Oliver Strand

I was recently in Copenhagen, where I took a sneak peek at the Coffee Collective’s new coffee bar in Torvehallerne, a gastro-complex of modernist glass sheds that opened last week. Copenhagen’s amenities might be the envy of the civilized world — that airport, those parks, a network of bike paths so comprehensive and easy to use that cars are almost pointless — but until Torvehallerne, the city didn’t have a central food hall.

Copenhagen filled that gap, and did it with solid Scandinavian design. Not only are the produce stands, fishmongers, cheese sellers and bakeries housed in pavilions that have the elegant silhouettes of a contemporary art museum, the marketplace is located in Israels Plads, a public square just off of Norreport Station, one of the busiest intersections in the city. The prime location reflects the city’s values: In Copenhagen, food matters.

And for those who follow coffee, Copenhagen matters. The Coffee Collective is one of a handful of small-batch roasters with a global following, a neighborhood coffee shop about the size of a kitchen in a starter apartment that’s known for buying, roasting and preparing some of the finest coffees in the world. There are no gimmicks, no tricks. The Coffee Collective’s reputation rests on the quality of its craft.

Until last week, getting a coffee at the Coffee Collective meant going to Jaegersborggade, a street in Norreboro that was a no-go zone not long ago. (Ask a local about the drug dealers.) Now there are so many young couples in striped shirts and fashionably boxy dresses, Garance could spend a year camped out on the corner.

Jaegersborggade isn’t particularly hard to get to — that is, if you have a bike and a free hour. (If you can, go. And be sure to get a pastry across the street at Meyers Bageri.) Torvehallerne is a cake walk by comparison, close to everything and open from 7 a.m. during the week, 8 a.m. on the weekends. Which is why the new coffee bar is built for speed. The centerpiece is a tricked-out espresso machine from the cult manufacturer Kees Ven De Westen; it’s called the Spirit, and according to Klaus Thomson, a partner at the Coffee Collective, this is the first in use anywhere in the world. There is also a full menu of coffees brewed to order on Hario V60s that showcase the clean, bright flavors brought out by the Coffee Collective’s distinctive roasting style.

Connoisseurs will get a shot of espresso (how can you not test drive the Spirit?), then follow it with a cup of black coffee — the Kieni, from Nyeri, Kenya, was dazzling last week, although the coffees change depending on what’s in season, so you should ask the person behind the bar what’s brewing best that day. You made it to Copenhagen, and the Coffee Collective. Now put yourself in the hands of the experts.

The Coffee Collective, Torvehallerne, Hal 2, Israels Plads, Copenhagen, no phone; Jaegersborggade 10, Copenhagen; 011-45-60-151-525; coffeecollective.dk.