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Kees van der Westen

Two Great Places to Drink Coffee in Izmir, Turkey

August 29, 2018 By Michael 1 Comment

Known as Smyrna in Ancient Greece, Izmir is Turkey’s third largest city, and perhaps its most progressive. The city surrounds a natural harbor, which means you’re never far from the Aegean Sea. With beautiful parks that line the coastline and a relatively modest population of 3 million, it feels relaxed and liveable to one visiting from Istanbul. Izmir is a main travel hub for many of Turkey’s best beaches, as well the stunning ruins of Ephesus. But the city has long been associated with coffee too, as it’s home to Turkey’s thriving coffee roaster manufacturing industry, with brands such as Toper and Has Garanti headquartered here.

With so many coffee roasters readily available and all around good vibes, perhaps a specialty coffee boom was inevitable. Indeed Izmir could give the capital Ankara a run for its money as Turkey’s second coffee city. Unfortunately, when I visited many of the cafés on my list were closed for the holidays, but thankfully two great coffee shops had their doors open.

Roast and Found

Izmir’s Bostanlı neighborhood on the north side of the city is home to Roast and Found, a microroastery and café. From the city center the neighborhood is a short ferry ride away (as in Istanbul, commuting by ferry is one of Izmir’s great pleasures). The café curiously has two espresso machines: including a customized Kees Van Der Weston Spirit. I enjoyed a sweet, chocolatey espresso with such a think head of crema I suspect their was some robusta in the blend. Regardless, it was a fantastic shot I would gladly drink any day. With plentiful outdoor seating, this is a great café to enjoy Izmir’s beautiful weather.

Baristocrat

Baristocrat has three locations around Izmir, and we visited their Konak location in the heart of the city– a reasonable walk from sights like Izmir’s iconic Clock Tower and Agora. I first met Baristocrat founder Nurettin Karakundakoğlu at a Q course in Istanbul almost three years ago, when he was still working for Toper. Now he’s fulltime at his own roastery with an expanding number of cafés around the city. In addition to a gorgeous La Marzocco Linea PB with color-coordinated Mythos Grinder, the café has a great selection of back issues of Fresh Cup and Barista Magazine available, a real rarity in Turkey. Our group enjoyed a cappuccino, cortado, and cold brew, but regretted we didn’t find time to make it our to their roastery in Urla.

Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: Kees van der Westen

Black Fox Coffee Raises Bar in Lower Manhattan

October 3, 2016 By Michael 1 Comment

Black fox coffee

I’m sitting in a café in Lower Manhattan and a barista has just checked on our table- for the third time.  Do we need any more coffee? Is everything tasting alright? Can we take those dishes out of your way? This is an uncommon occurrence in American coffee shops. In New York’s financial district, it’s shocking. But then again, there’s a lot of things surprising about Black Fox Coffee….

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Black Fox Coffee, Heart Roasters, Kees van der Westen, Manhattan, New York, NYC

Cafe Review: White Label Coffee in Amsterdam

February 28, 2016 By Michael 3 Comments

DSCF6011

One has to be careful when asking for a coffee shop recommendation in Amsterdam. But there’s a lot more to the Dutch capital than just legal weed and the red light district. A growing number of local roasters and cafés are making Amsterdam a premier European coffee destination. One of the microroasteries leading the way is White Label Coffee. …

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Amsterdam, Giesen, Holland, Kees van der Westen, White Label Coffee

A Look Inside BLK \ MRKT In Traverse City, Michigan

June 25, 2015 By Michael Leave a Comment

BLK MRKT Traverse City
The greatest joy of working in coffee is not having access to industrial grade equipment or even the incessant supply of free espresso. Instead, it’s the interesting people you meet, serve, and work alongside of. Few people have made an impression on me like my first manager, Chuck Korson. Chuck and I worked together at a since rebranded café which straddled the line between specialty and commercial. Besides teaching me everything I know about wine and sheep milk cheese, Chuck showed me how to pursue excellence while recognizing one’s constraints. This passion for quality and service has stuck with me. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I heard Chuck had finally realized his dream of opening his own coffee shop in his hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. I haven’t been able to visit BLK \ MRKT yet, but I did get the chance to ask Chuck a few questions about his shop. 
Many baristas dream of opening their own shop, how long have you been planning BLK \ MRKT?
It have been dreaming of my own shop for about 10 years, but the actual planning phase of the business took about a month, followed by an almost seven month build out.
The pictures we’ve seen look gorgeous. Did you work with a designer?
Thank you so much!  I’m glad the shop photographs well.  I think it is a pretty awesome space in person too.  I didn’t work with a designer on the space (I would not have been able to afford one even if I wanted too).  I did the layout and decorating myself, but had a ton of help putting it all together.  I worked with an amazing carpenter, Eric Liggett, that did all of my casework, counters, and table tops.  My dad and brother put in a ton of work to helping with the shelving and all the little details.  They also were instrumental in helping turn the shipping container the Spirit was sent in into the communal table in the shop.

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Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: Charles Korson, Kees van der Westen, Madcap, Michigan, Song Tea, Traverse City

Cafe Review: Joe’s Pro Shop in NYC

April 3, 2013 By Michael Leave a Comment

Joe's Pro Shop Kees van der Westen espresso machine

Joe’s Pro Shop: A Toy Store For Coffee Nerds

Many of the most iconic films in movie history take place in New York. Annie Hall, The Godfather, Wall Street, the list goes on. But one work of cinematic genius stands head and shoulders above the rest. A film whose sweeping cinematography and compelling storytelling single-handedly shaped my perspective of America’s first city. Of course this film …

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Filed Under: Coffee Shop Reviews Tagged With: Aeropress, Flat Iron District, Heart Coffee Roasters, Intelligentsia, Joe's Pro Shop, Kalita Wave, Kees van der Westen, Manhattan, New York, Rwanda Karenge, single origin espresso

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