Things You Need to Know About Coffee in the Netherlands
In almost every country in the world, you can order a cup of coffee in shops, bars, and even in the Spaanse markt. Sometimes, coffee itself has become synonymous with a group of people who made coffee part of their culture. This is especially true in the Netherlands which has the biggest percentage of coffee consumers in the world. In this post, we’ll tackle everything you need to know about coffee and the Dutch people!
Coffee In the Netherlands
The average Dutch coffee is stronger than the English blend but tastes more like an Italian caffe. If you happen to prefer the latter, better to order a Dutch espresso. This type of coffee tastes a bit similar, but it is the strongest variant. Culturally, the Dutch people are fond of drinking a lot of coffee. With an average of about 4 to 25 cups a day, the Dutch are one of the biggest coffee drinkers in the world. Regardless of this fondness for coffee, the Dutch people don’t follow or have a strict rule about how to prepare and drink their coffee. Unlike in the United States, the Dutch don’t use artificial sweeteners much in their coffee. More often, they prefer black coffee without milk.
Different Types of Coffee
The choice of coffees in the Netherlands is wider than just espresso, cappuccino, and coffee with milk (koffie verkeerd). Almost every coffee shop in the country offers a latte macchiato, though most Dutch people don’t know what this last type is. However, there are specialty coffee shops where you can order any type of coffee, such as Coffee Company and Buongiorno Espresso. Aside from coffee-based variants, milk alternatives also include kokosmelk (coconut milk), amandelmelk (almond milk), havermelk (oat milk) and sojamelk (soy milk) just to name a few. Furthermore, the Dutch also have their coffee variant called koffie verkeerd (“coffee wrong”), where you just pour more mlek than koffie in your cup. When it comes to coffee beans/roasters, Giraffe, Black and Bloom, and Nordkapp are among the best sellers, same as the coffee brands Blanche Dael, Egbert Douwes, Levelt, Moccona, Nika Koffie, and Peeze Koffie.
Where to Find the Best Coffee
The good news is that you can find coffee anywhere in the Netherlands, regardless of the place you visit. And the coffee is generally of good quality. A regular cup of coffee usually costs between 2 and 2.50 euros, while a cappuccino can cost between 2.50 and 3.50 euros. This infographic reveals a crucial message: coffee shops are not the place to order coffee. You should go to a coffee shop called ‘café’ instead. This is important in case it’s not obvious. One last tip: try to include your cup with a typical pastry or dessert, like apple pie. A cup of coffee with something sweet is a great combination so far.