TOKI: Cross-over of a Cafe x Bistro x Patisserie x Craft Beer place

Still wandering around Amsterdam

The name Toki, which is Japanese for “time of opportunity,” flows with the coffee place’s calm, relaxed energy with the logo of an eyeless smiley.

Toki’s owner, local Dutch man Jeff Flink was passionate about coffee business ever since he was a student at the University of Amsterdam back in time. He used to frequent the local popular coffee chain Coffee Company dreaming of his own cool coffee place in the future. After graduating, he worked in the advertising industry for eight years before diving into Specialty Coffee scene in the city.

Jeff was inspired by Berlin based Bonanza Coffee for their amazing roasts and chilled coffee culture so much so that he did his Barista training there to master his craft. Ever since they started and for a very long time, Toki used to serve coffees only from Bonanza. Recently, they have started offering roasts from other specialty players like my all-time favourite Prolog Coffee in Copenhagen (refer to my coffeelogue of 21st April for full coverage) and Right Side in Barcelona.

The nearly 1000 Square feet property spreads over a storybook scene of a corner in Jordaan neighbourhood of Amsterdam. Espressos are pulled on a La Marzocco. Filter coffees are prepared with a Kalita Wave. This light-filled; neo-hipster coffee hangout offers a superb range of coffees, with an ever-updating selection of beans. Order a filter coffee and a slice of fresh lemon cake and sink into the large sofa along with the rest of the neighbourhood. This is a place to take it all easy.

One of the major differentiating factors that give Toki a unique edge over other cafés in the city is it has full license to serve alcohol and stay open until the wee hours if they ever decide to venture down that path. In that sense, it’s not just a café but doubles up as bit of a bistro along with a nice patisserie. For now, one can enjoy their curated selection of excellent coffees, sip on expertly prepared cups of loose-leaf tea (if you’re not a coffee person), pop open a can of craft beer in the evening or tuck into Toki’s legendary cronuts.