Too Much Coffee

hi people!
i just joined this forum..happy to find a european one!
i live in holland, where i'm basically forced to become a skilled home barista, as it's practically impossible to find a place where there's consequently good espresso served in holland..(hey, please prove me wrong if you can!)
are there a lot of dutch members b.t.w.? please let me know..
thanx!
speak to y'all later
huub

Hi, huub, welcome!

Hello huub, welcome to the group.
I'm visiting Amsterdam in June so if you do find a good place for espresso there let me know. I have been to Amsterdam (also visited Rotterdam and Huizen) quite a few times and not found one so far ... still there is time yet.
Dave

Hi Huub

You can see in the memberlist where most members are located. So far, at least 19 in NL, of whom 5 are from AMS.

Also check out the forum on "Places to drink..." which reminds me.. I have another one to add that I wasn't all too impressed with... but then again, I'm no expert

Have fun,
Marcy

welllll....there is one nice place, i get my beans there...its called coffee connection,
at de nieuwe zijdse voorburgwal..they have a wonderful blend that they roast themselves i think..
A newzealander (or australian, i forget) used to work there who was like barista world champion or something...he made the best coffee i have ever had propably..BUT......the quality of the baristas seems to be pretty crap lately..i don't even dare order a cappucino or machiato nowadays(especially cuz theyre pretty expensive).
Its the problem all over holland...they have fine beans, stupidly wonderful machines, but the people preparing the coffee have no freaking clue...
i was in one of those expensive starbucks wannabe places, and the guy making the coffee did not tamp!!..that's seriously lacking any basic form of anything resembling a clue?!

hi huub,
the coffee connection barista was probably donar teunissen he was dutch barista champion last year.
victor's in haarlem serves great coffee and works with great barista's.
were learning to be better to our coffee i think things can only get better.
cheers mark

jumper wrote:the coffee connection barista was probably donar teunissen he was dutch barista champion last year.

Isn't he with Coffee Co? That's where I went (Beethovenstraat) and couldn't even drink the capp., once again, incinerator-hot... and very sour and bitter, blaagghh. I took 3 sips and left it. Maybe it just bad luck for me at the time, but I'm not too keen on going back to test more. That's for sure!

While the winners of the competition themselves may create wonderful drinks, it's a pity all the colleagues don't! Another example was De Blonde Pater in Nijmegen (3rd place, I think)... burned my tongue on the capp. Couldn't drink it for another 5-10 minutes!

M

your right marcy sorry always get those 2 mixed up
although the coffee connection i know is in zeewolde and they sell machines

stick to marcy, she will open the best spot in Holland ever! Give her some more months, but she is on her way !!!!!

You go girl!

Joey ;-D

well i guess the problem for coffee place owners is finding skilled staff..
the coffee connection owner is for sure passionate about coffee, and she has all the right gear and superbeans..but try finding passionate baristas in holland...(or any other country apart from italy, maybe portugal, for that matter..)
Oh and marcy, where are you planning on opening something?

huub wrote:well i guess the problem for coffee place owners is finding skilled staff..
..but try finding passionate baristas in holland...(or any other country apart from italy, maybe portugal, for that matter..)

yeah, tell me about it!
joey

Thanks joey

Huub... while busy with finalising the business plan, casing out locations, gathering investors, blah blah, I'm still educating myself on the wonderful world of coffee. Without going into too much detail, before I start, I want to be able to do it right... or not at all. I spent several weeks at the Mocca Club and it was an eye-opening experience So, lots of thanks to Joey for showing me all the guts to running a great place - the good, the bad, the difficult, the easy, but most of all the passion and the fun! And she's still mentoring me Despite all that, I still have lots to learn and have my tongue in-training on tasting the subtleties in coffee. How could I pick a bean, much less talk about it, if I can't quite grasp it myself?

Don't listen to joey about staff... she's got a great staff! Heee heee... I'm going to steal one of hers... after all, he's Dutch! So, he belongs back here!!! All kidding aside, I'm going to have to borrow him in my opening stages... for training purposes too

In an ideal world, I wish it was all a reality now, never mind hoping to get things on the ground in 6-9 months time. I'm confident that what I could do now will be lots better than what's currently served in NL and that the general public could/would appreciate/notice the better quality. I've tested on about 50 brutally-honest Dutch friends/neighbours/ex-colleagues who are enthusiastic - and more aware of their product choices now What I don't want is some geeks coming in thinking, "On no, not another one selling stuff she knows nothing about". After all, you only get to make your 1st impression, once. Hmmm... maybe I could have an "identify yourself if you're a geek"... and then tell them to go make their own drink?

Hey, you can "rent" Rutger, but he is expensive!

He, he, just kidding. I am sure you both will have fun.
The staff I had is not anymore. There is just Alex, Rutger and Felipe left as the other ones where part time students.
And I tell you, the last 3 days I had probation days with applicants - you cannot imagine how some people behave! Or how they lie into your face and then behave differently.
Amazing how some people call themselfs "grown-ups".
But that's not the thread, sorry.
Marcy when you'll open, I'll be there on your first day, I promise ;-D

Joey

Okay, it's settled then. I'll have to have a TMC pre-opening day... and if you don't like what I serve, you can do it yourself No, seriously, if, at that time, you feel that I'm not serving a drink to it's potential, I'll be open to all suggestions on improving the drink Of course, after that, the menu will have an "approved by TMC" message on it So, any guinea pigs, err, I mean takers?

"Know" what you are drinking? - Be knowledgeable about/at coffee tasting?
This is a very nice goal.
In the professional trade one would be regarded as knowledgeable only after several years of intensive daily cup testing - (I mean intensive, 2 sessions of 30 or more cups a day!). Even then, if you miss the talent to remember all the varieties and subtleties.

To add a difficulty factor, start talking about blends . . .

This is not to put someone off, but to look at things in perspective.
And be modest. Why would an "approved by TMC" drink be good?

Ivo
+the more we discuss the closer we get to the truth+