The Sami Coffee Pouch: An Ancient Nordic Brewing Tradition Reborn

 Not long ago, I suddenly developed a deep interest in the history of Nordic coffee culture. During my research, I stumbled upon something fascinating: the Indigenous Sami people of Northern Europe used a special leather pouch—originally designed to store coffee beans. After digging deeper, I discovered that many modern artisans still preserve this traditional craft, creating updated versions of these coffee pouches. Today, quite a few Nordic outdoor enthusiasts even carry these leather pouches filled with coffee beans on hiking trips.

All of this traces back to the ancient nomadic traditions of the Sami. For generations, they lived across the vast Arctic regions of northern Scandinavia, herding reindeer as their primary livelihood. In the harsh, barren, and resource-scarce Arctic tundra, the Sami developed a way to quickly prepare a hot, high-energy drink using the simplest tools and ingredients during long migratory journeys. Many traditional Nordic coffee styles—intensely bold, rustic, often salty, and carrying notes of cheese fat—reflect this practical, survival-driven mindset.

Historically, the Sami used a leather pouch called “saste-siexka.” Saste means “tanned skin,” and siexka means “bag.” This was one of the earliest storage bags made from a combination of reindeer and goat hide. It was used to store coffee, flour, and other grains. As seen in historical records and museum collections, the pouch was tied at the opening with a strip of reindeer leather. When the pouch wore down, the Sami repaired it using animal sinew or plant-fiber threads to stitch on leather patches.

What’s even more incredible is that the Sami used this pouch to brew coffee. They would take lightly pan-toasted coffee beans—essentially beans that weren’t fully roasted—and combine them with local stream water or melted snow, plus reindeer cheese, sometimes with a pinch of salt. The mixture was placed directly inside the leather pouch.

The pouch would then be hung from a wooden tripod above a campfire. Because the leather couldn’t touch the flames, the heat came from the fire’s radiant warmth and from stones heated in the fire. The Sami repeatedly dropped these red-hot stones into the pouch until the mixture boiled and continued to simmer for a while. After brewing, the pouch was removed and set aside to rest so the grounds and cheese fat could settle. The coffee was then ladled out with a long wooden spoon. The pouch itself contributed its own rich animal aroma to the drink—an integral part of its flavor.

When you picture this “rough-and-ready” brewing method, you might assume the coffee didn’t taste great—honestly, you're probably right, haha. It was more like a light brown, oily broth than the specialty coffee we enjoy today. The flavor was dominated by the green, grassy edge of under-roasted beans, the salty richness of reindeer cheese, and the unmistakable animal notes from the leather pouch. This wasn’t coffee for enjoyment, aroma, or emotional comfort—it was a salty, high-energy survival soup, providing essential fat, salt, and heat to endure the Arctic climate.

But this brewing ritual was also deeply social. Gathering around a fire to prepare this unique coffee strengthened bonds within Sami communities. Though the method has largely disappeared from daily life, it remains an important part of Sami cultural heritage, preserved in certain Nordic festivals and tourist experiences. If you browse online shops of Nordic leather artisans, you can even find modern versions of these coffee pouches—now heavily refined and commercialized. Some feature extra pockets for sugar or powdered milk, and are stitched with tough nylon threads for durability, making them handy tools for outdoor trips.

Some artisans stay even closer to the traditional aesthetic, crafting pouches using pike or salmon leather alongside wool, plastic beads, and bone decorations. With a few creative changes, these coffee pouches have even been transformed into coin purses—unique and beautiful accessories rooted in centuries of Nordic culture.