{"id":149250,"date":"2023-01-26T12:50:28","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T11:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=149250"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:59:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T08:59:25","slug":"a-beginners-guide-to-coffee-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/01\/26\/a-beginners-guide-to-coffee-on-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"A beginner’s guide to coffee on campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feel like grabbing a cup of coffee? Yes, of course! But trying to make heads or tails of all the options at the university is no simple task. There are so many different coffee dispensing machines and coffee bars on the EUR campus, in the Erasmus MC and at the Erasmus University College that you can easily miss the forest for the beans. Where do you find coffee that\u2019s affordable and tastes great? How do students rate the coffee from the machines? And how is it possible that two versions of the same machine, in two different buildings, make different-tasting coffee?<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJosine Henneken<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Two large, full latte macchiatos rest on the table in the Food Plaza at Campus Woudestein, where Psychology students Martina (20) and Josephine (21) are having an animated conversation. They feel confident about their choice for this particular latte, even though it meant braving the icy winter temperatures for a trip to the Spar grocery store. \u201cHere at the Starbucks, coffee drinks start<\/em> at \u20ac4.60, and we pay \u20ac1.35 per cup.\u201d \u201cAnd besides that\u201d, Josephine adds, \u201cI can get vegan milk at the Spar.\u201d They are also unanimous in their opinion of the latte macchiato from the coffee machine: it\u2019s \u201chorrible\u201d.<\/p>\n

Tastes obviously differ<\/h2>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u2018Believe me, I can taste a difference between one machine and another\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Jochem Kooloos (19, International Business Administration) always takes his coffee black, and he spends time in different buildings at Woudestein. \u201cBecause I only drink one kind of coffee, it\u2019s easy for me to compare. And believe me, I can taste a difference between one machine and another. Coffee from the machine in the Langeveld building genuinely tastes better, and I\u2019ve heard other students say the same thing.\u201d Mette (19) is studying Arts & Culture, and in her opinion, the coffee from the green machines in Sanders and Polak tastes better than the coffee in Theil. \u201cMaybe because the buildings are newer?\u201d<\/p>\n

The coffee machine on Campus Woudestein charge \u20ac0.86, no matter which kind of coffee you choose. Most of the machines work by forcing hot water through coffee syrup. At some of the coffee machines in the Theil Building, you can actually see the beans in a round, transparent cylinder on top of the machine. That means coffee made from freshly ground beans, for the same \u20ac0.86.<\/p>\n

Not the most delicious<\/h2>

In the corridor between the library and the Theil Building, Ole (22, Fiscal Law) explains his beverage of choice. \u201cThis machine is close by. I\u2019d rather go here than to the coffee bar, because you end up hanging around there. This isn\u2019t the most delicious coffee, but it\u2019s good for your concentration.\u201d Mohammed (24), a Law student, adds: \u201cHere in the library, the coffee from the machine is good enough, but twice a week I treat myself to an expensive coffee from Starbucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adelaide Semoli (20, Communication & Media) nods toward the coffee bar in the Theil Building. \u201cSometimes I stop there for coffee with fresh milk, because I have lactose intolerance. Even though it\u2019s more expensive than the coffee machine \u2013 \u20ac1.50 \u2013 I order a large coffee for \u20ac2.10, so I get more of the good-tasting coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prices differ as well<\/h2>

Onward to the next campus, the Erasmus MC. In the Education Centre, there is a constant stream of students visiting the coffee machine. Yet there\u2019s not a coffee drinker in sight. The first student drinks water, as does the next, followed by a chocolate milk drinker. \u201cMuch too sweet, which you wouldn\u2019t expect at the Erasmus MC. But what\u2019re you gonna do \u2013 I never drink coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next stop is the VAT coffee bar, which is run by the study association for medical students in Rotterdam, MFVR. Here, there is no price list to be found. \u201cFresh filter coffee from the insulated jug is free. Coffee from our machine costs 40 cents\u201d, says Veerle Joosting (22, Medicine), who is working at the bar today. \u201cAll the coffee machines in the Education Centre are free, but coffee from our machine is brewed using a different process\u201d, adds Joep Moens (18, Medicine). \u201cOur machine grinds the coffee beans and produces a layer of cream.\u201d Veerle opens the cupboard under the machine and, believe it or not, there\u2019s a tiny refrigerator holding a carton of fresh milk, connected to the coffee machine by a small tube. \u201cFor the lattes\u201d, she says, beaming.<\/p>\n