Hummingbird Coffee Amsterdam — Restaurant in Amsterdam

We visited this charming coffee shop, while staying in the area. Delightful interior design, a cozy spot for coffee aficionados and casual drinkers alike. As someone with a keen palate for coffee, I found the offerings to be satisfactory, though lacking a distinctive quality. It serves as a convenient option for those nearby in need of a caffeine fix.

However, the ambiance was somewhat marred by the demeanor of a particular staff member, I believe to be Australian, whose approach to customer interaction was noticeably lacking in grace and civility. Her consistently condescending tone and demeanor not only detracted from the overall experience but also raised questions about her suitability for a role in the service industry. Observations of her interactions with others also confirmed that this was not an isolated incident, suggesting a need for a reassessment of her position or at least a significant adjustment in her approach to customer service.

In contrast, the warmth and charm of another staff member, distinguished by her abundant jewelry, provided a significant counterbalance. Her pleasant demeanor and genuine warmth towards customers highlighted the discrepancy in service levels within the same establishment and underscored the impact that individual staff attitudes can have on the customer experience.

In summary, while the coffee shop offers a visually appealing and convenient locale for coffee enthusiasts, the mixed quality of customer service presents a caveat. The experience underscores the essential role of staff etiquette in shaping customer perceptions and the importance of ensuring all team members contribute positively to the atmosphere and client...

Hummingbird is the kind of coffee bar you would make a detour for!

This may seem like an ad at first, but once you visited Hummingbird yourself you would agree and understand why I am in full fangirl mode while writing this. The people at Hummingbird are really kind and open, they serve great coffee (both espresso based and filter) and offer really fun and interactive coffee workshops to up your coffee game! I reserved a spot at their barista workshop some time ago and yesterday evening the time had finally come. The workshop focussed on making espresso, foaming fluffy clouds of milk (also plant based) and latte art. First of all, Kees does an excellent job at making you feel welcome. He takes his time in explaining every step of the coffee process and lets you practice a lot. He also has a lot of patience and doesn’t mind to show you the steps a few times. I had never made an espresso based drink myself before, but I felt very confident in trying myself and copying (or at least try to) everything Kees showed me. Another really fun past is that in this workshop, you have the chance to play with their beautiful Modbar system, which is awesome if you even have only 0,1% of tech geek in you (and to be honest, if you are into specialty coffee, you are almost always about the beautiful gadgets that come with the territory as well). Also, a little bit unrelated to the coffee making but definitely related to the Hummingbird atmosphere, beware of the cuteness overload of the two sweetest Ridgeback doggies you have ever seen! So thank you Kees and Agavni for having me and making me even more enthusiastic about the craft of specialty coffee than I was when...

Place is small with only a few seats, but it's nicely decorated and strikes a good balance between cosy and clean look. Unfortunately, the coffee we drank didn't deliver and neither did the baristas.

The espresso, while having a good body, lacked any clarity or separation of flavour, was unbalanced (overly bitter with no acidity to balance out the bitter or any sweetness to it) and ventured more into the lungo territory (would not be surprised if the ratio was about 1:3). V60s on the other hand were balanced but tasted very weak, like the ratio was just way too high.

I also felt the baristas were unwelcoming, stand-offish and generally just not at all enthusiastic. Maybe they were tired because I visited the shop towards the end of the day, but this is hospitality and it shouldn't be like that.

Lastly, on price. I don't know the price of the individual coffees and the cookie I bought. But €18.75 for 1 espresso, 2 filters and a cookie is pricey, and when you factor in that the coffee was just really underwhelming, I cannot justify a recommendation. There are definitely better (and cheaper) places in Amsterdam...