Single Estate Coffee Roasters, Den Haag, The Netherlands

The name says it all! the crowning glory of The Hague

I had already checked out majority of the top line Specialty Coffee Places in Amsterdam & Rotterdam and a place like this in Den Haag aka The Hague was a pleasant surprise!

The brand name Single Estate Coffee reflects their ethos. And much before they opened their Café some four years ago, the founders Bas and Patrick were already doing specialty coffee roasting for more than a decade and were quite well known in the coffee world.

Their awesome café serves exceptional coffee combined with delicious pastries in a perfect ambience. Customer service is 5-Star 😊

My amigo from this city Niels enjoying a nice clicka moment!

The Café Design:

What first struck me the most about Single Estate’s flagship café was the massive windows that offer uninterrupted natural daylight and envelop the space in great warmth.

The coffee bar, designed as a long chef’s table made from black terrazzo, stimulates maximal interaction between barista and guest. Designed by Ninetynine, the sleek design of the new interior combined with the authentic details of the century hold heritage building refer to Single Estate’s focus on craftsmanship in roasting and serving coffee alike.

I did n’t ask the barista in the back ground to pose!

The 11-metre-long barista’s table, following the line of the facade, is the focal point of the space. It starts as a working counter for the baristas and evolves in guest seating towards the back of the space. As the bar isn’t parallel to the back wall but follows the line of the facade, it creates a tapered space behind the bar where people can sit down and enjoy their coffee.

Because the 10-centimetre-thick bar only rests on three black blocks combined with the fully integrated Modbar (coffee machine-I think the first in The Netherlands), the boundary between guest and barista is nearly invisible. This way ordering coffee naturally flows into a discussion about flavour and craft – something that has been standard for ordering more esoteric drinks like wine for years.

The interior right through consists of a subtle play between sleek and classic, between black & white tones in the basis and a warm palette of warm woods, reds and mossy greens, and between a flood of daylight and warm & cosy artificial lighting.

The Coffee:

I went for my signature manual Pour Over in Kinto ware with Peru Humberto Cieza coffee beans.

Tasting Notes:  Almond, Lime, Dried Apricot; Subtle Acidity; Full mouth body

The Coffee Farm (La Finca):

Located in the province of Jaén, El Carrizal is run by Humberto and his wife Edita. Despite the fact that his parents were coffee growers, Humberto decided to pursue a career as accountant after finishing his studies in Jaén. After 7 years he resigned his job and decided he never wanted to work for a boss anymore.

Together with his wife, Edita, he moved back to his hometown and took over his family's coffee farm. They completely replanted the 1.5 hectares and the results of the first crops were so promising that with the profits of those crops he purchased another 2 hectares to expand the farm. Growing coffee makes him enjoy life much more than working a regular office job. For him, that freedom is priceless.

This lot is a mix bourbon and caturra that after picking is processed in a traditional way. Pulped, a 12-hour fermentation and washed. Drying was done in solar tents in approx. 12 days. The result in the cup is a solid and clean coffee with a lovely creamy mouthfeel.

• LA FINCA (THE FARM): El Carrizal

• PRODUCERS : Humberto Cieza

• REGION : Cajamarca

• ALTITUDE : 1900 to 2000 m.a.s.l

• VARIETY : Bourbon / Caturra

• PROCESS : Washed

The Origins:

Peru recently became famous for Machu Picchu but there is more to this gorgeous North of South American nation than just the touristy attractions.

Peru is the eighth largest coffee producer in the world. It has many farms between 1,600 and 1,800 metres above sea level and the Typica and Bourbon varieties predominate.

The arrival of coffee plants can be traced back to 1760, from the city of Guayaquil to Lima. The inter-Andean valleys and the high jungle of Peru proved to be a favourable terrain for coffee to flourish. The altitude, heat and sufficient humidity of these areas meant that by the end of the 18th century coffee had been positioned in the high semitropical jungle of Huanuco, Moyabamba, Cusco and Jaén, to satisfy the growing local market.

Peruvian coffees are grown high up in the Andes mountains. This exceptional altitude creates a coffee with a bright effervescent sparkle, smooth sweetness and a pleasant medium body. Peru is an excellent origin for organic coffees, due to the hard work of a handful of exporters / importers to bring farms and mills up to organic standards.

Almost 70% of the total coffee production in Peru comes from the northern part of the country. Cajamarca and Chirinos are the two areas of close attention in Fair Trade coffees and micro-batch separation programs.

Since 2010, Peru is one of the main producers of Arabica coffee. It is often ranked fifth in the world for production and export of Arabica. The remoteness of the coffee plantations and the incredibly small size of the average farm has largely prevented the differentiation of origin coffees (single farm coffees) which has allowed the development and commercialization of micro-lots in other growing regions, but as everything else in Specialty Coffee, this is changing rapidly. The country’s lush highlands and good traditional varieties offer the potential for growers to overcome obstacles of limited infrastructure and market access, and as production increases, we are more likely to see those kinds of advances.