Coffee Break

French writer Balzac once wrote that “Coffee is a great power in my life.” Wisconsin’s Scandinavian immigrants could relate, bringing their prodigious thirst for the morning brew with them. But while coffee has been around for centuries, taking a daily break to drink it is a more recent development.

Commentator Eric Dregni tells us the origins of the summer Coffee Break Festival in Stoughton.

Eric Dregni

Eric Dregni teaches English at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s the author of several books including “For the Love of Cod,” “Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America” and “In Cod We Trust.”