Kaffeost is a combination of hot coffee and a particular type of cheese called leipäjuusto, which loosely translates to “bread cheese”. But there’s no bread involved, just cheese and coffee. The name most likely comes from the cheese’s absorbent quality, which allows it to take on a surprising amount of coffee flavor after soaking for only a few minutes. The spongy texture may not be for everybody, but the taste is said to be more than worth it. Leipäjuusto is noticeably sweeter than your average block of cheddar, so adding a few pieces to your cup of coffee is surprisingly similar to adding cream, or milk and sugar to it.
Consuming kaffeost has deep cultural roots among the reindeer herders of northern Sweden and Finland. Kaffeost seems to help solve their sodium deficiency problems, while the hot coffee kept them warm and gave them the needed energy to journey through the cold.