As a kid I thought airports were the most romantic places in the world. Now, while other airports destroy my jet-setting romanticism, Keflavík aptly revives it.  more

The government of Iceland and the opposition in Iceland’s parliament reached an agreement yesterday on a discussion point to use in renegotiations with British and Dutch authorities on the Icesave obligations.  more

Click on the picture to observe how to prepare a traditional Icelandic meal of roe and liver (hrogn og lifur). At this time of year, egg pouches are harvested from female fish, mainly cod and haddock, and sold in fish stores around the country along with the liver. The egg pouches may not look appetizing; just remember that caviar is fish eggs too.  more

Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sporting enthusiasts can also go ice skating or rent snowmobiles. In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. Read this special promotion about one of Iceland’s best hidden gems.  more

Fresh back from Brazil, where she was one of 28 international judges at the ‘Cup of Excellence’ awards, Kaffitár founder and owner Adalheidur Hédinsdóttir sat down with Mica Allan in Kaffitár’s Bankastraeti cafe to talk about her passion and delight: coffee.

Published in the No. 1 2010 January-February issue of Atlantica. By Mica Allan, photos by Páll Stefánsson.

MICA ALLAN: How do you think Icelanders’ relationship and experience with coffee has changed over the last few tumultuous years?

ADALHEIDUR HÉDINSDÓTTIR: During the boom before the crisis people wanted to have their own coffee machines and were buying imported coffee. After the crisis people are turning more to Icelandic products and we see that reflected in their choice of coffee. Icelanders in general have a good coffee knowledge and reasons for this are the range of wonderful cafes in Reykjavík and the quality of beans. It also makes all the difference to have skilful baristas. Kaffitár has been fairly successful at teaching baristas and the quality of coffee in Iceland has greatly improved.

MA: What would you say is the Icelandic palate for coffee?

AH: Well, it’s hard to generalize, but I like coffee that is clean, has high acidity and sweetness. When Kaffitár started, these were the coffees I introduced from Central America. I think palates have now moved towards darker roasts that have more body because popular espresso machines usually call for coffee that is slightly more roasted than high acidic coffee.

MA: You have 110 employees. Can you tell me about your business model?

AH: Firstly, we use the finest coffee beans available from the main coffee-growing countries, and Kaffitár is run prudently so that everyone can afford good coffee. Direct trade is also part of our business model. We have two divisions: the roastery, distributing the coffee to the wholesale market and making all the cakes and pastries we sell in the cafes; and then we have our eight cafes. After our board was formed there were some changes. For example, I’m not general manager anymore. Three years ago when I was about to go crazy, I was either going to sell the company and get out or hire someone and continue, and so I hired our general manager, Stella Marta, who is fantastic and very smart with a PhD in engineering. This means I can now focus on sourcing the coffee.

MA: Can you tell me more about the values Kaffitár has?

AH: These values resulted from exploring our brand image. The first value is being passionate and having passion in everything that you do. The second one is professionalism. It’s not good enough to have great coffee and baristas, it has to be consistent throughout the company. Our third value is ‘a woman’s touch’. Our cafes have hand-written signs and little feminine touches, for example when we teach the baristas to clean the tables you have to do it like this [motioning cleaning over the table’s edge with hands]. And our fourth value is multiculturalism, because it’s important we recognize both where the coffee beans come from and the farmer, so we try to teach the Icelandic consumer about the coffee and its origins. However, it’s also saying we are Icelandic and are proud of that. All our coffee brands are in Icelandic and that’s very important to us. One of our coffees is Sudurnesjakaffi [Southern peninsula coffee] and when I tried to sell this to Hagkaup supermarket chain 18 years ago, their men in suits told me, “We can’t have that, it’s such a lame name.” I told them this is an Icelandic company, this is the product’s name and we are proud of that. They now sell our coffee.

This article was published in the No. 1 2010 January-February issue of Atlantica, a sister publication of Iceland Review. Click here to read the rest of the article.

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Fresh back from Brazil, where she was one of 28 international judges at the ‘Cup of Excellence’ awards, Kaffitár founder and owner Adalheidur Hédinsdóttir sat down with Atlantica’s Mica Allan in Kaffitár’s Bankastraeti cafe to talk about her passion and delight: coffee.  more

In recent years Iceland has experienced an explosion in the number of tourists visiting the country. Many come for the unique sights, events and activities that only a winter trip can afford. And to help you make the most of your chilly trek to the near arctic, Atlantica has put together a comprehensive guide to arctic adventure and urban events.  more

On November 16 the workers of Ósafl finally blasted through the last obstruction of a 5,400 meter long tunnel, deep inside the mountain of Arafjall. The new tunnel replacing the long and hazardous road between Bolungarvík and Hnífsdalur in the West Fjords will be a commuting revolution for the district. Most of the small villages here are isolated in fjords surrounded by high mountains.  more

Amiina’s sound is intimate and rife with mellifluous dialogue. Though lyrics are few and far between, that’s not to say Amiina's new album Kurr doesn’t strike a chord with its listeners. On the contrary, it resonates in the most unexpected of ways.  more

Click on the picture to observe how to prepare a traditional Icelandic meal of roe and liver (hrogn og lifur). At this time of year, egg pouches are harvested from female fish, mainly cod and haddock, and sold in fish stores around the country along with the liver. The egg pouches may not look appetizing; just remember that caviar is fish eggs too.  more

New subscribers to the quarterly Iceland Review magazine will receive the photography book Puffins, which contains a wealth of information about this colorful bird, as a gift. Additionally, all subscribers will enter a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to Iceland Review. The new issue will be out next week!  more

When I first heard of the photographic book Legend by Fiann Paul, portraying people dressed in Viking-style in Icelandic landscapes, I imagined it would depict scenes from Norse mythology. However, the idea with the book is to tell a story of how “The Seeker” finds “The Legend” and it feels like a wishy-washy self-help book.  more

“Lucy” is a video and music installation by Dodda Maggý (1981), the 15th artist to exhibit in Reykjavík Art Museum’s D-gallery project in the Hafnarhús exhibition hall. In “Lucy” the artist explores the idea of the “acousmetre,” a film character portrayed only by voice, never in body, omniscient and ubiquitous.  more