Tim Wendelboe

Tim Wendelboe is, to a certain degree, the coffee shop that has single-handedly put Oslo on the world’s coffee map. The owner, after whom the shop was named, started his career working as a barista at Stockfleths, a well-known Oslo chain, in 1998 and won the 2004 World Barista Championship. He left Stockfleths three years later and opened his own shop in Grüners gate 1. Wendelboe has since won multiple world championships in roasting and is one of the best-known front figures of the third-wave coffee in the whole Scandinavian region. Today, the shop attracts hundreds of tourists from all over the world every day.

The café’s interior features a modern, Scandinavian minimalist style, with wooden flooring and furnitures. The contrast between the light wood material, the naked brick walls and broad-leaved green plants creates a lingering sense of intimacy and cosiness. There are in total 16 seats, with two retro-style clining chairs sitting by the large window, overlooking a quiet side street.

All coffee at Tim are worth trying, but when summer comes around, we recommend their now-famous Cappuccino Al Freddo (60 NOK). The inspiration for Cappuccino Al Freddo comes from the Greek Freddo Cappuccino. The Cappuccino Al Freddo at Tim, however, puts a modern twist on the Greek iced Cappuccino by blending everything in a milkshake machine: a double shot of espresso, sugar, ice cubes, organic milk from Røros—the ultimate “secret” ingredient, and finally topped with espresso dust. The result is a coffee drink, where the flavour of espresso has fully absorbed all the ingredients, creating a rich, foamy and refreshing mouthfeel, incredibly smooth and satisfying to drink.

In case you missed their summer menu, the café offers a tasting menu (195 NOK). The tasting menu is meant for two people, where four coffees will be served side by side. Ask the barista as to exactly which coffees you will get. Naturally, in the shop there are bags of whole beans on sale to take home. And we recommend you to do so. One reason that Wendelboe manages to uphold the high-quality in the coffee is his insistence on the quality of beans. In 2015, Wendelboe bought a seven hectar plot of land in Colombia to plant coffee. The farm, named Finca el Suelo, started as a project to experiment with different organic fertilisers. The shop started selling beans produced there, first time ever, in late April this year, with a limited amount of 30 kg in total—they are still trying to boost yield without using mineral fertilisers or pesticides. Even though the price was much higher than their regular beans (100g for 400 NOK compared with the usual 250g for about 200 NOK), the Finca el Suelo beans have quickly sold out. Simply put: if you have only time to visit one café in Oslo, Tim Wendelboe is an absolute must-visit.