Black Gold is one of those coffee bars that I have really been looking forward to. There are two reasons for that. 1: Black Gold is the first place in Amsterdam that combines great coffee with truly awesome tunes and 2: Siebrand van Hengel is one of the coolest dudes in the local coffee scene.
I’ve been following his progress from the first time we met at one of my slow coffee workshops a good year and half ago. Already then he was working on the idea to open his own coffee shop and evaluating various routes that he could take to get there. 18 months later and Black Gold is finally open.
Located in the beautiful area around Nieuw Markt, Black Gold occupies a former washing salon that has been transformed into a real heaven for vinyl and coffee lovers. Siebrand has a huge selection of exquisite music that he has been collecting over many years and which is now showcased in his friendly café.
Siebrand acquired most of his barista skills at local coffee legends White Label (we love those guys so much) and their cool vibe and passionate approach to coffee also served as inspiration for his own place. “I really learned to appreciate coffee for what it truly is. A delicious fruit that is meant to be enjoyed as such,” Siebrand told me.
Since opening a few weeks ago, Siebrand already had a lot of customers come in who had been following him on Instagram and were attracted by his awesome record collection with amazing pieces like the limited edition reissue of Kruder & Dorfmeister’s K&D Sessions. From funk to hip hop and electronica, Siebrand’s offering is varied and well curated.
If you’re lucky the man himself will also be spinning records in between whipping up delicious coffees. He’s just as passionate about espresso as about filter coffees and of course, all coffee beans come from White Label. In the future he might even add a few other guest roasters but so far he’s extremely pleased with Francesco and Elmer’s coffees. Why wouldn’t he be, right? We featured White Label in our recent Benelux coffee tasting box because they are so wicked.
Although there is no outside seating at the moment, you should most definitely swing by and take your time to browse Siebrand’s record collection and enjoy one or two espressi at this awesome new coffee place. Highly recommended!
