Democratic Coffee: an old flame revisited

It was a dazzling morning in Copenhagen, with cornflower blue skies and colourful buildings so bright that they seemed to emit their own light. Taking a trip to Democratic Coffee brought me to the heart of the city, where I soaked in the sleepy, relaxed atmosphere of a weekday morning in July.

As I turned down Krystalgade and stepped into Democratic, I felt a wave of nostalgia. This place punctuated many of my earliest weeks living in Copenhagen.

When I first moved here, I lived right in the city centre on Købmagergade. A Danish colleague told me that this was an absolutely insane place to live, surrounded by tourist chaos in the shopping district. In some ways it was, but it was also a real indulgence to live within walking distance to most places.

It was in this first home that I met my flatmate, Alex, who was a full-blown coffee nut: she adored good coffee and took great pleasure in exploring cafes in the city. In London, coffee had been an occasional treat but, through Alex, heading out for coffee became a daily essential. Democratic Coffee became our go-to spot, where we got to know one of the talented baristas whose enthusiasm was infectious and who taught me the joys of a well-prepared drip coffee.

This time, I returned to Democratic Coffee to sample their cheese bun and, of course, a fresh brew.

Onto the BMO

My server explained that the buns are baked fresh each morning and recommended the pumpkin seed-coated bun as a popular choice. To his left, a barista manned the coffee station, crafting works of art behind a high, elegant bar dressed with fresh flowers.

The BMO at Democratic is a DIY affair: a bun sliced in two, with two slices of cheese and a pot of salted butter, which you are entrusted to assemble.

The outer crust of the bun was crisp and the pumpkin seeds a little over-toasted for my taste. I preferred the bottom half of the bun, with its firm base and a soft, springy texture in the centre. Mostly though, I found that the dominant taste was salt. The butter portion was generous - I like a thick layer of butter (as Danes say, tandsmør - literally ‘tooth butter’, thick enough to leave bite marks) but I couldn’t reasonably use it all. Even so, I’d perhaps been too heavy-handed with the butter, as it was saltier than any BMO I’d tasted before. As for the cheese, I was a touch disappointed to learn that they use Thise’s Ravost, which isn’t especially flavourful.

I ordered a black filter coffee, which always varies slightly depending on the beans used, and the day’s brew was pleasantly nutty and smooth. I think it would have paired really well with something chocolatey.

Where to sit

Nestled in a side street, right in the centre of the city, Democratic Coffee is attached to the main central library. Housed in far more humble architecture than the Black Diamond library, this one has a cosy charm. It remains a popular spot thanks largely to the amazing children’s floor, which is a welcome refuge for parents of young children on wintry days.

In Democratic, you can perch on stools in the window and watch passers-by and the guards outside the synagogue. If the weather is good, you can walk a few minutes down the street and picnic in Kongens Have.

For this trip, I headed to the seating area that connects the cafe with the library, and settled into one of the low wooden chairs by the window - a prime spot for both people-watching the street and enjoying the hum of the library. During my short pit stop, I saw a big group of children arrive, shepherded by some frazzled-looking adults and watched the tables around me fill up with bright-eyed tourists planning their day over a coffee and pastry.

The verdict

Democratic will always have a special place in my heart, however, the BMO isn’t where Democratic Coffee shines. I found the seeds over-toasted, the butter a little too salty and the cheese too mild. For this library and coffee enthusiast, Democratic continues to be one of my favourite, most reliable spots for coffee. Next time, though, I’ll pair my coffee with one of their pastries, instead of a BMO - the pain au chocolat is divine.