About Taal Coffee
A neighbourhood coffee place in Amsterdam Oud-West where quality comes first and nothing is rushed.
Why Taal
'Coffee is the language people already share.'
Taal means language. Not in one culture — in several, which is the point.
Coffee is a language people already share. It is the thing two strangers can have in common before they have anything else in common, and it works the same way at a counter in Amsterdam as it does anywhere else. Different stories, different accents, different rituals, same cup.
That is not a slogan we arrived at afterwards. It is why the café is shaped the way it is: open, curious, and more interested in who walks in than in who we think should walk in.
Coffee is a language people already share. It is the thing two strangers can have in common before they have anything else in common, and it works the same way at a counter in Amsterdam as it does anywhere else. Different stories, different accents, different rituals, same cup.
That is not a slogan we arrived at afterwards. It is why the café is shaped the way it is: open, curious, and more interested in who walks in than in who we think should walk in.
The room
Warm, minimal, and built to slow you down slightly. Enough space beside the tables that a dog can lie down without being stepped over. A play corner small enough to be honest about, big enough to matter if you have a three-year-old.
It is a room designed for staying rather than passing through. Most mornings that means a mix of people working quietly, parents who have just done the Vondelpark loop, and regulars who have stopped ordering out loud because we already know.
It is a room designed for staying rather than passing through. Most mornings that means a mix of people working quietly, parents who have just done the Vondelpark loop, and regulars who have stopped ordering out loud because we already know.
How we choose coffee
Most coffee bars serve one roaster — their own, or their supplier's. We are a multi-roaster, which means we buy from eight roasters across Europe and the US and put them on the shelf side by side.
A.M.O.C. in Rotterdam. Broadcast in Seattle. Five Ways in Amsterdam. Kalve in Riga. Tryst in Berlin. Rum Baba in Amsterdam. Fjord in Berlin. Datura in Paris.
The point is comparison. You can drink a Berlin roast and a Latvian one on the same afternoon and take home whichever you preferred. Everything on the shelf is available to drink here first — tasting before buying is normal, not a favour.
We are not trying to stock everything. We are trying to stock things we would brew at home.
A.M.O.C. in Rotterdam. Broadcast in Seattle. Five Ways in Amsterdam. Kalve in Riga. Tryst in Berlin. Rum Baba in Amsterdam. Fjord in Berlin. Datura in Paris.
The point is comparison. You can drink a Berlin roast and a Latvian one on the same afternoon and take home whichever you preferred. Everything on the shelf is available to drink here first — tasting before buying is normal, not a favour.
We are not trying to stock everything. We are trying to stock things we would brew at home.
Where we draw a line
There is a fashion right now for heavily fermented and co-fermented coffees — lots deliberately fermented for long periods, sometimes with fruit or yeast added. They can taste spectacular. They can also taste like cinnamon-flavoured wine that happens to be brown.
We mostly do not buy them. Not because they are wrong, but because when the process starts overwriting the coffee you stop being able to taste where it came from, and that is the part we find interesting. We lean towards clean, washed and controlled-process lots where the origin still comes through.
That is a preference, not a rule of the universe. But it is ours, and it explains why the shelf looks the way it does.
We mostly do not buy them. Not because they are wrong, but because when the process starts overwriting the coffee you stop being able to taste where it came from, and that is the part we find interesting. We lean towards clean, washed and controlled-process lots where the origin still comes through.
That is a preference, not a rule of the universe. But it is ours, and it explains why the shelf looks the way it does.
What else is on the counter
We do not bake everything ourselves, and we would rather be honest about that than pretend. Instead we choose from bakeries across Amsterdam — picked for craft and for how they sit next to the coffee.
Sourdough waffles
Savoury and sweet, from a batter we ferment ourselves. The one thing on the menu people come back specifically for.
Seasonal drinks
A rotating set of recipes that follow the year rather than a marketing calendar. Ask what is on this week.
Who Taal is for
Discover the welcoming space we have created for everyone in our Amsterdam coffee community.
- People with dogsDogs are welcome inside all year, with water by the door and space to settle. Five minutes from Vondelpark, which explains the muddy paws most mornings.
- People with small childrenA small play corner, and a room already built for a bit of unpredictability. Nobody here minds noise.
- People who want to workLaptops are welcome on weekdays, in one dedicated area. Weekends are laptop-free, so the room stays social. We decided, so you do not have to guess.
The people behind it
Taal is built by people, and the team is a mix of personalities, cultures and creative minds. We are serious about specialty coffee and craft — and the people here are also artists, makers, thinkers and community builders. That shows up in the room.
Each person brings something specific: a way of working, a way of caring, a way of connecting. Between us we speak more languages than we can reliably count, which suits a café named after the word for language.
Together it is more than a café. It is a small community where creativity, kindness and good coffee happen to coexist.
Each person brings something specific: a way of working, a way of caring, a way of connecting. Between us we speak more languages than we can reliably count, which suits a café named after the word for language.
Together it is more than a café. It is a small community where creativity, kindness and good coffee happen to coexist.
LOCATION
J.J. Cremerplein 34H, 1054TL, Amsterdam
Phone: +31 650001582
Email: taal.coffee@gmail.com
Phone: +31 650001582
Email: taal.coffee@gmail.com
Connect with us
+31 650001582
taal.coffee@gmail.com
taal.coffee@gmail.com
Address: J.J. Cremerplein 34H,
1054TL
Amsterdam
1054TL
Amsterdam