WTF is Valhalla?

WTF is Valhalla?

Girlsplaining Workshop Unites Women in Coffee in Quito, Ecuador

Meet Camila Khalifé, the brains behind Girlsplaining, a unique coffee learning experience with an emphasis on creating space for women in the industry. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Photos courtesy of Camila Khalifé Men may hold most of the positions of authority and teaching roles within the specialty-coffee industry, but Camila Khalifé, the owner […]


An In-Depth Look at Gruppo Cimbali’s Coffee Technician Wheel

The Coffee Technician Wheel is a new tool that helps technicians understand the complexity of coffee extraction. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Edgardo Ferrero and Espresso Academy Coffee technicians are responsible for a complex set of tasks related to the production and extraction of coffee. They manage customer requests and need to […]


Don’t Skip the Budding Specialty-Café Culture in Quito, Ecuador

Introducing the specialty cafés of Quito, a city worth exploring on your coffee quest. BY JORDAN BUCHANANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE Featured photo courtesy of Stratto When traveling across South America, Ecuador can be forgotten between the high profiles of Colombia and Peru. Similarly, coffee from Ecuador may be overlooked due to its giant neighbors, including […]


Coffee News Recap, 2 Feb: Applications open for Australia’s Richest Barista 2024, De’Longhi reports 4.6% revenue increase after La Marzocco move & other stories

Every Friday, Perfect Daily Grind rounds up the top coffee industry news from the previous week. Here are this week’s coffee news stories. The word of the week is: expansion. Mon, 29 Jan AeroPress launches limited-edition Clear Pink brewer. The coffee brewer is made from the same Tritan material used in the standard Clear model. […]

WTF is Valhalla?

New AFCA Director Gilbert Gatali on the 20th African Fine Coffees Conference

As the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) prepares for the 20th iteration of its flagship event, the African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition, the group is operating under new executive…


Breaking New Ground: A Sicilian Coffee Plantation, Part 2

The Morettino family has successfully cultivated a coffee plantation right in Sicily. Next on the agenda: making the island an international coffee hub. BY JOSEPH PHELANSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Feature photo by Tomas Anton Escobar via Unsplash Editor’s note: Check out part one of this story here. Andrea Morettino’s family has proven that coffee […]


Test Drive: Update Your Grinding With More Comandante Grinder Accessories

The popular hand grinder has more to offer with a new line of tools and accessories now available. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Feature photo by Tanya Nanetti To brew the perfect cup of coffee, it’s important to choose the right coffee equipment. One essential is a reliable coffee grinder. Most coffee lovers start with a […]


Out Now: The February + March 2024 Issue of Barista Magazine!

In our new issue we feature Lisa Lawson from Glasgow, Scotland, take a look at the newest grinders, explore spring drink inspiration, see how more women are getting involved in coffee tech, and much more! BY SARAH ALLENBARISTA MAGAZINE We’re stoked to announce the release of the February + March 2024 issue of Barista Magazine, […]

WTF is Valhalla?

The coffee industry’s biggest competition: The story of the World Barista Championship

Every year, the global coffee industry gears up for one of its most exciting and groundbreaking competitions: the World Barista Championship. For more than two decades, the WBC has been one of the biggest catalysts for change and innovation in specialty coffee, and continues to set even higher standards for baristas around the world to […]


Philadelphia’s Café Don Pedro Seeks to Build Up Small Businesses

A Dominican-owned coffee roasting company called Café Don Pedro recently launched in Philadelphia with ambitions for direct trading and boosting more Latino-owned small businesses throughout its supply and distribution networks….


The Slingshot Chalice Puts a New Spin on Espresso Dosing

Hong Kong and Australia-based coffee equipment maker Slingshot Technology recently launched the Chalice Distributor Cup, a multipurpose espresso preparation tool for baristas. Displayed in its…


Design Details: Brewing Reinvented at ULA Café in Melbourne

Welcome to Design Details, an ongoing editorial feature in Daily Coffee News focused on individual examples of coffee shop architecture, interior design, packaging design or branding. If you are a coffee…

WTF is Valhalla?

WTF is Valhalla?

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

WTF is Valhalla?

As a fan of Death Wish Coffee, you most likely know that we not only produce The World’s Strongest Coffee but another blend called Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend. But do you wonder where the real (and mythical) origins of Valhalla come from?

Is it a just a word?

According to The Prose Edda, the word ‘Valhalla’ originates from the Old Norse Valhöll, a compound noun composed of two elements: the masculine noun valr ‘the slain‘ and the feminine noun höll ‘hall‘. Loosely translated it means “The house of the fallen”.
What makes the etymology of the word even more interesting is that in some Swedish folklore mountains that were regarded as places for the dead were referred to as ‘Valhall’, – meaning the word could be derived from ‘rock’ and not necessarily ‘hall’, which is even cooler.

What is it really?

According to the Old Norse poem Grímnismál(“The Song of the Hooded One”), ‘Valhalla’ is the hall in Asgard (or the Underworld depending on the ancient text you are reading) where Odin brings the dead who he deems worthy to stay there with him. Traditionally in Norse mythology, Odin would pick half of the dead from battle to reside in Valhalla, while the other half were chosen by the goddess Freyja to remain in the fields of Fólkvangr. 

In the poem, Valhalla is depicted as a great hall with a bright golden roof made of shields and rafters made of spears. The seats surrounding the many feasting tables are made of breastplates and the hall is guarded by wolves and eagles. 

Life, or rather after-life’ in Valhalla is what Viking warriors dream of. The residents do battle with each other every day and all their wounds are healed at night. Once healed, they all take part in bountiful feasts of meat and mead waited on by Odin’s women warriors, the Valkeries. 

All of this is to prepare for the coming of Ragnarok, otherwise known as the twilight of the gods’. This inevitable battle is ushers in the destruction of the cosmos, including the realm of Asgard, only to be rebuilt and reborn with the gods returning to power once again.

 

Coffee mug emblazoned with a logo that reads "Valhalla Java Odinforce Blend"

Did it really exist?

The rich tapestry of mythology that the Norse culture created has led to many stories and interpretations, but in the end, they are all just stories passed on from generation to generation.

But there are few real-world homages to Valhalla.

The most famous is the Walhalla memorial which sits above the Danube River east of Regensburg in Bavaria. This is a hall of fame that honors notable people in German history.

Just because it only exists in Norse mythology doesn’t mean it isn’t based on reality somewhat, and maybe we just haven’t found the true location of Valhalla yet.

Related: This is exactly how we make Valhalla Java

Watch This Video:

 

WTF is Valhalla?

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

WTF is Valhalla?

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