LOT61 Coffee Roasters is an Amsterdam-based specialty coffee roastery founded in 2013 by two friends from Sydney—Adam Craig and Paul Jenner. Their own slogan “Born in Sydney. Raised in Brooklyn. Roasting in Amsterdam” is not a marketing gimmick, but a literal description of the journey they’ve taken. Today, LOT61 is one of the most prominent brands on the Dutch specialty coffee scene and holds B Corp certification.
The story begins in New York. Adam Craig spent fifteen years in NYC, where he built and ran three coffee shops—all of which were listed by The New York Times among the best in the city. In 2013, however, he decided to embark on a new adventure: he and his wife moved to Europe, which meant starting practically from scratch. They chose Amsterdam—specifically Kinkerstraat in the Oud West neighborhood—and opened an espresso bar with a roastery there. He reportedly said that the multicultural western part of the city reminded him of Brooklyn. The opening of the shop had a touch of mystery about it at the time—passersby spotted an espresso machine through the window of a corner store on Bilderdijkkade, followed a few days later by a grinder, and all that hung on the door was a small sign reading “Lot Sixty One Coffee Roasters.” LOT61 quickly became a fixture on the city’s coffee scene and part of the wave of Dutch roasteries that peaked around 2015.
LOT61’s approach to coffee is uncompromisingly artisanal. The foundation lies in sourcing green coffee from the current harvest and roasting it on-site—with an emphasis on ensuring that the roast profile respects the character of the coffee from a specific farmer. Pressing a button and serving a guest “just any” coffee isn’t their style: the baristas at LOT61 are meant to act as educators and innovators who master all the latest brewing techniques. The menu features classic espresso blends as well as single-origin lots that aren’t afraid to venture into more experimental territory—such as the Kenyan Waridi Maguta from the Nyeri and Embu regions, varieties SL28 and SL34, processed using carbonic maceration with notes of cranberry, panels, and hibiscus. Their in-house roastery is currently located on Archangelkade in Amsterdam’s Westport; LOT61 operates cafés on Kinkerstraat and Hendrik Jacobszstraat, and in 2024, a new branch opened right at Amsterdam Centraal Station.
The brand’s other pillar is sustainability—and it doesn’t stop at empty rhetoric. LOT61 is a certified B Corp and defines itself as a company that reduces its carbon footprint “from seed to cup.” The goal is to become a fully circular coffee brand: conserving water and energy, using reusable and recyclable packaging, and continuously optimizing processes. The company has also published its own circularity report, which it developed in collaboration with its climate partner, GreenSwapp. LOT61 supplies both hotel and lifestyle brands such as Soho House, Hoxton, and Kimpton, as well as small corner kiosks—and it also runs its own educational program for baristas and B2B partners.
Coffees from LOT61
Funky Strawberries, Tropical Fruit
Nosegrind
LOT61The fruitiest blend from the Amsterdam roastery LOT61—two naturally processed coffees from Ethiopia and Nicaragua that work well in both an espresso machine and a filter. It has notes of strawberries and tropical fruit.
Nosegrind is LOT61’s third house blend, and its name comes from skateboarding—just as Rodney Mullen and Tony Hawk pushed the boundaries of what can be done on a skateboard, this blend pushes the boundaries of classic espresso. It’s a coffee for coffee geeks and for people who don’t want the same cup over and over again. The roastery itself says that you’ll either love it or hate it, but it definitely won’t bore you. A cupping score of 88 points and a roast time of roughly ten minutes suggest that behind the skate-inspired name lies some pretty meticulous work. The blend features two natural-process coffees, each playing a different role: one provides the body and the lower flavor notes, while the other soars to fruity heights—and both strive not to trip each other up somewhere in the middle. The aroma features funky strawberries and tropical fruit; the acidity is high, and the body is medium to full. For espresso, LOT61 recommends a 18.5 g dose and a 38 ml extraction in 24 seconds; in a filter brew, the same coffee opens up into a juicier, tea-like cup where the fruit has even more room to shine. One blend, two approaches—and it works in both. Incidentally, the roastery has its roots in Sydney, came of age in Brooklyn, and now roasts in Amsterdam—which pretty much sums up its approach to coffee.
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Berries, chocolate
Fresh Water Decaf
LOT61A decaffeinated blend from the Amsterdam roastery LOT61, named after the Australian coastal town of Freshwater. Colombian beans decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process—using only water, with no chemicals.
Decaf still has the reputation of being a necessary evil—something you drink in the evening because you have no other choice. LOT61 takes a different approach. Fresh Water Decaf is named after Freshwater, a beach town in Australia that gave the blend both its name and its vibe: a relaxed, smooth profile without any sharp edges. It fits a roastery that describes itself as having been born in Sydney, raised in Brooklyn, and roasting in Amsterdam—and, by the way, the coffee’s name has a double meaning here, because the decaffeination process itself relies on water. The Swiss Water Process, in fact, works without a single solvent. The green beans are soaked in a water solution saturated with coffee extract, so the caffeine leaches out, but the sweetness, sugars, and oils remain. The caffeine is then filtered out of the solution using activated charcoal, and the entire cycle is repeated until virtually nothing remains in the bean. The result is a full-bodied, balanced coffee with aromas of chocolate and berries, a medium body, and a surprisingly lively acidity. The beans come from several regions in Colombia—Cauca, Tolima, Antioquia, and Eje Cafetero—at elevations between 1,400 and 2,100 meters above sea level. For espresso, the roaster recommends a dose of 18 g, yielding 36 ml in 26 seconds.
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