The coffee beans for Sumatra come from the Sumatran area of Lintong. They are grown in a co-op composed of a few native farmers. “The flavor Sumatra has the earthy characteristic of most Sumatran coffees, but it has a lot of sweetness to it,” Stewart said. “You get some brown sugar-type notes or even some sweet basil urban notes. It’s real interesting coffee.” The coffee beans for Sumatra come from the Sumatran area of Lintong. They are grown in a co-op composed of a few native farmers. “The flavor Sumatra has the earthy characteristic of most Sumatran coffees, but it has a lot of sweetness to it,” Stewart said. “You get some brown sugar-type notes or even some sweet basil urban notes. It’s real interesting coffee.”[/caption]

New Sweden Coffee Roasters The Fika Blend is intended to be smooth, not very bitter, sweet and easy to drink, said Bret Stewart, owner of New Sweden Coffee Roasters. The coffee beans used for the blend rotate based on seasonality. This summer’s blend is Mexican Chiapas and Rwandan. Stewart said the Chiapas gives the coffee some refined sugar sweetness, and the Rwandan adds some fruit sweetness.[/caption]

New Sweden Coffee Roasters Stewart said the Scandinavian style of roasting coffee brings out unique flavors.[/caption]

New Sweden Coffee Roasters Stewart said roasting and brewing coffee is a passion for him.[/caption]

To him, drinking coffee is more than just drinking coffee—it is an “enjoyment,” said Bret Stewart, founder and owner of New Sweden Coffee Roasters. That enjoyment is why he said he likes the Swedish concept of “fika.”

“Loosely translated it means coffee break, but it really encompasses more of a cultural thing of stopping what you are doing and enjoying a time to have coffee and other assorted treats, pastries, et cetera with people, co-workers, colleagues, family,” Stewart said.

That concept is why he called his signature coffee Fika Blend and adopted the Nordic approach to coffee roasting when he opened his business a year ago.

Stewart said he likes that the Scandinavian or Nordic-style roasting approach emphasizes more of the early portion of roasting where the drinker get more “unique” flavors like fruit, floral, spices, nuts and even chocolate.

His coffees are characterized by those types of flavors, and no artificial flavors are added. New Sweden Coffee Roasters offers four flavors. Always available is the Fika Blend; the other three change depending on seasonality and availability. The coffee is served and sold in Lil’ Mama’s Corner Café in Pflugerville as well as at the Pflugerville Pfarmers Market Tuesdays from 3-7 p.m. and online. Stewart also sends samples to prospective customers if they would like to try the coffee in advance.

“We are working very hard to provide a very high-quality product,” Stewart said. “It’s equally important to make it accessible to a wide number of people so that they can share it with the people they love and associate with.”

Stewart said he has been working in the industry for more than 10 years. He said he has received strong support from the community since opening his business. He runs New Sweden Coffee Roasters in addition to working a full-time job. Stewart has expansion plans, but it is very important to him to maintain the character of the business and stay local, he said.

“We are proud of the fact that it is small and specialty. There is a lot of love going into this,” he said.