When stepping into Good Life Coffee the customer immediately notices that the wall between the street door and the internal door is decorated with old used coffee bags – the coffees that have left a memory in the life of the café owner. In this Kallio based café coffee is truly appreciated and it feels like here one can learn more about it.

Source: Good Life Coffee - Lari Järnefelt/Felt Fotografi

The owner Lauri Pipinen describes himself on the café’s website as following:
-Barista of the Year 2011
-a semiprofessional coffee maker
-an artisan
-a bachelor of hospitality management
-a chef
-a food and drink lover
-a person who focuses on the relevant and appreciates things that are well done
-a friend and spokesman of black coffee
-somebody who loves what he does

Considering all this, it’s no wonder that the café is both cozy and interesting. Pipinen runs the place mainly by himself, but sometimes there is a part time worker helping him out. Since the opening hours still vary (due to the fact that the café has only been open since April), one should always check them on Facebook beforehand.

Source: Elisabeth Heinrichs

The wooden café counter has been made by Pipinen himself and the snug interior has been made with second hand items and furniture. Some items have also been brought from the owner’s home or been given to him as gifts from his mother. In the background one can hear a gramophone playing but the music is nontraditional, e.g. hip hop from the Finnish artist Asa who gains influences into his rap music from local folk music. A coziness factor of Good Life Coffee is that customers can bring their own music with them to the café if they wish to do so.

Source: Elisabeth Heinrichs

Interesting on the other hand is that even though Pipinen started to drink coffee only at the age of 19, he managed to become the Barista of the Year last year. The genuine love for coffee is evident at Good Life Coffee, and coffee enthusiasts are in for a treat in this café: there are coffee books, magazines (both in Finnish and English) and accessories available.

Source: Elisabeth Heinrichs

When the customer approaches the counter, he/she is quick to notice that the filter coffees of the day are always introduced by hand on a white sheet of paper. In addition to the filter coffees there is also an espresso sort, which changes every Monday, available and this espresso functions as the base for all coffee drinks made at Good Life Coffee. Needless to say, Good Life Coffee is worth a visit at least once a week for the alternating espresso.

Source: Elisabeth Heinrichs

The café presents and sells different coffees from Finnish roasters (Kaffa Roastery, Helsingin kahvipaahtimo, Turun kahvipaahtimo) but furthermore also other interesting Nordic coffee blends, from e.g. Iceland and Sweden. The most important criterion for the coffees available is taste, but Pipinen also highlights ethicalness in his choices.

Source: Elisabeth Heinrichs

The coffee at Good Life Coffee is made upon order with expertise so it’s therefore not necessarily the fastest in town. But the coffee is worth the wait: Good Life Coffee’s black coffee is so good that it has no need for sweeteners, not even sugar.

Pipinen can also assist coffee beginners in finding their own favorite coffee. When a customer tells him what he/she likes, the owner can choose a suitable coffee – personal service at its best!

When I visited the café, it took me no time to notice that one of the cafés most popular products was the breakfast (yoghurt, muesli, croissant/sandwich, juice, “speciality” coffee: €8,50) which can be ordered as long as there are products left, usually throughout the opening hours. In this café espresso is considered regular coffee, not a speciality coffee which is the common assumption. This is a feature that at least this customer was pleased about.

In addition to the popular breakfast the café offers traditional Finnish buns and open face sandwiches which cheese come directly from the Hakaniemi Market Hall.

Source: Good Life Coffee - Peeta Peltola

A pleasant memory for a traveler to take with might be the Good Life Coffee mug that is sold in the café.

Pipinen tells me that he also wants to participate in developing the coffee culture in Helsinki. In the future he might organize coffee schooling or tasting events in Good Life Coffee. Would you be interested in them?