Uncommon roasts its own coffee in Amsterdam, and every coffee has its own uncommon story: a microclimate, a variety, an altitude and a processing method. The team travels to origin every year to learn about each farm, builds close relationships with its producers, pays significant premiums for green coffee and sets up projects with partners at origin: a first project in Myanmar against opium production along the Thai border, and work with Filtro on water filters for schools and villages in Guatemala. The offering changes with the season, and Uncommon rarely keeps a coffee for more than six months, the point at which quality starts to decline. The roasting style is meant to preserve the flavour of the farmer’s work. Webshop orders are roasted and shipped on Tuesdays.

The café is in Oud-West, close to the Vondelpark and the museum square, in a calm, minimal room. It takes walk-ins only and is a laptop-free zone. The menu is plant-based and seasonal, with almost every dish available vegan or gluten-free, and the kitchen names its suppliers: sourdough from Le Vain et Le Vin, mushrooms from Mycophilia, vegetables from Wim Bijma. The café’s cinnamon buns are among the best in town. The entrance has steps, and a portable ramp is available on request.

Uncommon Bar opened across the road, designed with Instil Collective. By day it is a wild pastry and coffee bar with an extended list of the roaster’s coffees and viennoiserie made with foods foraged around Amsterdam and fermented in-house. On Friday and Saturday nights it serves fermented and foraged small plates with natural wines, and takes bookings for the evenings only. The bar also hosts open cuppings, Uncommon Sessions talks and listening sessions with ambient music.

The current retail range is listed below with the roaster’s own tasting notes.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Uncommon