Elevate Coffee Lab

Elevate Coffee Lab has been located at Van der Helstplein 10H in Amsterdam-Zuid since October 2024. Founder and owner Ahmad Alshikh had been working with coffee for approximately twelve years before the shop opened. His career began in Syria. After moving to the Netherlands, he worked in cafés and took various coffee courses. He subsequently held positions at Moyee Coffee, Vermaat, De Koffie Academie, and Keen Coffee. At Keen Coffee, he served as Head Roaster. Additionally, he completed a university degree in agriculture.

The coffee bar describes its concept through consistency, experimentation, and transparency. These principles are primarily reflected in the changing menu and the attention to preparation. The coffee offering changes approximately every six to eight weeks. In addition to coffee from Keen Coffee, beans from guest roasters are also featured on the menu. In previous publications, DAK Coffee Roasters and other local roasters were mentioned.

Service is provided at the table. The establishment chooses a relaxed pace. According to public communications, laptops and sugar are not available in the café. This policy partly determines how the space is used: not as a workspace, but as a place where coffee and explanation are central. This approach is a choice by the business and says nothing about the quality of individual drinks.

The drink menu includes espresso, flat white, cappuccino, latte, and filter coffee. Cold brew, decaffeinated coffee, and plant-based milk are also listed as available categories. For filter coffee, the bar uses the Hario V60 and the Origami dripper, among others. Filter coffees are ground and brewed per order, rather than being prepared in advance as a batch brew.

Before opening, the team tested the available beans and recipes. Previous menus featured, for example, Keen Coffee Jaguara, a washed Ethiopian Heirloom, and El Diamante Esperanza from Costa Rica. Because the menu changes regularly, these coffees may no longer be available. The mentioned examples primarily show that origin, processing, and brewing method play a role in the composition of the menu.

In addition to daily service, Elevate Coffee Lab organizes workshops on espresso, filter coffee, and latte art. Topics include grinder settings, extraction, origin, processing methods, recipes, milk steaming, and pouring techniques. An external coffee guide reports that filter and espresso workshops take place monthly, although the available information does not provide a full annual schedule.

The location is also used for tastings and cultural activities. On March 3, 2026, an open cupping took place with Mahembe Coffee from Rwanda. In February 2026, there was the photo exhibition Source by Katerina Joannides. From May 30 to June 29, 2026, a Window Project by French artist Lucas Beaufort was scheduled. Earlier, on January 13, 2025, the shop served as the host location for a matcha latte art competition by ESTA and Oatly.

The business describes the coffee as organically and sustainably sourced. However, public information does not include certificates, audits, or measurable goals that further substantiate these claims. No independently verified programs for waste, energy, packaging, or emissions were found. According to an external guide, customers are allowed to use their own reusable cup.

Transparency regarding origin is, according to the business, part of the concept. The establishment aims to provide information about producers, processes, and the background of each coffee. A concrete example is the collaboration with Mahembe Coffee. Alshikh visited the Mahembe Farm in Rwanda in early 2024, after which a closer working relationship was established. Keen Coffee is also documented as a supplier. In November 2024, L’Abeille supplied baked goods to the shop.

Since its opening, Elevate Coffee Lab has appeared in multiple trade and city media. Attention focused primarily on Alshikh’s career, the hand-brewed filter coffee, the changing roasters, and the workshop program. The shop was also included in an Amsterdam coffee guide. No publicly documented prices or competition wins were found. The profile of the shop therefore rests primarily on the described concept, the preparation method, and the combination of coffee education, tastings, and small-scale events.