‘I drink coffee for the taste, not for the caffeine.’ The best barista in the Netherlands is fond of coffee, but also of company. Teddie Kuiper would rather not be alone; she must have noise around her.
You have been proclaimed the best barista in the Netherlands and even wear a ring with a coffee bean in it… Can you do without coffee?
'Haha, no! I am addicted to coffee. Although I can also function fine without coffee and if there is no good coffee available, then not. I'd rather have no coffee than bad coffee. I was recently in Mallorca and the coffee was not good there, so I skip a week. I drink coffee for the taste, not the caffeine. At home I can enjoy it even more.'
What is your favorite coffee?
'Pfooh… I really can't say that. A vinologist also has no answer to the question of what the best wine is. It's the same with coffee:there is an enormous taste palette and every bean from every region tastes different. Indonesian beans often have an earthy taste, African beans are a bit fruitier, with citrus notes. Coffee from Central and South America is really a bomb:strong, with a bit of chocolate or caramel undertones. What I'm in, differs per day, per time of day, and depends on my mood. I like filters with home-ground beans, they taste very subtle and complex. If I have a coffee somewhere, I go for an espresso or cappuccino.'
Do you ever get coffee from a large chain like Starbucks?
'Honestly? New. I am grateful to them for putting coffee on the map. They are surely one of the founders of the current coffee culture; before Starbucks there were hardly any bars that really specialized in serving coffee. They have just become too big and then the quantity is overpowered, at the expense of the quality…'
What is the best milk for frothing? Teddie reveals that here.
Read the entire interview in the September issue of Santé.
About Teddy
Teddie Kuiper (25) was named best barista in the Netherlands 2016. Under the name Teddie Koffie, she works freelance as a barista at events all over the world, gives barista workshops and advises catering companies on equipment, ingredients and the art of making a nice coffee. Teddie studied International Business and lives with her boyfriend in The Hague.
Photography:Bart Honingh | Make-up:Linda Huiberts
