Where is the Best Háma Coffee?

Translation: Julie Summers

Stúdentablaðið/Sædís Harpa Stefánsdóttir

I assume I’m not the only university student who drinks a whole lot of coffee. Personally, I’ve gone through a number of coffee cards over my college career and spent more money on coffee than I care to know. Háma coffee has been there with me through good and bad, whether I’m trying to finish a difficult assignment on time or having a cozy chat with a friend in the University Center. I’ve often witnessed heated arguments about which Háma location has the best coffee, whether you should stop in for a cup of joe at Háma in Oddi, Háma in the University Center, or another one entirely. 

In an issue of the Student Paper last year, I tackled a similarly controversial topic: frozen pizzas. That’s why I felt it was time to take matters into my own hands and get to the bottom of the coffee question. As there are Háma locations in many different university buildings across the city, I decided to limit my survey to five. I also only drank black coffee. Of course, how long the coffee has been sitting in the pot makes a difference, so I did my best to visit each café around the same time of day.

The University Center: I would bet that this is the best-known and most heavily trafficked Háma location. I’m one of the students who goes there a lot. The particular cup of coffee I judged was rather weak and had a strong aftertaste. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was bad, but there was room for improvement.

Oddi: Next, I popped over to Oddi. I’ve gone to this café a lot, as it’s near the university buildings where I spend the most time. It has a cozier atmosphere than the University Center, in my opinion, and the line is often shorter. The coffee tasted good, not too strong but certainly not weak. The aftertaste was good and not overwhelming. In general, I was pretty pleased with this coffee.

Stakkahlíð: I have to say that I was a bit disappointed with my coffee at Stakkahlíð. It was weaker and more bitter than the ones I had tasted before. That could very well be because I came at an inopportune time and the coffee had been sitting out longer than usual. It wasn’t terrible, and I would drink another coffee from this Háma in the future, but just like the University Center coffee, I think it could use some improvement.

Tæknigarður: I have to admit that I had never been here until I made a special trip to get a coffee, which is understandable, since I’m a humanities student and never had any particular reason to visit Tæknigarður before. The coffee here was good. There was less of an aftertaste, and I wouldn’t say it was weak, but I also wouldn’t describe it as flavorful. Still, it was fun to try something new and drink a Háma coffee in different surroundings.

Eirberg: I’d like to start by noting that Háma in Eirberg very much reminded me of Háma in Árnagarður. For a humanities student who has missed Háma in our beloved Árnagarður, walking into Eirberg was a bittersweet experience. As far as the coffee went, it was strong, with considerably more of an aftertaste, more than I’d like. But I have to admit, I thought Eirberg was the coziest place to drink my coffee. I felt warm vibes there.

Conclusion: According to my highly informal study, the best cup of coffee I sipped was from Oddi. Of course, it must be noted that there are many factors that come into play here, such as how long the coffee has been sitting out, who brewed it and with what type of coffee machine, and of course the fact that I only tried five Háma locations. Who knows, maybe the best cup is hiding in Læknagarður.