It is 20 years ago when inventor and coffee lover (not a barista) Alan Adler developed the aeropress. His quest was simply to make a better cup of a coffee, more consistently and somewhat quicker…
Today, millions of aeropress coffee makers travel everywhere we go and bring us a tasty, quick, solid cup of coffee. From Arizona canyons, to camp sites in the South of France, to the plains of Eastern Europe, back country of Australia and ocean islands in the Pacific. It is ubiquitous and still going strong!
What used to a single product is branched out into a wider variety of choices, materials and add-ons.
Aeropress Original
Aeropress Premium
Aeropress Clear
Aeropress XL
Aeropress Go & Go Plus
Very recently, Aeropress have also introduced a manual grinder to match their style and create the option to get everything from one source. Very smart, though it may not be the best manual grinder for your money. That remains to be seen…
Coffee lovers understand that the quest for the perfect cup begins long before the brewing process. It starts with the beans themselves – those aromatic, freshly roasted gems that hold the promise of a delightful experience. However, preserving their delicate flavors and aromas can be a challenge.
Disclaimer: I was offered to test an Outpeak canister free of charge, but these are my honest observations and experiences.
Exposure to air, light, heat and moisture can rapidly degrade the quality of specialty coffee beans, leaving you with a lackluster brew. That’s where metal coffee canisters with vacuum technology step in.
The Factors of Coffee Freshness
To truly appreciate the benefits of these canisters, let’s delve into some science of coffee freshness. Air (oxygen) is the enemy of freshness. It reacts with the coffee oils and fragile organic compounds, causing them to oxidize and deteriorate. Light, heat and moisture also accelerate this degradation process.
Traditional storage methods (paper, plastic or glass) offer minimal protection against these elements. This is where metal coffee canisters with vacuum technology shine. These canisters are equipped with a small battery-operated air pump in the lid, which removes most of the air and oxygen from the container at the touch of a button. This significantly slows down the oxidation process and preserves the beans’ freshness over a longer period.
Metal vs. Glass: The Battle for Light Protection
Unlike glass canisters, which allow light and heat to penetrate, metal canisters block harmful UV rays. Light can trigger photochemical reactions that degrade coffee’s flavor compounds. By blocking out light, metal canisters add another layer of protection, ensuring your beans remain fresh and flavorful for longer.
Airtight Seals and Moisture Control
The airtight lids on these canisters serve a dual purpose. Firstly, they maintain the low pressure (-25 kPa and -33 kPa) created by the pump, preventing air and oxygen from seeping back in. Secondly, they keep moisture at bay. By creating a dry environment, the airtight lids contribute to the longevity of your beans.
Real-World Experience: The Outpeak Coffee Canister
I recently had the opportunity to try the Outpeak coffee canister and the results are encouraging! As someone who goes through a 250 gr bag of coffee beans in about a week, I’ve always been frustrated by the rapid decline in freshness, particularly with the more expensive specialty coffees.
By the end of the week, those unique and vibrant flavors would fade, leaving me with a less exciting cup.
With the Outpeak canister, I noticed a remarkable difference. Even after a week, the specialty coffee beans retained more of their distinctive characteristics. The flavors were brighter, the aromas more pronounced, and the overall experience more satisfying. While the difference may be subtle, it’s undeniable that storing beans in a vacuum, away from heat, light and moisture, has a noticeable impact on their longevity.
The Outpeak canisters offer a built-in USB-C charger port and a full charge lasts more than 4 weeks, in my experience. I fully charged the lid with pump upon arrival and haven’t had the need to recharge it yet. That’s great! I will update this post with a more precise duration, when I need to recharge.
I had the good fortune of testing the 500 gr canister. It comfortably fits a fresh bag of 250 gr coffee, obviously. I get fresh coffee delivered every two weeks and most roasters ship bags of 250 gr, sometimes 350 gr.
I found two minor issues with this version of the canisters that I hope Outpeak can improve in an updated version:
The diameter of the lid is slightly too large (ca. 12.5 cm or just under 5″) for my (small) hands, making it somewhat hard to get a good grip to open it. Letting air in twice helps.
The 500 gr canister is a little big when you only store 250 gr. That leaves a lot of open space inside. Perhaps 300 gr, 550 gr and 1100 gr versions are more inline with the amount of coffee most people need to store on their home countertop.
Getting a fresh bag every week is very practical anyway!
Investing in Long-Term Freshness
For coffee enthusiasts who value quality and freshness, metal coffee canisters with vacuum technology are a worthwhile investment. While they may be slightly more expensive than traditional storage options, the benefits they offer are undeniable. By preserving the delicate flavors and aromas of your more expensive specialty coffee beans, they ensure that every cup you brew is a great experience.
Pressing the vacuum button on the top of the lid. In the middle the large vent to let air back in when you open it.
If you’re tired of your coffee losing its luster after just a few days, it’s time to upgrade your storage game. Metal coffee canisters with vacuum technology, like the Outpeak canister, offer a simple yet effective solution. By creating an optimal storage environment for your beans, they unlock their full potential, allowing you to savor the true essence of freshly roasted coffee for longer.
Remember, the quest for the perfect cup starts with the beans. Treat them with the care they deserve, and they’ll reward you with an unforgettable coffee experience.
Update 1 Nov 26th 2024: Well, I have stored some decaf beans in the Outpeak vacuum canister for several weeks now. I wanted to test the preservation of flavors because decaf beans “spoil” much faster than caffeinated beans. We don’t know why yet. After being kept in vacuum for almost 6 weeks, the beans brewed a great coffee on my Hario V60. Very comparable in taste to a fresh brew when the beans are less than a week old! That’s wonderful news.
Update 2: Fellow has just launched opaque vacuum canisters (Atmos) as well at a comparable price to Outpeak’s offering. Good to see vacuum storage of beans in metal containers is becoming more popular. I know glass is prettier but it’s worse for the preservation of flavors.
This year I can finally participate in something that’s been a dream of mine since I started working with coffee in 2017 and getting certified by the SCA… Corona has been forcing the competition to be postponed. I was going to first volunteer and help others participate, but I’ve decided to just dive in.
At the preliminary, you have to brew 3 cups of an unknown coffee bean in 15 minutes using your preferred brew method. You receive the beans on the day of your round and you get 30 minutes in advance to determine your best recipe using the beans provided, water present and a grinder to use.
Time lapse of a practice run
The preliminary is held at Alleborgh coffee in Almere, a well known espresso machine dealer, who has a backoffice practice floor where you can setup. They’ve been cooperating with SCA Nederland forever, as far as I know.
Not knowing the water used and using a guest grinder is an extra complication. Baristas know their own equipment in and out and can fine-tune results often instantly to compensate for dinner ad-hoc deviation
I’m going to double check the requirements again before Tuesday Feb 22nd, when I’m scheduled to go on stage, but I believe you get 15 minutes total time and can use 8 minutes to set up and 7 minutes to produce 3 cups of 180 grams of coffee liquid.
I also learned that you’ll get 15 min additional time familiarize yourself with the grinder (a mahlkonig EK43 🥰) and can bring your own coffee to achieve the grind size you’re set on using. There are tools to help with this task, such as a Kruve sieve or a ruler that indicates particle size, but I don’t have those yet. Maybe if I make the finals…
This is not that hard at all but the complexity increases because you kinda have to brew 3 batches of coffee in parallel and start the 2nd while you’re still brewing the first. This is where timing gets tricky and routine is crucial!
The coffees are judged blindly (they do not know who’s coffee they judge) on flavors, taste and consistency by a professional jury who’ve sampled the same coffee for themselves, so they know what’s possible to achieve. In a way, it’s whoever is closest to what they achieved wins.
Roasting coffee beans is easy. You just need a metal pan and fire.
Roasting coffee beans well is slightly harder. You need to pay close attention.
Roasting coffee beans excellently and consistently is both art, talent and science. It requires great skills and experience.
When you roast the coffee beans, the Maillard reaction creates a multitude of chemical compounds from around 145 C and caramelizes sugars present in the bean.
Roasting specialty coffee beans is on another level because they are of higher quality and you are trying to highlight, enhance or bring out certain flavors and tones that make that particular (micro)lot or harvest shine. Do it once and that’s luck. Do it twice and you are good! Do it more than twice and you are a true artist.
In light of celebrating those true coffee artisans and artists out there, here is my highly subjective list of the best coffee bean roasters in the Netherlands:
In alphabetical order:
Black and Bloom, Groningen
Blommers, Nijmegen
Capriole, Den Haag
Dagger Coffee, Utrecht
Dak Coffee Roasters, Amsterdam
Giraffe Coffee Roasters, Rotterdam
Keen, Utrecht
Lot61, Amsterdam
Man met bril, Rotterdam
Manhattan Coffee Roasters, Rotterdam
Single Estate, Den Haag
The Village, Utrecht
Ripsnorter, Rotterdam
Un.common AMS, Amsterdam
Why are they the best? Because they procure excellent beans. They roast to order so you get fresh beans every time. They are also able to create a roast profile that brings out the best of the particular bean.
They make great every day blends that are always outstanding, but also produce time-limited special editions of simply brilliant and out-of-this-world (micro)lots from somewhere special that just blow your mind.
Drinking those is more like enjoying a fabulous bottle of wine than drinking coffee…
Update April 2025: added Blommers, Dak, The Village, Keen
So I decided that this valuable guide to the best coffee beans in the Netherlands needed to be updated!
Christian, January 2024
What are the best coffee beans in the Netherlands? Well, that depends a little on personal taste and favorites, but I can tell you who roast amazing coffee beans in the Netherlands and sell their coffee online!
Traditionally, there are a handful established coffee roasters in the Netherlands who have been producing specialty coffee since it wasn’t called specialtycoffee. These are oldskool roasters who’ve always been on the lookout for great green beans, source great coffee farmers and who know how to source these beans and treat them well. In my opinion, these are:
Capriole Coffee Service, Den Haag (1975) capriole.nl
However, the whole third wave coffee movement have sparked a bunch of great newcomers with new routes, difference sources, smaller batches and that great newcomer creativity and curiosity. They get beans that are “off the beaten path”, if you will, or from non-traditional coffee producing countries.
More recently, since roughly 2010, coffee farmers are experimenting with added fermentation of beans before drying them. This creates a whole range of funky flavors.
Some are pretty large scale roasters already, roasting dozens kilos of coffee every single day to keep production and delivery going. But others are small, artisan roasters, roasting green coffee beans to order once or twice a week.
I’ve had excellent coffee beans from all of these sources, but three that stand out for me and who’s taste I can still recall are:
Fabulous lush sweet yellow fruit tones combined with a medium to full body coffee, just enough bitters and everlasting flavors. And the smell when you brew is intoxicating!
Super tasty creamy coffee with red fruit tones and a full body. But the peculiarity is the thick fermented “wine-like” notes you smell when you open the package.
What’s the best coffee I’ve had from a non-Dutch source, you ask?
Amavida Coffee! ❤ Price was high but the rewards were too!
But don’t take my word for it! Check (the sadly discontinued) “Koffie Top 100” from 2018, which ranked the 100 best places to drink coffee in the Netherlands, and a find a place near you that excels in making coffee. Ranking was made by a professional coffee jury and each venue was visited at least 2x to see if they were consistent. Very impressive list, even today.
For a more recent assessment of coffee in the Netherlands, check the fantastic site koffietje.nl by the always lovely Sam. She brings a personal note to all the coffees she tries. If she likes it, you know it’s good. But if it’s great depends on you!
Update May 2022: Added Blommers to the list after tasting their excellent beans during the Dutch Brewers Cup finals in March 2022 at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival (ACF).
Update Jan 2024: Added Uncommon Amsterdam, Little Roastery and (how could I forget?) the Village Coffee. Small typos corrected and added note about fermentation of beans. Mentioned koffietje.nl. Replaced koffie top 100 link. Boon has closed.
A pour over coffee brewing station isolated on white, and sitting on a painted white cart.
After having finished the amazing reserves of coffee beans I’ve had brought to me by visitors, the sad time arrives when they run out… This happened last week so now I am resorting once again to supermarket coffee from St Maarten.
“Which coffee do you drink?” is a question I get asked regularly. Well, I don’t make it a secret but bean selection on St Maarten is pretty poor and limited. I’ve tried all the coffees, both ground and whole bean, and my favorites are the house brands from either SuperU or Carrefour. Value/price is super. They both have the same supplier that packages the coffee in custom packages for both, but the coffee is identical as far as I have been able to test and taste.
They come in different “flavors”: Peru, Colombia, Brasil, Ethiopia and Mexico. The Peru and Ethiopia match the best with my tastes. Bold, strong smells and flavors, full bodied strong coffee with enough balance and sweetness not to make it too bitter. They are blends from 100% Arabica beans. Both of them.
Normal recipes call for 30 gr of coffee for 500 ml of water (at 92-96 Celsius) but since this is an espresso grind and not a filter grind (much finer than would should be used), I either use colder water than prescribed (82-86 C) or I reduce the amount of coffee by 10% (3 grams here).
My favorite brew methods are Aeropress in the morning (it makes a more bitter espresso-style cup) and Hario V60 in the afternoon (smoother, milder, less bitter oils)
I was surprised with a package from the Netherlands that someone forwarded for me. It contained the hand grinder I had ordered a while ago but was delivered after friends had already flown back to Sint Maarten.
Now I can take my Hario V60 or Aeropress anywhere and also grind whole beans on demand. This comes in handy because I’m always scouting for a cool great new pound of coffee beans and the lack of a portable grinder limited what I could source.
Im really happy with this product of a Kickstarter campaign. It’s solid, accurate, easy to use and clean and for a good price.
For the Market Cafe in Simpson Bay I’m still looking for an espresso bean to use and this way I can try a few samples without taking apart my commercial grinders for it!
No Pressure Coffee 