grinders, and several bags of Kaffa coffee, which the birds pass over in favor of a variety of seeds not found in the regular Java. Piip Show’s stars will visit bird Java for one month, then the diorama will be changed for another. (We can only hope it’s sister-shop Mocca!)

Image grabbed from NRK.no stream. — Image from NRK.no stream.

When asked for comment on the avian tribute, Thoreson, owner of Java (as well as Mocca cafe and Kaffa roasting), had this to say:

Java has always been a place for all, big and small. Even for princesses, that is actually where our Mette-Marit dated her future husband, and frankly, a lot of peeps have met at Java over the years. Many eggs have been laid there, so to say.

In fact, Crown Princess Mette-Marit is apparently a big fan of the show. Broadcaster NRK has gone all out with their Piip Show initiative, and you can stream it yourself online, or read more in-depth articles on the development of this clever concept at nrk.no/piipshow (Google Translate is your friend there). For anyone on a Nordic coffee crawl, bird Java is sure to be a prime destination—but we warn you, that red squirrel is a seed hog.

Liz Clayton is the author of “Nice Coffee Time“, a regular columnist for Serious Eats: Drinks, and New York City chief at Sprudge.com. She lives in Brooklyn. Read more Liz Clayton here.

Top image via nrkpiip on Instagram.