In February 2020, I became a part-time barista and temporary assistant at Boeken, Bonen & Blaadjes in Amersfoort. Owner Joet was in need of some help occasionally, especially during lunch rush hour.

We had a mutually symbiotic relationship where I would assist her with my barista, chef and IT skills and I would get to use her establishment for developing my skills with “slow coffee” and different filter methods. All this to help me prepare and practise for the Dutch Brewers Cup of 2020…

And then Corona happened…! I was supposed to focus on the coffee & sweets while Joet prepared sandwiches and lunch platters, help during workshops, establish Boeken, Bonen & Blaadjes as a place in Amersfoort for filter coffee by practising with brew methods such as Hario V60, Kalita Wave, Chemex, the MoccaMaster and even digress into Syphon coffee makers – the world’s coolest way to prepare your coffee. By far!!!

However, with demand reduced, there simply was no opportunity for me to work in coffee.