4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

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4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

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4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

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4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

In recent years, the Spanish capital has developed a vibrant specialty-coffee scene. Here are some cool cafés to visit for a caffeine fuel-up.

BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT

The baristas behinf the chic black and white bar at Hanso. There is a Strada machine and a glass pastry case, with whhite subway tile walls behind the bar and black shelving for coffee and merchandise.
The espresso bar at HanSo.

HanSo Café, a Perfect Spot for Breakfast  

In Chinese, HanSo roughly translates to “a very humble person who invites people to his home.” That’s surely how you will feel after spending even a short time in one of the café’s Madrid locations.  

Cozy, vibrant, and very welcoming, the first HanSo location in the Malasaña neighborhood was opened in 2015. Owner Nicho is originally from China but cut his teeth in the coffee world by training with the guys at Toma Café, right here in Spain. 

HanSo2, a larger, more minimalist space, followed in late summer 2021, bringing the same quality of the flagship store to a new neighborhood. 

Two black sandwich boards on the street outside HanSo. One features a drawing of No Face from the anime Spirited Away, who has a mask for a face and wears a black robe. He holds a latte with rosetta art. The smaller sign next to it features Totoro of the anime MY Neighbor Totoro, who is a big cat-faced and bear-bodied beast with pointy ears. He holds a to-go cup and flashes his signature toothy grin.
HanSo offers European-roasted brews and endless charm.

HanSo uses coffee from the best European roasters (with a preference for Nordic light-roasted coffee) and brews it to perfection. They offer delicious Asian-inspired pastry and a to-die-for brunch menu. Try the scrumptious Croiffle: a croissant “upgraded” to waffle, served with crispy bacon, maple syrup, and caramelized seasonal fruit. You won’t regret it.   

Naji Specialty Coffee, for a Sweet Mid-Morning Break

If, during your stay in Madrid, you feel like something different from your usual morning V60, Naji Specialty Coffee is the place to go. (A V60 is still on the menu, and it is quite good!)

A red cermic cup and saucer holds the pistachio latte at Naji, which has a dusting of ground pistachio on top.
The highly praised Pistachio Latte at Naji.

The busy café, named after the Iraqi-born owner, offers a specialty that’s become legendary: the Pistachio Latte. Lest the most snobbish coffee geeks turn up their noses, it has nothing to do with trendy, too-sweet milky drinks. Featured in Condé Nast Traveler, this latte’s authentic pistachio flavor is magical, opening a door to Naji’s culture and heritage.  

An espresso in white cup. There are are two small water glasses and an espresso spoon on the wooden tray.
An espresso setup at The Fix.

The Fix, for a Quick Lunch and Home-Roasted Beans  

An investigation of Madrid’s specialty coffee scene wouldn’t be complete without trying some of the local roasters. The Fix Coffee Roasters, founded in 2018, serves its delicious roasted coffee in a lovely café nestled in a vibrant neighborhood near the famous Plaza de España.

A barista in a ball cap pours a latte behind the bar at The Fix. The menu is pasted directly on the white wall behind. White shelves hold coffee bags and a chemex and other devices. The bar looks like white and gray marble.
Behind the bar at The Fix.

Alongside hand-brews, drip coffee, and espresso-based drinks, at The Fix you will find everything you need to fix you up for a busy day, from homemade cakes to toasts and salads. Come in for a quick lunch, and leave with a bag of coffee to take with you on your next adventure! 

Acid Café, for a Relaxed Madrid Afternoon

Specialty-coffee shop, bakehouse, shop: Acid Café is all of this, and much more. Opened in 2017 by Fede Graciano, the café’s first location—known as Acid #1—is the place to go for relaxing on a lazy afternoon. This small, comfy coffee shop serves coffee from the Danish roaster La Cabra, to be paired with fragrant homemade pastries. 

Customers sit inside Acid #1 while baristas make drinks. There is abstract art on the walls, small black tables with wooden benches on a concrete floor, and glass pastry case. The ceiling is black with bright industrial lighting.
The interior of Acid #1.

Acid recently opened two (plus one) more shops. Acid #2, just a few minutes’ walk from the main location, specializes in baked goods. Acid #3, farther away, is focused on coffee merch and retail. Gota Wine (which, while carrying a different name, is managed by the same lovely people) is just around the corner. It offers naked wines, small plates, and records—a perfect way to end a busy, caffeine-filled day. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

The post 4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid appeared first on Barista Magazine Online.

4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

4 Coffee Shops Worth a Visit in Madrid

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