One sunny winter’s day, Deb Smith wandered down to Reykjavík marina and found bliss in the form of strong coffee and cream-filled pancake.

Published in the 2013 January-March issue of Iceland Review – IR 01.13. By Deb Smith. Photos by Páll Stefánsson.

At Café Haiti at the old harbor.

I often daydream about coffee. Some mornings I lie in bed thinking how wonderful it would be if someone brought me a fresh cup. I imagine the coffee smell in the kitchen wafting upstairs first thing… and then I wake up.

With its warm, nutty flavor and steaming, liquid deliciousness, a mug of coffee can get my day going in the right direction. Research shows multiple benefits to coffee provided you don’t get high-wired on too much caffeine. There’s the catch: too much caffeine, too late in the day makes me a nervous wreck. So my consumption is normally morning coffee, which ought to be the best I can find.

Iceland is a nation with coffee written into the lifestyle. Whether in the slashing horizontal rain of Reykjavík, the brilliant white snow of Akureyri or the high green cliffs of the fjords east and west—coffee powers the nation.

As I roamed the streets of the capital on one unusually sunny winter’s day, I wandered down to the wharf. My friend Iris and I were here for lunch a few weeks ago, where we munched on fish skewers at the Sea Baron restaurant. Later we strolled the wharf ’s green shed-shops with eateries like Café Haiti. Alone, this morning I walked back.

Coffee at Café Haiti was said to be very good. As I entered and ordered a cup, the owner asked if I’d like a freshly-made Icelandic pancake too. Soon, balancing a plate and a mug, I gingerly walked to a big overstuffed armchair near the window to enjoy breakfast.

You can read the remainder of the article in the 2013 January-March issue of Iceland Review – IR 01.13. Five times a year the print edition of Iceland Review & Atlantica brings you a wealth of articles on all aspects of life in Iceland including Páll Stefánsson's latest images of the country’s majestic landscape. Click here to subscribe and here to browse through a selection of pages from the current issue.