Dagger Coffee – Utrecht (NL)

Utrecht may be only the 4th largest city in The Netherlands but it is at the very heart of the country and as a result has its busiest train station by far. Before the Dutch Golden Age, Utrecht was the most important city in the land but access to the sea and other circumstances favoured Amsterdam overtaking Utrecht as the biggest and most important city in The Netherlands.

Yet, Utrecht never accepted becoming some quiet backwater and today it is home to one of the most vibrant student populations, many company HQs and a small but burgeoning specialty coffee scene. Dagmar Geerlings, who many will know from her days at Lot Sixty One in Amsterdam and from competing in the Dutch Barista Championships, went back to her hometown in 2016 to open her first coffee bar, aptly named Dagger Coffee. While working at Lot Sixty One she became known as Daggers, although I do wonder how many Dutch people actually pronounce her café’s name in English versus the very gluttoral Dutch g.

Located inside an ugly former government building in the southern part of the city, Dagmar is part of an initiative called De Stadstuin, which has reclaimed said building and turned it into a breeding ground for startups and a home for young businesses.

The look and feel of the place is a bit vintage with odd chairs and furniture, lots of wooden elements and little trinkets on the shelves here and there but apart from using the common area for a meeting or to eat your lunch the real star of the place is Dagmar and her excellent coffee.

She works exclusively with Keen Coffee from Enkhuizen who also sponsored here during the Dutch Barista Championships and with whom she is constantly working towards an even better product. After coming in second place last year, she has set her sights on lifting the national trophy at home when the World Barista Championships come to Amsterdam in summer.

Next to her selection of coffees she serves small selection of toasties and cakes but nothing too fancy as the focus truly is on the coffee. Anyone who knows this young and ambitious barista, who got her initial training in Australia, knows how restless she is and that she’s constantly working on herself to reach her goals. By visiting her bar, you can help her get there.