Etapa 4: Quick detour to Amsterdam

The Coffee District

The Café:

Dutch take their GEZELLIG (pronounced gheh-sell-ich) pretty seriously and The Coffee District is an ideal spot for experiencing the same.

This peaceful spot in leafy Oud-Zuid has extra-large windows overlooking the picturesque Hendrik Jacobszstraat that flood the coffee place with lots of natural light.

That’s Yannick on the counter

Opened by wife-and-husband duo of Rosa and Adil in 2019, The Coffee District serves specialty coffees made using beans from Amsterdam's Lot Sixty One roastery. Although the vast majority of the coffee served comes from Lot Sixty One, Rosa and Adil also offer a handpicked filter coffee menu with beans from various Dutch roasters including DAK Roasters and Single Estate Coffee.

The café space is bright and airy with classic elements blended with modern touches. Dark grey contrasts with the luminous green of a large plant while the La Marzocco coffee machine shines in sparkling white grabbing everyone’s attention.

Whether you’re just in for a quick caffeine shot or a nice pastry, this location is the perfect place to stop over. Don't miss the fine selection of homemade sweet treats (I highly recommend the coconut macaroons and sea-salt chocolate-chip cookies).

The spacious, whitewashed premises doubles as a shop selling everything you need to make the perfect coffee in the comfort of your own home, from slow coffee brewer pots by Japanese brand Kinto to flasks by Australia's Huskee.

The day I visited Coffee District was indeed a super cold day with temperature hovering around -4C & snowing outside. Being a Friday, the regulars kept pouring in & there was quite some rush.

Most Coffee Places in Amsterdam implemented their weekend policy:

“Let’s Get Social during the Weekend. No Laptops & Tablets”.. Thank You. This message was indeed comforting as the purpose of my visit was a coffee meeting with friends.

Yannick was the Chief Barista on the Counter that day and was extremely friendly. He’s a bit of a local legend as most people know him well given his music background. The customers usually have a quick casual chat with him while their coffee is getting ready. Once the morning rush thinned down, I spent time conversing with him and Yannick shared some lovely stories of his coffee explorations & international travels and his recent tryst with Mexico 😊 Thank you Bro for a great time at the Café.

The Roaster: DAK Coffee Roasters

DAK Coffee Roasters is also based in charming Amsterdam and was founded by two Canadians from Montreal.

Why DAK? Dak means "roof" in Dutch, and it was a moment in 2019 when the Founder Louis-Philippe Boucher was sitting on the roof of his home, drinking coffee when he decided to start his own roastery. DAK is already producing professional products, coffee roasted with love and passion- exactly like their motto states: "From farm to cup, we take great pride in celebrating quality coffee."

After working many years in the Finance and Venture Capital industry, Louis-Philippe decided to make the big move and leave everything behind to follow his passion. Much like with wine and beer, he wants people to discover the breadth and understand the complexity of flavours that coffee can offer.

Coffee philosophy: Louis-Philippe used to be one of those people adding tons of cream and sugar to his coffee. That all changed when he lived in Milan and was introduced to the world of Italian Espresso. This experience sparked a journey to discover and appreciate the many ways coffee can be brewed, served and enjoyed. He truly believes that every coffee beverage is unique in its own way and deserves a dedicated roast that celebrates it.

DAK Coffee roasters roastery lives by these three slogans:

ETHICALLY SOURCED - CAREFULLY SELECTED - ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING

Roastery                      DAK Coffee Roasters

Coffee Origin              Colombia-Specialty coffee

Region                         Huila

Variety                         Castillo

Roast Type                  Filter

Process                        Experimental

Flavour Profile            Cardamom, Pistachio, Vanilla Cake

Roast Level                  Light to Medium Light

Brewing Method         Aeropress, Chemex, French Press, Hario V60