History of Dutch Coffee

The Dutch Connection

The spread of coffee over the world has a rich history in which the Netherlands has played a fairly substantial role. Yemen, where coffee was grown after the spread from Kaffa, tried to stop the spread of coffee by banning the export of fertile coffee. Dutch traders avoided this ban in 1616 by shipping away complete coffee plants from Mocha. The plants that were taken were then spread to Malaba in India where the first Dutch coffee farms were founded. In 1699 coffee plants were taken to Batavia, the former capital of current Indonesia, to further grow the production of coffee. After several years the Dutch had become the largest supplier of coffee of Europe.

The history of Dutch Coffee in Asia

Although in Europe coffee was mostly consumed as a hot drink Dutch traders in “the east” used a cold brewing method. The cold brewing method was used to be able to brew a large quantity of coffee that wouldn’t expire during the time travelers spent at sea. The cold brewing method was introduced in Korea and Japan where cold brewing methods are still know as Dutch Coffee Coffee (ダッチ・コーヒー – dacchi kōhii en “더치커피” – deochi keoppi) today.

Although modern coffee trends have not been completely avoided in North-East Asia the rich flavor and the elegant design of Dutch Coffee makers have again conquered the hearts of the Korean and Japanese. In cities like Seoul a Dutch Coffee maker can be seen at close to every streetcorner . The same goes for Kyoto where many coffee houses are equipped with a Dutch Coffee maker.

Third wave coffee

Dutch Coffee perfectly fits the ‘Third wave of coffee’ in which traditional brewing methods are rediscovered and perfected. As it should the flavors and purity of the coffee play an essential role again in contrast to the second wave of coffee in which the focus was mainly on fast and easy coffee.

Coffee is more and more often viewed in comparison with wine. Nobody will expect a Merlot to taste the same as a Shiraz and within grape species people will expect different flavors depending on the soil the grapes grown at and the climate the grapes were grown in. People are starting to realize that the same differences are applicable to coffee and are starting to be more interested in different coffees and brewing methods.

The third wave coffee trend is quickly conquering the world and people no longer accept bad tasting mass produced coffee. Slow is the codeword in this new trend; as with all things in life, a perfect cup of coffee is worth waiting for!