Tips for Creating Your Own ‘Fika’ (Swedish Coffee Break) #samp

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Scandinavian trends are all the rage, from IKEA to Scandinavian sweater prints set to hit stores this fall, to the success of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, we’re beginning to see this trend trickle from design, to fashion and even food. I’m all over all of those trends (especially IKEA, I’m an IKEA junkie!) But the one Swedish inspiration that I could love even more than IKEA (and trust me that’s a hard act to follow) is the tradition of ‘Fika’.

Fika is the Swedish tradition of taking a break during the day to indulge in the pleasures of life. A fika break almost always involves coffee accompanied by sweet snacks…now what could be better than that?!

Gevalia is an exquisitely rich, smooth coffee experience that has been perfected by Swedes since 1853. Do you remember when it was an exclusive mail-order club? I was a part of that for many years, having that coffee delivered to my door monthly. Now it’s available in U.S. coffee supermarket aisles nationwide. I buy it in T-Discs for my Tassimo,

but if you don’t have one of those you can purchase one of the 10 premium varieties: Traditional Roast, Traditional Roast Whole Bean, House Blend, House Blend Decaf, French Roast, French Roast Whole Bean, Colombia, Espresso Roast, Vanilla and Chocolate Mocha, to enjoy in your french press or traditional coffee maker –

if you have a reusable filter pack for your Keurig you can even enjoy it one perfectly brewed cup at a time like I do!

How do you master the art of creating your own fika stateside? Here are some tips from Gevalia:

*Silence the cell phone, set the timer for 15 minutes and take a break with a friend

*Do what the Swedes do and bake a simple decadent dessert like Kanelbullar (Swedish Cinnamon Buns) or even something as simple as a Pepparakakor (Swedish Ginger Snaps) – if you’re not up to baking, any sweet treat will do!

*If you want to go all out, decorate your space with a nice place setting, use Swedish-designed mugs and label the desserts in Swedish making it feel authentic and festive.

You can fika by yourself but “fika-ing” together is so much more fun, so ditch the “to go” cup of coffee, grab a friend and stay awhile.

Disclosure: A sample bag of coffee and the factual information have been provided by Kraft Foods. All opinions are my own.

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