Your best coffee in Amsterdam guide

I spent a day in Amsterdam recently and went on a search for the best cup of coffee. Whether you like convenience and speed or a slow specialty coffee, both can be found in Amsterdam. You can even enjoy a meal with coffee pairings here!

My first stop

The first stop was the Coffee Company at the Oosterdok in Amsterdam. Leave the Amsterdam Central train station and take a left turn. Keep walking (along the water) and you will encounter a Starbucks, a Douwe Egberts (Dutch coffee brand) store and finally on your left you will see the Coffee Company. This store offers specialty coffees and the baristas are happy to make you an Aeropress of your favourite bean.

I tried a press of their Gaturiri AA beans, fully washed. The flavour was intensely berry-like and reminded me of tangerines with a high acidity. A great coffee to try in warm weather and best enjoyed when the brew has cooled down slightly. The aroma was fruity. The Coffee Company sell their beans and coffee brewing equipment through their site.

Head to Headfirst

The next stop was an independent coffee house called Headfirst. Here coffees are roasted in the store (you can actually see the roaster when enjoying a beverage inside) and the store is situated in the cute old part of Amsterdam, the Jordaan. The industrial looking laid back interior of the store situated at the Westerstraat 150 in Amsterdam is relaxed. You can enjoy a good selection of different coffees, their famous granola and cakes here. The two owners are more than happy to introduce you to their great coffees and of course the beans are sold on site. I tried the Panama La Mula Geisha beans and was blown away by the flavour! This was a truly special cup and the guys at Headfirst have only 5 kilos available so get there now 🙂

The Bank

If you want to try the best that Starbucks has to offer, its time to check out their Amsterdam concept store ‘ The Bank’ (situated in a former bank building). Here you will find (next to great design) the ‘coffee theater’. This is where you can get your special Starbucks ‘reserve’ coffees and enjoy a cup made with the ‘Clover’ method! A must try for anyone who is slightly cynical about Starbucks coffee. The Bank is located at the Utrechtsestraat 9.

Food and coffee

One great concept that I cannot wait to try out myself is the food and coffee pairing at the Scandinavian Embassy bar and restaurant in Amsterdam with award-winning barista Nicolas Castagno’s superb coffee and chef Rikard Andersson’s strongly Nordic cooking. You can eat and drink here all day and some of the items on the menu come with coffee pairing suggestions. The coffee comes from Scandinavian micro-roasters! You can find the Scandinavian Embassy at the Sarphatipark 34 in Amsterdam. I can’t wait to check this place out myself so let me know what you thought!

 If you need more information about coffee in Amsterdam or if you found a great place in this city that you think I should check out, let me know!

Tasting coffee; Starbucks dark fairtrade certified French roast

Today I was able to take part in a coffee tasting at my local Starbucks store in Deventer, The Netherlands. The baristas and coffee masters there organise tastings on a very regular basis and got me into coffee tasting with their monthly free coffee seminars.

Tasting the French roast at Starbucks

The French roast is a washed dark roast coffee and the aroma of the beans is interesting to say the least! To me this coffee smells of the smoke of a lingering wood fire and ashes.

Fairtrade French roast

When tasting this coffee from their French press I found that it has a hint of strong liqourice root with a low body and the smokey touch is still there. A coffee that is roasted to the max with a great kick would make an excellent four ‘o clock coffee. Much to my own surprise I really liked it on the second sip! The first sip was more like a very strong coffee smack in the face 🙂

Tasted with the Starbucks lemon cake some bitterness remains but the body of the coffee is gone. The French roast turns into a refreshing cup. I’d love to try this coffee soon with the Aeropress!

The Spressa, making Aeropressing your coffee easier

I find that there is currently no better way to make a great cup of coffee than using the Aeropress. It’s cheaper than a coffee machine and produces a great quality beverage. I was excited to find an item on Kickstarter that makes the actual ‘pressing’ of the Aeropress a lot easier. Kickstarter is a site where you can post a (creative) project for funding by the public. I am in no way involved in the design or funding of this item. This is what the makers of the ‘Spressa’, a lever tool for the Aeropress (and a home for your Aeropress tools) have to say about their design:

The key feature for the Spressa Mezzo was to provide a more comfortable and easier ‘press’ than using the AeroPress in its original form. This was accomplished by creating a unique and stylish lever that allows for smoother operation of the AeroPress while reducing effort. This lever is the iconic symbol that is now part of our logo.

the Spressa featured on Kickstarter.com

The next step was to create place to store the tools used when making AeroPress coffee. This feature was integrated into upper PaperStone ‘stabilizer’ which was added to insure the AeroPress will not slip while the lever is being used.

We also wanted to create a home for your AeroPress when not in use. So instead of lying in your drying rack or hiding in a cabinet or drawer it can be proudly displayed and be available to use any time. This was accomplished by creating the PaperStone base that provides a stable platform for your coffee cup, mug or pitcher. It also helps protect your counter top from coffee spills.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spressa/spressa-enhance-your-aeropress-experience?ref=sidebar

 

Coffee tasting; Koffiefabrique longberry Sumatra

During a visit to the Koffiefabrique coffee bar (on my way to the Starbucks Dutch national barista championships, won by Starbucks Deventer employee Laura Hughes) and micro roasting cafe, I obtained a bag of Sumatra longberry beans from the Wahana Estate, roasted on the spot. The Koffiefabrique is a small and friendly coffee bar with outdoor seating and an extensive coffee menu. Also sold here is coffee brewing equipment, home made ice cream and of course bags of organic beans. The proprietors will happily roast your favourite coffee in front of you! The bar is well worth a visit and can be found at a stone’s throw from the Koog Bloemwijk train station near Amsterdam. Give it a try!

Bag of coffee from the Koffiefabrique in Koog Bloemwijk

About the longberry Sumatra bean..

The longberry variety was thought to be originated from Ethiopia because of its similarity to Longberry Harrar (a natural mutation from Typica variety). In Indonesia, Longberry was known to be grown only in Aceh but is now also grown at the Wahana estate.

The longberry variety is said to be named after its appearance. The shape of this Wahana Longberry is relatively long and thin in comparison with other varieties and to me the green long beans were reminiscent of pine nuts.

My Sumatra longberries

Wahana Estate established in 2005 is located in Lae Mungkur village, Sidikalang sub-district, Dairi
district, North Sumatra – Indonesia; at altitude of 1,300 – 1,500 m above sea level. Sidikalang is one of the most popular coffee producing regions in Indonesia.

I used 18 grams of these beans in the Aeropress and brewed a surprisingly fresh cup of coffee. Even though the Wahana estate profiles this coffee and a medium body, I would describe it as a low body coffee. The taste is clean and fresh with a strong hint of citrus and spice. I tried some of this coffee cold and it works great as an iced coffee! This coffee is for you if you like Ethiopian coffees, or just a clean fresh coffee that is not too heavy bodied and has a citrus flavour to it!

 

Tasting coffee; Albert Heijn ‘Brasil’

I’m starting off my blog with this coffee that I just picked up from my local supermarket (Albert Heijn, a chain of supermarkets in The Netherlands)…

Those who know me know that I like bread. I eat it and I attempt to bake it! Here’s my recipe for the easiest and tastiest bread in the world. Even Nigella liked it! http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/No-knead-bread-French-boule-style-5483

 

The packaging of this coffee (Albert Heijn Excellent Brasil snelfiltermaling) promised impressions of bread and fruit, a full and slightly sweet flavour. Sounded like my cup of java! I gave this coffee a go with the Aeropress and added water off the boil to level 4 of the press with 18 grams of coffee (no scales? don’t worry, just go with two Aeropress scoops).

Brasil coffee from Albert Heijn

After brewing the coffee smells of sourdough to me, and after cooling down slightly there is a hint of flowers in the mix. Its flavour stays around in your mouth for quite a while and even though I haven’t tried it yet, I imagine it’s probably pretty good with milk. <