Page 27 - #63 eng 电子版

Uno Mas, Por Favor!
Uno Mas, Por Favor!
Uno Mas, Por Favor!

Wandering around Madrid and looking for
a perfect cup of coffee.

T he specialty coffee scene in coffee a difficult endeavor. From the History

typical café con leche (espresso with
Madrid has experienced great
growth over the last couple of
years. Whereas in 2015 it was milk) in the morning to the cortado in Madrid is the capital of Spain
the afternoon, Spanish people are used
still quite intimate with less than a handful to drinking bitter coffee and add milk and the largest municipality
cafés serving specialty grade coffee, the and sugar to improve the taste. While of the country. The city has
almost 3.2 million inhabitans.
number has easily tripled since then. This this makes little sense to someone who
exciting transition has led to a number of works in specialty coffee, it is a custom
changes in Madrid’s gastronomic landscape. that predominates since the Spanish
The residential neighborhood Chamberí and Civil War in 1936. It was then that the
multicultural Lavapiés have been trans- term “torrefacto” came into play, a
formed into coffee destinations. The tradi- method whereby sugar is added to the
tional, local market “Mercado Vallehermo- last stage of roasting. Due to extreme-
so” in Chamberí has been extended quite ly high temperatures the sugar burns
recently with a designated area for organic and coats coffee beans with a black,
produce, slow food and specialty coffee to oily film.
accommodate the slow but steady change in This practice has prevailed until
consumer’s behaviour. today and gives coffee in Spain its
Lastly, we see more and more coffee characteristic bitterness. To let the
shops that start roasting beans themselves general public experience the facet of
or developing individual roast profiles to- flavors and sweetness coffee naturally
gether with a befriended roasteries. While possesses is a task specialty coffee
the third wave is without a doubt progress- shops in Spain take very seriously.
ing in the Spanish capital, it takes a lot of They work hard to change the percep-
explaining and reshaping mindsets on a tion of how coffee is supposed to taste.
daily basis. In Spain tradition plays a major This article is introducing both the
role in everyday life, which makes changing pioneers of Madrid’s specialty coffee
rituals such as how Spaniards drink their scene and its recent additions.

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