Coffee Drink
Kaffeost: Coffee with Cheese, Explained & Made at Home
Kaffeost pairs hot black coffee with pieces of mild coffee cheese. Sip the coffee and eat the softened cheese with a spoon, enjoying the roasted flavor alongside its warm, springy bite.
Drink Snapshot
- Caffeine
- 80 mg referenceGeneric brewed coffee at the defined 200 g (7.1 oz) portionActual coffee and extraction vary; cheese does not remove caffeine.
- Calories
- Estimated 85 kcalCoffee plus the complete 30 g (1.1 oz) cheese portionIncludes the named cheese portion.
Serving, sugar and sources
- Serving
- 200 g (7.1 oz) prepared black coffee + 30 g (1.1 oz) named bread cheese, all consumed
- Made with
- Prepared black coffee + plain leipäjuusto
- Sugar
- Estimated 0.8 g total. From the named cheese label; no sweetener added.
- Preparation
- About 3 minutes, with coffee already brewed
Juustoportti Leipäjuusto 140 g Original label and USDA generic brewed-coffee record. The serving is our home example, checked 28 September 2026. See the full calculation or label comparison.
Key Takeaways
- Choose plain bread cheese or coffee cheese so garlic, herbs or heavy salt do not dominate the cup.
- Cut pieces small enough to eat comfortably with a spoon, and give the coffee a moment to warm them.
- Start with a black coffee you already enjoy; the appeal is the contrast between the drink and the cheese.
On This Page8 Sections
Kaffeost Home Recipe
The cheese is part of what you eat, rather than an ingredient to dissolve completely.
Recipe
Kaffeost with Finnish Bread Cheese
- Makes:
- 1 serving
- Time:
- About 3 minutes; coffee prepared
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) freshly prepared hot black coffee
- 30 g (1.1 oz) Juustoportti Leipäjuusto 140 g Original, or plain bread cheese with its own label
Equipment
- Scale
- Knife
- Cutting board
- 250–300 ml (8.5–10.1 US fl oz) heatproof cup
- Teaspoon
Method
- Cut 30 g (1.1 oz) bread cheese into small bite-size pieces.
- Place the cheese in a clean 250–300 ml (8.5–10.1 US fl oz) heatproof cup.
- Pour 200 g (7.1 oz) freshly prepared hot black coffee over the cheese.
- Let stand for about 1 minute. Sip when comfortably cool and eat the softened cheese with a spoon.
Estimated nutrition: 85 kcal · 0.8 g total sugar. Per serving, using the named Finnish bread cheese.
The 200 g (7.1 oz) is prepared coffee, not brewing-water input. A pour-over or French press can supply it; brew normally, then weigh the portion you pour into the cup. The larger cup provides room for the cheese and spoon, rather than defining a 250–300 ml (8.5–10.1 US fl oz) drink.
The cheese-and-coffee serving follows the practice described by Swedish Lapland. The 30 g (1.1 oz) cheese portion, 200 g (7.1 oz) coffee portion and brief waiting time are our measured home adaptation, not a universal regional recipe.
Which Cheese Should You Use for Kaffeost?
Plain leipäjuusto is a useful, identifiable starting point. Often sold in English as Finnish bread cheese or squeaky cheese, it has a pale interior and a spotted browned surface. Visit Finland describes a mild cheese, typically made with cow's milk, that is baked after curdling.
The named product in our recipe is made from pasteurized milk and salt. Its label supplies the nutrition figures used below.
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| Cheese option | What to check | Practical choice |
|---|---|---|
| Plain coffee cheese or Finnish leipäjuusto | Milk type, storage instructions and nutrition label | The closest starting point to the serving described here |
| A product labeled “bread cheese” | Whether it is plain or flavored with garlic, herbs or other additions | Choose plain and treat its label as a separate product |
| Halloumi or paneer | Salt, texture and the producer's preparation instructions | An experimental substitution, not an identical replacement for leipäjuusto |
| Cream cheese or processed cheese slices | These are different cheese styles | They do not reproduce the pieces of bread cheese in this recipe |
You do not need to track down reindeer-milk cheese to make this home version. The documented Finnish example and named product both support a cow's-milk choice.
Contains milk. A lactose-free cheese remains a milk product; it is not a dairy-free substitute. Keep the cheese refrigerated according to its packaging and use clean utensils when cutting the portion.
How Does Kaffeost Taste, and How Do You Drink It?
Kaffeost pairs the roasted flavor of black coffee with mild, milky cheese and a springy, sometimes squeaky bite. The pieces soften in the heat but remain something to eat. Sip the coffee and use a spoon for the cheese; the experience moves between the liquid and those warm bites rather than becoming a uniform milk coffee.
I prefer to alternate a sip of coffee with a warm piece of cheese. The springy bite and mild dairy flavor give me a contrast to the coffee’s roasted finish that I would lose by trying to make the cheese disappear into the drink.
Small Adjustments That Preserve the Idea
- Too much cheese for your first cup: use 15 g (0.5 oz) with 200 g (7.1 oz) prepared hot black coffee, following the same cup-and-spoon method.
- Cheese pieces are difficult to eat: cut them smaller before pouring the coffee. Give the hot coffee a brief chance to warm them.
- The cup is unexpectedly salty or flavored: check the cheese package. More sugar is not a reliable substitute for choosing a plain cheese.
- Coffee cools quickly: warm the cup first and prepare the coffee immediately before serving. Avoid repeatedly boiling the assembled cup to melt the cheese.
Cream-cheese foam coffee is a different preparation, with a topping designed to be sipped through. Kaffeost instead pairs coffee with cheese pieces. For another serving where coffee meets an edible dairy ingredient, an affogato uses gelato; it has its own temperature, sweetness and preparation.
Kaffeost in Northern Food Traditions
Coffee cheese belongs to the food traditions of northern Sweden and Finland. Writing for Swedish Lapland, Håkan Stenlund describes the name kahvijuusto in Tornedalen and kaffeost in Swedish, with both fresh and baked forms. Small pieces go into the cup before the coffee is poured over them.
Visit Finland describes dipping leipäjuusto in hot black coffee as a Sámi serving tradition. The same mild baked cheese can also be served warm with cloudberry jam. Coffee highlights its milky flavor and distinctive bite in a different way from that sweet dessert pairing.
Kaffeost Caffeine, Calories and Sugar
The defined serving provides an estimated 85 kcal, 0.8 g total sugar and 80 mg reference caffeine, assuming you drink the coffee and eat all 30 g (1.1 oz) cheese. No sugar, cream or jam is added.
Serving calculation and cheese-label assumptions
Juustoportti Leipäjuusto 140 g Original lists 280 kcal and 2.5 g sugar per 100 g. A 30 g portion contributes 84 kcal and 0.75 g sugar.
USDA brewed coffee, NDB 14209, lists 1 kcal and 0 g sugar per 100 g, with 40 mg caffeine per 100 g on page 548. The 200 g coffee contributes a generic reference of 2 kcal and 80 mg caffeine. The combined 86 kcal and 0.75 g sugar round to 85 kcal and 0.8 g.
The caffeine figure is not a measurement of your beans or brewing method.
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| Named cheese portion | Estimated total calories | Estimated total sugar |
|---|---|---|
| 15 g (0.5 oz) | 45 kcal | 0.4 g |
| 30 g (1.1 oz), main recipe | 85 kcal | 0.8 g |
| 45 g (1.6 oz) | 130 kcal | 1.1 g |
These are calculations using the same product, with all cheese eaten. Changing the cheese portion does not reduce the caffeine already present in the fixed coffee portion. For less caffeine, use decaf coffee and its own caffeine information.