I hope someone who lives in the Netherlands can help me with my withdrawal from your coffee. We have never enjoyed our coffee as much as in Holland in every coffee house, pastry shop or restaurant. It was served only in the Netherlands, not Belgium or Germany. We asked for "black coffee" and got a small cup w/a tiny spoon of foamy coffee. It was to die for!!!! When we put the sugar in, it turned black when it hit the foam. First time, we thought it was pepper! We are wondering how it's brewed and if it's possible to buy a machine here in the US that would make that kind of coffee. Is it a type of cappuccino? Any info on how to duplicate it or even come close would be greatly appreciated. After having that, our coffee tastes like dishwater. Can it be made in your homes or does it require professional equipment? It's really too far to commute for that morning coffee every day!

Hi Peggy,

Take a look at http://www.hollandwinkel.nl/default1_8.php

I am Dutch, but I don't know what you mean, unless perhaps the coffee came from the new and very popular Senseo machine; it uses Dutch Douwe Egberts coffee, and is like an espresso machine, except the coffee is not as strong; more like regular black coffee topped with whitish foam. It is indeed very good; that may be what you had.

Tulips, what you described sounds exactly what I'm talking about. Now I just have to figure out how I can enjoy it in the US. I went to the site suggested by IRA and I emailed them asking if they have any information on the coffee or machine. Thank you both for getting me started in the right direction.

Peggy I share your love for the coffee in the Netherlands!! It's soooo good. A wonderful friend of mine there sends me the Douwe Egberts coffee and I've tried probably 5 different expresso makers but I'm convinced no matter what I do, I cannot capture the same wonderful flavor I remember from Holland.

http://www.hollandbymail.nl/senseo_c...offeelist.html

Peggy - can you guess as to the amount of coffee that was in each cup? I looked at the link provided by a previous poster and the Senseo Crema machine appears to be sort of a scaled down version of an automatic home espresso maker set up exclusively to make espresso from prepackaged filter packs. These are known as "pods" in the world of conventional espresso makers and one typically gets about 1 1/2 oz of liquid in each cup. If the foam was a brownish red color, this is the phenomenon known as "crema". It contains the essential coffee oils that make up the major flavor compnenents and provide the "mouth feel" of a good espresso. If the cups hold more like 4 to 6 oz, then what you're getting is known as a "cafe crema". This is similar to an espresso and also includes the crema on the surface but is made with a larger volume of water and is a bit less intense in flavor. I've had cafe cremas on a few occasions in Italian restaurants that were remarkably good as you describe.

Espresso pods are available for homre espresso making in the US and a machine that allows use of the pods is roughly $200 US for one of reasonable quality. Unfortunately, the quality of pod espresso is adequate for milk based drinks like cappuccinos but not usually smooth enough for drinking straight although a dollop of sugar makes it more palatable.

I'll do a bit more research among some espresso aficionado friends and see if I can get more info.

It is indeed a sort of espresso machine that takes pods. And it's called Senseo Crema. I haven't got one (yet) but it's extremely popular in Holland, since the coffee is more to our taste (not as strong) than Italian coffee. I believe Douwe Egberts is owned by Sarah Lee.

Little did I know that trying to duplicate our Amsterdam coffee was going to dominate my life! I don't give up easily. What I have uncovered thus far may help all of you who share my fondness for the coffee.. I went to the site recommended by IRA and found an address to email for info. Following is the reply I received. I printed about 10 pages from the Google site he recommended and found it most helpful although a bit confusing. Judging from what he says, the reason irishdame hasn't had success w/Douwe Egberts might be b/c the packets really are like "instant."
To answer Owen O'Neill, it was about 4 oz in the cups so I think it is the cafe crema and it sounds like an Espresso machine is the way to go but it sounds like it will take a lot of experimenting.
Tulips is correct the Senseo is made by Sara Lee/Philips but is not yet available in the US.
Hope this help those of you who are still trying to get that perfect cup of cafe crema. I'll be checking back here in case anyone comes up w/any more info on machines or method.
Here's the response from the site I mentioned:
I'm afraid you won't much like the coffee from the Senseo machine - it's
not at all the same you probably tasted in cafés and bars in the
Netherlands, but just an "instant coffee" (contradiction in terms though it
is) with a chemical additive to produce a layer of "crema".

The coffee you did enjoy is something often called "café crema", or "café
Suisse", basically coffee made with an espresso machine. You don't need a
professional gear for that, a home espresso machine with a pump, and a good
grinder will do the trick. If you're familiar with making espresso, you can
make a good café crema.

What basically want to do, is to make a 120ml to 150ml shot, in about 18 to
20 seconds. Most home machines are capable of doing that.
The way to go about it, is to adjust the grinder to a coarser setting to
get the appropriate flow rate. You don't have to tamp as firmly as you
would to make an espresso, but it is another variable in the process.

Check out the google archives for more info on the subject:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=n...3Dalt.coffee.*

(Yes, the first post that props up was written by yours truly ;-)

Peggy makes good points (Peggy - if you haven't already visited www.coffeegeek.com you should check it out).

The advantage to pod espresso is that it's convenient - no messy cleanup and easy preparation. If you're looking for an absolute maxiumum of convenience pods are great but they will never taste as good as fresh roasted beans (no more than 7 - 20 days after roasting) and the cost per serving is higher. Generally speaking, espresso machines under $200 aren't worth the investment. The Gaggia Carrezza, at about $200, is the best bet in the under $250 - $300 price range.

It is possibel that the cream comes from a "crema enhancing disc" rather than from a chemical additive. The crema enhancers are a mechanical disc of sorts that sits in the portafilter (basket) under the ground coffee or the pod and creates a sort of fake crema. It's okay but not a substitute for real crema.