Tag Archives: Amsterdam

Kaffetur 19 / Coffee Tour #19: Starbucks Reserve / Starbucks Clover

Before moving here, we didn’t think twice about finding anything other than a national chain for coffee. I guess that’s mostly because we had not yet been exposed much to locally roasted and handcrafted coffees. But that was probably also because we didn’t have many independent shops around us.

So it was pretty normal of us to stop by Starbucks. But since getting into the local coffee scene and learning more, Starbucks has become less about coffee and more about a travel tradition.

Yes, it’s really become more about the place we stop by when we are traveling, so we can pick up a city mug. Now don’t get me wrong: I like their specialty drinks. And yes, whenever the season and my travels align, I have to pop in for a pumpkin spice latte! But we are not regulars.

But today I have to share with our readers that it is possible, though not frequently, to get something from Starbucks other than their mass-produced drinks. We discovered this as we were transferring planes at Schiphol Airport, in Amsterdam.

It’s there that we discovered one of the rare Starbucks Reserve shops. They offer small batch single origin coffee, and will be glad to brew a cup for you on the clover machine.

Clover is a single cup system that takes into consideration water temperature and brew time in an effort to produce a higher quality cup of coffee.

While I still prefer locally roasted beans, hand brewed coffee, and supporting local businesses, it’s nice to know that Starbucks is recognizing the changing market and seeking to offer something that fits the niche a bit better.

Read more about Clover at http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/learn/clover

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Memorable Eats: Dutch Herring

Anytime we travel, we want to try at least one or two local foods. When we were in Amsterdam this year, we had a taste of several new things.The most memorable was probably the herring.

And not only was the fish memorable, but the photos we took are some I will likely never forget!

Here is the herring stand. They are very easy to find all over the city.

Here is the fish.

And while three of us really enjoyed it, I think you can see from this photo that it was not something Daniel cares to try again.

But he was a champ. Even though I thought he was possibly going to throw up, he managed to chew it up and swallow it!

 

Kaffetur 11 / Coffee Tour #11: Coffee Company, Amsterdam

First a little education for those who have not visited Amsterdam before.

When looking for a good cup of coffee, you should locate a cafe, and not a coffee shop. Coffee shops are in fact the place where one goes to partake in one of the two activities with which the city has become synonymous. The one where one would likely find themselves with a serious case of the munchies.

 

We did not find an abundance of exceptional cafes in Amsterdam. We did, however, discover a nice coffee chain that was definitely worth a visit. Or two. Or three.

 

Coffee Company seems to have a location on almost every street corner. Sure, that’s an exaggeration, but they are definitely the Starbucks of Amsterdam. (And yes, you can also find Starbucks, if you must.)

We enjoyed several good cups of coffee, as well as excellent espresso. And the boys loved the mint tea!

 

Coffee Company began in 1996, and now includes 37+ locations, mostly in Amsterdam but also in other cities.You can check out Coffee Company at http://www.coffeecompany.nl