Considering its location inside the country’s most exclusive department store, this shop is pretentious. With a genuinely friendly smile, the waiter lived up to these expectations, but from there it’s downhill. The ‘La Ruche’-delivery service delivers the cappuccino, made by the super-automatic machine, to the table with the number corresponding to his receipt with an artificial smile. The coffee, the taste of which was masked by the machine-made ‘foam’, wasn’t worth the 5-minute wait or the 2.45 euros, by far. Avoid.
La Ruche (Bijenkorf)
Sint Jacobsstraat 1a, Utrecht
Visited October 22, 2009
Coffee rating:
€ 2.45 (cappuccino)
Located right on the train station, which means it’s very suitable for a quick cup of coffee during a changeover, while being completely different from all other Servex-run branches on Dutch train stations. It’s good, near-solid milk foam with an attempt to latte art. The syrup-cappuccino regrettably had too much syrup in it, but the regular cappuccino was just fine, with the milk enhancing the taste of the coffee rather than disguising it.
Coffee United
Stationsplein 85/87, Amersfoort
Visited October 13, 2009
Coffee rating:
€ 2.10 (cappuccino)
€ 1.90 (espresso)
In my future posts tagged ‘coffee’ I will write opinions on the espressos and cappuccinos I enjoy at various coffee houses. Visiting some two coffee houses every week, I noticed that I soon failed to distinguish which coffee houses were among the best and which were not quite there. To finally put an end to repetitive mishaps, I decided to write my findings down, so a quick look in my ratings book would show where I can go, and most importantly, which places to avoid.
Although I have decided to put everything I write down online, for everyone to read, one must always consider the fact that my reviews, if one can call it that, are mainly written for myself. Therefore, they reflect my personal opinion towards the ambiance of a coffee bar and my personal taste of how coffee or a cappuccino should taste like. What I’m looking for in the perfect coffee bar would be a sincerely friendly attitude, with attention for each individual customer, preferably with modern surroundings. My perfect cappuccino would be a powerful one, with the milk emphasizing, rather than concealing the taste of the coffee. Although I like to think my opinion at least somewhat reflects an objective view to quality, if one’s opinion about a good coffee differs too much from mine, one might disagree with my findings. That’s okay, but, considering I’m writhing this down mainly for myself, I will not fend and prove my comments. They’re to take as they are.
In order to add some objectivity to my subjectivity I will attempt to standardize my ratings. First off, we’ll have to take into consideration that I intend to visit quality coffee houses. Hence, any rating qualifies as ‘decent enough coffee’. If a place is to be avoided, it will not get any rating at all. Those coffee houses that qualify for a rating, will be rated coffee cups, rather than stars. Until I’ve found the appropriate imagery however, stars will be used. The amount of coffee cups can be read as follows.
Coffee rating: Avoid. Whatever they’re selling, does not qualify as either cappuccino or espresso. Even when in desperate need of a caffeine shot, there are other solutions!
Coffee rating: This is okay. Nothing more, but okay. Suitable if nothing better’s around. No sour, milky, watery or otherwise ‘off’ tastes.
Coffee rating: This is where the hand of a barista is necessary. A cappuccino will have to come with a decent milk foam, without large bubbles, and certainly not under- or overheated, whereas an espresso has a nice layer of crema.
Coffee rating: This is microfoam territory. Any barista pulling shots for a living can be proud of a 3-cup rating. A bad choice of beans or some cocoa on top of the foam and an otherwise perfect cappuccino will not make a 3-cup rating.
Coffee rating: Excellent. This is what a professional barista should aim for. A cappuccino topped with microfoam, the espresso being emphasized by the milk. A 4-cup rating is what would have me traveling for hours to enjoy.
Although I am rating coffee, not the staff, the coffee house itself or whatsoever, the general atmosphere can influence my rating. When I can’t decide between, say, rating a coffee 2 or 3 cups, staff treating me badly may get the rating down to 2 cups. To me, the way I’m treated and thus the way I feel does interfere with the coffee’s taste as I cannot enjoy a coffee when I’m not feeling at ease. Most of the non-coffee thoughts will, however, just be in the form of remarks, rather than rating it.
On a final note, I hope you will enjoy my coffee-related blogs in general and my ‘coffee house reviews’ especially. Feel free to contact me with tips for new coffee houses, or voice your opinion, as, although I’ve said my reviews are to take as they are, that does not mean I enjoy hearing other’s opinions. I just like to stress that your opinion does not necessarily reflect my opinion.
Posted February 2nd, 2010. 2 comments
