Koffietje.nl already had the great idea to list as many local coffee roasters in the Netherlands with a webshop as possible, so that everyone who’s working at home #stayhome due to Corona crisis can enjoy the best coffee possible. Excellent!
Of course this leaves out those roasters who don’t have a shop (yet)…
Thankfully, Misterbarish.nl already has an extensive list of coffee roasters in the Netherlands (and a list for Belgium). Yay! With these two lists together there is nothing stopping you from ordering fresh roasted coffee beans that suit your taste to brew at home.
To all my fellow coffee fanatics who crave a good espresso but cry every day because the coffee places are mostly closed: you owe it to yourself to get a Cafflano Kompresso! The only way to make anything that comes close to an espresso at home, easily.
Cafflano Kompresso
It’s durable, cheap and portable. Will save your travels, hotels, and vacation rental too! Works on a train boat or train.
Only hot water needed to make an espresso anywhere
Cafflano Kompresso
You can grind your own beans (for best results) or start out with ground coffee from the supermarket. I’d choose a medium roast wherever possible, not a dark, French or Italian roast, as these are likely to turn out too bitter and “ashy”, IMHO.
Then move up to a pound of gourmet coffee from your favorite shop around the corner, ask them to grind it for “espresso”. This way, you can still support your local shops even though they can’t make you your coffee and you create a nice relationship with them for when all this is over and you can get a real espresso again!
And eventually get your own grinder. If you do, get a burr grinder, always! The best entry-level grinder out there is the Baratza Encore, for approx $130 or so. One step up and only different in the number of different grind-size settings it has, it the Baratza Virtuoso.
Baratza Encore
Baratza Virtuoso
Baratza was bought by powerhouse and specialty coffee shop darling grinder manufacturer Mahlkรถnig (German for “King Grinder”, BTW!). It’s the only thing they do, build grinders. They are superb in quality and stability, the latter meaning they grind still very well when the burrs start to get dull.
Now, if you’ve read trhis far that means you are serious about coffee, just like myself. I like that.
If you’re thinking of getting the Kompresso, you may also be interested in the Cafflano Klassic. It’s the filter coffee equivalent of the Kompresso. Having the two means you will never NEVER EVER having to go without superb coffee that you make yourself. Anywhere, everywhere, all the time. (The Klassic comes with a grinder built-in so you can even grind the beans just before you brew the coffee.
Cafflano Klassic with built-in grinder for on the road. source: Cafflano
The outbreak of the Corona virus in the Netherlands has effectively put all (or most) of the baristas out of a job. Only corporate coffee and espresso bars are still operating, but these are mostly staffed with permanent employees. Even there many caterers are forced to close when the companies force all their employees to work from home!
I’m not sure how long the quarantine period will last but for now at least until Sunday April 5th. That means it’s time to play and practice with coffee at home!
No Pressure Coffee 