What's Wrong with Spanish Coffee? 😥☕
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- Something is very wrong with Spanish coffee. If you buy a pack of coffee in the supermarket, or a café solo in a bar, it too often tastes like acrid burnt rubber. Want to know why? In this video I delve into the mysterious world of torrefacto! So venga, let’s go! 🥝
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When I first moved to Spain in 2011, I would buy all my coffee at the supermarket. But it never tasted very good. It always had this acrid, bitter flavour. I drink my coffee black, and I found the stuff I was buying and drinking in bars almost undrinkable. It was like burnt rubber.
And then one day I looked a little closer at the coffee packet. And I noticed this common word, “mezcla”. I knew that mezcla meant mix or blend. But I thought - a blend of what? So I read further, and then I started seeing this word “torrefacto”. I had no idea what it was, but I suspected it had to do with what was going on with the coffee in this country.
So I started investigating further, and I discovered that torrefacto is a process that is applied to coffee beans sold in Spain that make the coffee taste, well, horrible. How the tradition got started is connected to the civil war. And why we still drink torrefacto coffee in Spain is about tradition, and, well, habit.
In this video I explain what torrefacto is, do a taste testing with my wife Yoly, and head to Toma Cafe to get a good cup of coffee!
Below is a list of great coffee places in Madrid:
Toma Café (Malasaña)
Toma Café (Chamberi)
Cafe Tornasol (Antón Martín market)
Zero Point (Lavaiés)
HanSo Café (Malasaña)
Coffee & Kicks (near Puerta del Sol
WHO ARE WE? 🥝
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Hola, Spain lovers! We're James and Yoly. James is a New Zealander, and Yoly is from Spain. And we both live in Madrid. This channel is all about giving you a local insight into life in Spain, and helping you experience this country like a local when you come to visit (or live!). If that sounds like your kind of thing, bienvenido!
*This description contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you use them 🙏🏻
When I first moved to Spain, I couldn't figure out what the coffee tasted so bad. So I did a little investigating. And that lead me to the mysterious world of torrefacto. Have you tried coffee in Spain? What did you think? Let me know in the comment below - I'm very curious!
Just moved to Naples Italy from Hawaii. I did love those Hawaiian beans; will I have to be on the lookout for Torrefacto here in Italy, maybe by a different name? (My wife is from Spain so she has been giving me the basic tour of food and drink)
it took a while for me to find good coffee in spain. i did find out i like a cafe con hielo though
What you describe is extremely similar to what is served in Vietnam - sugar roasted robusta - quite sure that’s a colonial hangover too! I expect robusta has always been much more available, it’s so much easier to grow.
It just like espresso in Italy or Cuban in Miami.
@@Expert1911 You drink Starbuck? Spain coffee is good Starbuck is bad.
I love that I can get a cafe con leche in a raggity bar pay 1.50 of even and its better than Starbucks imo
The good thing about Starbucks is that it's triple the size of a regular bar's milk coffee. Some of us like our coffee extra big :)
@@PluslineNeko I can never taste the coffee in a Starbucks cappuccino or latte. And it's much more expensive.
Actually u can have coffee in many places for 1 euro
Bill-Guille Yes you need to ask for an extra shot in Starbucks .
AZ One of my very favorite things about Spain! Walk into any little bar and put down a couple euros and you get a beautiful cup of really strong coffee, often with a little chocolate on the side, and served in a real cup, not paper. Sigh. I miss it.
The cofee in Spain is for people who need start live. A dead man with close eyes became a Spedy Gonzalez or Correcaminos with eyes like dishes, the diferent: "un cortado, por favor".
We don´t need coca or nothing like this.
LOL remember that we sleep one hour less, in average, than other europeans
try starbucks in America, it taste like water
Try Starbucks in Spain, that is literally water xD
Starbucks is better than most chain coffee places in US. But coffee in general is not great here. Australia really knows how to do coffee.
I am not a Star Bucks fan and I really don't understand why so many drink it.
@@stickychocolate8155 Disagree, I was in Australia, most of the coffee I got there was Star Bucks rip off recipe; with a slight bend towards more of milk shake than true coffee.
@@Emy53 I live in California. I am not a fan of it as well. The reason it is popular is due to pure marketing.
This is so funny to me. I really love Spanish coffee! I couldn’t figure out why it tasted so much stronger and (to me) tastier than what is typically offered in the US. To find out it’s 15-20% burnt sugar makes it all make sense, because I’ve always loved anything with that bittersweet burnt caramel flavor. So thanks for the explanation! 😂
see, some of us find this appealing!!
It's only in Southern Spain
Once again, James and Yoli expanding the list of cool places that I need to visit in Madrid (and I've been living here my whole life)
I'm glad!!!
Nipple-hardening mix?! LOL. The sense of humor in these videos is great...love it!
This was the funniest video Blick has posted. I watched it 2x because it was hilarious.
I laughed out loud when he said that
carmelized sugar will do that to ya
I never had a "really" bad coffee in Spain, this is new to me this info. One of the things that I love about Spain, is just the coffee. And I don't like bitter coffee so I must have been lucky then trough out the years:) Mostly I drink cafe con leche bot also from time to time a normal cafe, and the combo of coffee and milk in Spain are wonderful.
Yeah, if you're drinking with milk then most of the time you won't notice the flavour
@@spainrevealed Wrong in that, James! It's noticeable even as a latte machiato (leche manchada). Ewww! Yuk! I get the shivers! 😂
And you are right, what this guy is saying does not make any sense.
I love coffe in Spain and most spanish people seem to like it too. Its only ever anglophone people I see complaining about the coffee in Spain but everyone has different tastes! The reason Cafe con leche tastes unique is because in Spain they usually use UHT milk rather than fresh milk and I actually prefer it with coffee.
The people in this thread saying the coffee in Spain is bad... I just don't get it. I love coffee and have had it in about 15 countries all over the world and Torrefacto is my favourite.
Interesting story. I'm Spanish and I didn't know anything about this. BTW, I like Spanish coffee, LOL
It's funny, I'm Spanish and have been an expat for over 20 years now. I had to watch your video to understand why I miss Spanish coffee so much. What I miss is my torrefacto!! I didn't know it was such bad quality either... But I like it that way. It must be the emotional factor you mentioned. Great video thanks!
I am also a Spanish migrant living abroad, and, even though I knew about torrefacto and Spanish coffee's bad quality, I also miss the Spanish coffee with torrefacto!
Totally good point! Good/bad is a matter of taste :)
desgusting
It's not bad quality. The author of this video is profoundly arrogant, and I, who am also a Spanish person, was deeply offended by it. I don't know where you're living now but if you're living in any of the Commonwealth countries or the USA I'm sure you've noticed that the coffee is actually worse than in Spain. I live in Canada and I am about 120Km away from the nearest place I know of that serves a tolerable espresso. If I were in Spain I could walk 50 metres to the nearest bar, cafe, restaurant, or even chiringuito, and get a very very nice coffee. Here in Canada I am surrounded by Tim Hortons. Terrible terrible coffee. I was heartbroken to see Tim Hortons opening up in Spain the last time I visited. There's one in the Renfe station in Alicante!
@@user-of4bf8dl5r The coffee is not bad quality. You should always ignore arrogant expats like the author of this video. He comes to Spain from abroad then claims to be an expert on all things about Spain. He's pathetic.
Wow, congratulations! You really went deep in your research about Spanish coffee. I’m a Spaniard and, in my opinion, our coffee sucks! 😂😂😂 I lived in Brazil for a while and I was amazed of how good their coffee was, and you didn’t need to go anywhere special, any place around the corner would do the trick. Mind blowing good 🤯❤️❤️❤️
I live in Spain myself and I think this is the 1st time someone is complaining about their coffee. I absolutely love it and everytime I travel up north it kills me not to be bale to have a decent coffee in the morning.
So true
People from Spain can't see it cause they don't live in a place where coffee is amazing like Italy
@@Herr.Mitternacht dude, it’s the same coffee hahaha we’re neighbours and many Italians live here
@@Shmalick It's not the same coffee. People associate Spain with good tapas and wine but not with coffee. Italy is considered the best place for an espresso or cappuccino. Spanish people don't take proud in the way they make coffee and that's fine. But don't kid yourself and think you can find great coffee everywhere in Spain just like in Italy. If you don't find a difference is because you don't know anything about coffee or just do half coffee half milk from a carton.
@@Herr.Mitternacht You have never been in Spain. Italian coffee and spanish coffe are very similar. If the author of the video is complaining for the Spanish coffe, then If he were in Italy then he would be complaining much more, because Italian coffe is even a little bit stronger. He is used to drinking very very very smooth coffee and he only have felt the huge difference between both drinks.
After all these years you have answered a question I always asked myself. Thanks.
It's a testament that you can get use to anything - even bad coffee. Unless of course you're Italian. They would never put up with a bad cup.
In Portugal we don´t have the mezcla café and I notice when I bought café in a spanish supermarket that most of the coffee (100% coffee not la Mezcla) was from a portuguese company (Delta - Campo Maior)
Delta do fantastic coffee. I see that in many places in southern Spain too
Delta? qué coño es eso. Creo que es barato.
I'm Spanish and you are SO right. I literally can only have coffee in very few specialist coffee shops these days, which luckily are opening up more and more! I miss the Aussie coffee shops
Should move to the north where coffee is not torrefacto.
What a great informative video. I'm very much a coffee lover so will certainly be looking out for the right blend. Thank you for sharing
Really helpful guys. Thank you.
Thank you, James, you just saved my mornings! Keep up the good work!
haha my pleasure
Muy bien explicado! Gracias por la aportación, buen experimento y buen ritmo. Se os felicita!
Gracias!
Great video. Well documented staff. Keep it up.
"torrefacto tasting time." This is the first time I wasn't jealous about what you guys were tasting.
Great video thanks we are off to Seville on Friday and got an apartment so will come in helpful 😀🏴🇬🇧
Great video . I'm a coffee lover and there is some decent coffee in Spain for sure . My favourite is Italian or Portuguese coffee . Good job guys. Hugs from London
As usual another great video from James. Now I know where to go for good coffee.
I had no idea about this! I knew that Spanish coffee wasn't my favourite, and now I know why! Thanks for the awesome content, as always :)
I really enjoy your videos! You and Yoli are awesome!! Keep it up!!!
I love the way you talk, its super easy to understand you.
Great video!
Fantastic video. You've fully explained something I've wondered about for yeeeears of regualry visiting Spain! Genuinely baffles me that anyone can like torrefacto coffee!
I’m pleased!!!
Go to Parcería Cafe for some great coffee if you're ever in Seville.
Thanks for the tip!
Wait... an english man complaining about spanish coffee?? really?
Haha yes! (Though I’m not English, I’m a Kiwi)
Haha yes! (Though I’m not English, I’m a Kiwi)
Haha yes! (Though I’m not English, I’m a Kiwi)
@@spainrevealed I love kiwis, they taste so niiiiice
@@aitorruiz9364 jjaajajajjaa
I go to cafe's where the coffee is good. Down in Andalucia the workers usually have a cafe solo with a brandy before going to work so a bitter taste might give you the kick start you need.. You can also ask for a 'sobre' which is a sachet of instant ..
Thanks for the info on Spanish coffee, I found coffee in Spain terribly bad, yet Portuguese coffee was perfect among the best in Europe, 2 countries so close together yet with really different coffee quality.
But two very different colonial histories - hence the difference in the coffee
I totally agree with you.
It'is incredible how in the Iberian Peninsula can be a country that's a great barista culture and another that uses "torrefacto" on a daily basis and also likes many people. Luckily there are more and more specialty coffee shops and roasters in Spain.
@@v.j.routed5310 I guess Portuguese coffee is better, but I don't know if it means better 'barista culture'...
Very interesting, now I understand why it was hard to find good coffee for our Mocha Espresso when we were in Madrid. Thanks for the info!
This is one of your best educational videos, mixing perfectly tourism, history, culture, food and entertainment! Btw loved your Sevilla videos, are you going back to record some more in the future?
Thank you for this very informative vid. I’m a coffee snob and always travel with my French press and coffee. I was looking forward to tasting the coffee of Spain on our next trip, thanks for the knowledge!
Love your definition of how torrefacto tastes. Funny video! 🤣
Thank you!
Qué interesante! Muchas gracias ♥️
love watching your Channel...so informative. are you going to do anything on Portugal, Porto, Lisbon. They are only next door to you.
Best of luck johnc
Lisbon coming in a week and a half!
Hi James, just stumbled on your channel, been bingeing on your vids. Excellent stuff :)
I lived in Spain for about 14 years and often wondered why about, mebbe, 10% of Bar/Restaurant coffee wasn't as good as the rest. Now I know!
And, I used to think that Spanish coffee was the best in the world, until I went to Rome! Yes, 3 times the price, but man, it is seriously awesome coffee!
Thanks for this excellent explanation. That's something we, Spaniards, discover when living abroad: why the hell coffee tastes so bad in Spain? You gave us the answer! Thank you!
albwixmp I used to buy my coffee beans in La mexicana . Colombian it’s always been my favourite.
No habrás estado en asía. No puedo con el café aguado...
Exactly!
Great video as usual. Maybe you could make one about your fav cafeterias in Madrid!
Hi James, being born in Cuba, I couldn’t stomach the coffee in Spain. However, Cuban coffee ( very dark espresso) is always drank with sugar. Very rarely do you see anyone drink without some sugar. I don’t know if you have ever visited Miami and had some Cuban coffee- as my Dad would say “the elixir of the gods”. You could always drink a “cortadito” which means adding some hot milk into your coffee. Let me know if you want me to send you some Cuban style coffee from Miami.
Espresso always with a sugar for me
No sugar in any other coffee though
I lived 14 years in Miami, and my stomach couldn't tolerate the Cuban coffee, too sweet and strong. I stick to my Spanish coffee
I quit drinking American coffee about 20 years ago in favor of green tea. But recently I found a small restaurant in Chadd’s Ford,PA that makes Cafe con Leche. With a little sugar and a side of Cuban bread, it was delicious. It brought back memories of mi abuelo in Tampa. BTW, they make a very good Cuban Sandwich(Miami style).
My husband and I say we moved to Spain for its coffee! Guess we’re in the minority of liking the everyday café variety - before we knew about torrefacto we certainly thought it tasted more “robust” than elsewhere in Europe. My husband takes sugar, and I like con leche, so maybe Spanish coffee stands up to those additions better ☕️❤️🇪🇸
Depends where you go in the country. In the half-north of the country you have Natural and never torrefacto. In the south they commonly use torrefacto. So it's a matter of where in the country you are going. The guy in the video was making a generalization, when in reality is a very regional thing.
Well, I'm spaniard and I thought the opposite when I travelled to USA: Why is the coffee so light here (in USA)??
Me to ...I'm shocked with this topic tbh
Same as the US beers...all watery
Well American coffee is famous for being ultra light. Hence the term "americano", which is coffee with water.
Because they normally use different types of machines and coffee
Europeans like their coffee dark roast. people from United States and Canada prefer lighter roast coffee.. so the roast changes the flavour profile big time. there are other factors that will affect taste
Another great vid, mate! I have an idea for a video which I'd love to see you guys make: the cold, harsh reality of the amount of street crime here in Madrid these days (not to mention how bad it's got in Barcelona). I've been in Madrid since 2011 like yourself, and the change these past 8 years has been crazy (I got mugged myself in Sol last month). I know it's not a fun topic to cover, and I'm well aware of people not wanting to touch upon it for fear of being politically incorrect, but given the current levels of street crime in Madrid, I think as a warning to tourists and wet-behind-the-ears guiris thinking of coming here, a video on how to make sure you don't get pickpocketed/scammed etc., would be absolutely priceless information.
Gracias! por este video, seremos más cuidadosos al comprar café. Cheers!
Oh God, I miss Spanish coffee... I lived in Spain for 9 years from 1968 to 1977 and since my return to Canada I have never had a "good" cup of coffee... We never made coffee at home in Spain... it was our treat to go to a Spanish Bar for coffee when we went out to do our shopping. Oh Lord that little Bar across from the back of the Fish Market in Fuengirola had the best Tapas and the best coffee... Maybe it isn't even there anymore? If anyone ever goes there... Her potato salad was to die for!.... I don't know how to spell it but she called it "Ensalada Rusa"... If I remember it correctly, it had her home made mayonnaise with the potatoes, green peas and tuna... and not sure what else... but I still dream of it and I haven't been back to Spain since 1981.... I lived between Fuengirola and Mijas Pueblo, so we took a long bus ride to get to the fish & vegetable market either way. Yes, I dream of having a "Sombra".... In those days it was not served in a cup & saucer, it was served in a small clear glass.
Very interesting, thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Hi James, glad to see you all well on the live stream the other day. I have a quick question ahead of my trip to Madrid at the end of November. I love Saula coffee it’s all I buy here at home (in Liverpool) for the cafetière, however this is obviously a Barcelona brand. Is there a Madrid equivalent you would recommend/ have heard others recommend that I could pick up on my trip? Thanks mate
Interesting research. Glad to find this out. I also find there is a deep seeded tendency to burn the milk when preparing a con leche, latte or capu. But I look forward to checking out your recommendations. Thanks
Interesting - I never have my coffee with milk, so haven't noticed that. But good to know!
No tenemos ni idea de café. Viví en Italia y allí si que lo cuidan.Pero jamás piso un starbucks tsmpoco.
Muy Cierto!! Vivo en los Estados Unidos y siempre traigo la maleta llena de Lavaza.
Starbucks es otra basura comercial, no usan torrefacto pero no es normal pagar 3€ por un café mediocre, cuando en una cafetería especialidad española te pides un latte por unos 1,50 y un espresso a 1,30
En todos los sitios no hacen un café decente, por eso las buenas cafeterías están a tope, la porquería de torrefacto es horrendo. Italia es otro nivel.
That’s the same type pot I use to make my daily espresso.
Mine is La Cafetierre.
It’s espresso and I require sugar!
I use regular, medium roast, espresso grind.
I get a very, lovely, dark result!
Great tip James. I had no idea there was such discrepancy on Spanish coffee. I’ve lucky, mostly sticking to Cava 😁
haha good idea
what an interesting video! thanks! I´m going to madrid in two weeks and although I dont like bitter flavors I feel like I have to try it.... also, I´m interested to know: last time I went to madrid I remember seeing in different menus "cafe con lechce" and also "cappuccino". whats the difference between the two?
Enjoy!!! :)
Just order a "cafe solo". It's espresso. Any other way of drinking coffee is inferior.
Thanks for this video! I was not impressed with the Coffee in Spain and now I know why.
I have to say, one of the best coffees I have ever had was in Spain at a roadside service station on the A8 somewhere near Ribadesella. Muy rico!!
That's because you never tried Portuguese coffee ;)
@@luismarques9280 no one cares about your coffee man
@@tyronesmith3020 yes you do kkkkk
Thanks for a very vivid explanation. When I moved to Spain, I did not like the coffee here, so I would put a lot of sugar, and also, I learned to ask for Cafe Americano which is the same coffee but they add more hot water for yoy. So, this makes my coffee in a bar taste better😂
Cheers Guys, I did wonder why Mezcla coffee existed. I will definitely check out the coffee list as love a tasty coffee.
Enjoy!
Very interesting channel, btw... Manda cojones that a foreigner teaches me about Spanish traditions xD. Good job !
haha - thank you!
Hi James. I now make my coffee Vietnamese style with condensed milk. I'm not a coffee pedant but I do like filtered coffee in the morning due to its strength. Four weeks with cafe leches in Seville in two days. Will I survive? I also liked the tiny cups of coffee the Portuguese serve up. Real heart starters.
Thank you, James. I live in Spain and coffee here is mostly wretched gut twisting battery acid. I avoid coffee like I avoid the fluorescent Paella on the Costa del Sol. As far as I am concerned it is a scam run by a coffee monopoly. I am baffled that so many folks are okay with it. Taste is not as relative as some would have it and some things are just disgusting - period. Torrefacto is disgusting. So what if a few philistines like the taste? Their taste buds have been melted away by the toxic brew.
As a Spanish person, I am offended by your comment. It is not gut twisting battery acid. That's what coffee is supposed to taste like, but you probably came to Spain from the USA or Canada or the UK so you're used to what is actually horrific low grade coffee, and you think that's what coffee is supposed to taste like. Also, as a person whose entire family comes from la costa del sol, how DARE you call our paella "fluorescent?" That's what it's supposed to look like when you use the correct amount of saffron and other ingredients that give it that color. The Costa del sol is IN Valencia. Valencia is where paella COMES from. You might as well say "The pizza in Naples is garbage". How ignorant are you bro? I find it tragic that people like you think it's ok to move to another country and then trash the local cuisine which was never intended for your tastebuds in the first place.
@@theotherspain Dear moron who makes assumptions: I have never lived in Spain. I live in Canada. I have travelled, also, to about 30 countries, all of which I have enjoyed coffee in. I've been to Spain about 20 times because my family is from there. Do you feel stupid yet? You should. What kind of idiot goes to another country and assumes to be an expert on a culture they weren't born into? You are a pompous, arrogant, pathetic excuse for a human being. You're not a spaniard, and you will never be one, yet you assume to be the world's leading expert on spain when you're just a pathetic expat who left his country of birth because he couldn't hack it there. You're probably chronically single too, aren't you? You a little lonely buddy? TRULY you are the most pathetic person I've found on the internet in the past 12 months. Who hurt you? Are you upset because you're only 140cm tall or something? Do you act this arrogant around your Spanish friends? Spaniards tend to have a very low tolerance threshold for arrogance so I'm assuming you don't. Keep living a lie buddy. Enjoy.
i trained under alfred peet, and im sure he knew of this, and he probably didnt care for it, but i do. i have a trained palate. i tend towards very dark, very bitter, i dislike any hint of sourness, as found in light or medium roasts. so of course i would find torrefacto interesting. i also like white and green tea, and can drink all without cream or sugar, so i trip on incredibly subtle flavors. as did alfred, whose eyes would roll up in his head tasting room temperature teas at a tasting.
Ah, this explains a lot! Can't wait to go back to Spain to try some torrefacto, knowing it's torrefacto 😅
haha let us know how you get on!
Excellent video, James and Yoli! Muchas gracias! I found Spanish coffee excellent, much much better than Starbucks. Always get either caffe con leche or cortado in bars and it is nearly always excellent! I never bought mezcla in supermarkets, as I use Nespresso capsules at home. Thank you for explaining this Torrefacto story- very interesting! Keep doing your nice videos! All the best!
Thanks Vlad! Yeah, if you're having with milk, you won't notice as much.
Next time I am in Spain will try caffe solo remembering your video! :) thank you very much for your entertaining and positive videos! You are the best!
Hi James, I had cafe solo in various parts of Spain and I noticed they tasted different in every place. Now I know why! Thank you
It could be the water. For me, the upper the place (in Spain) the better the coffee.
Toma is one of my favorite places, glad to see it as one of your examples of a good local coffee shop!
This makes sense, I do remember my first taste of coffee in Madrid being wah?! Don't forget that robusta has a much higher caffeine content than arabica. So while bitter and less refined than arabica, some drinkers (like me) may like a blend for more of a kick. Excellent informative vid as usual!
Great stuff never realised why I always preferred Nescafe when living in Toledo Valencia & Jerez.. Thought it was me being fussy👍👍👍🥰🥰🥰🥰
I've 'always' been an espresso coffee lover... thanks for your input into my 'expertise' and experience.
PS You guys make Mondays feel like Sundays. Thx!
PSS I drink Kazaar from Nespresso, made in their espresso machine.
Very good informative video as always. James Blick is a fantastic communicator and even Spaniards can learn two or three things through his eyes. It is true that some cafeterias in Spain serve quite a bad tasting coffee, but it may not all be down to torrefacto but to their ability to prepare coffee and maintain their machine. While torrefacto started as a way to provide cheap coffee to the masses, it is not anymore a matter of low quality/price. Supermarkets offer packs of "natural" coffee side to side with "mezcla" at different proportions, and people can buy the kind of coffee they prefer the most. They are often sold at exactly the same price. If it was so terrible, people would only choose "natural", so I guess it is some kind of a developed taste for that dark burnt flavour, the same way as Americans enjoy the overburnt meat from a barbecue while my mum would make a scandal and throw it away. Let's not forget that coffee as a drink (like chocolate, for example) is already a highly (naturally) processed product. We are not talking about eating an apple from the tree nor eating the bean from the bush! I live in the Philippines for most of the year and my only choices here if I am out are American coffee shops, as I am not so much into the brewed coffee that a few Filipinos drink. Sometimes (but not always), I would like to enjoy that particular unique burnt torrefacto flavour, even better in cortado (Italian macchiato is lovely but I do love variety).
Thanks for those thoughts Marcos!
Great video. I really don't like torrefacto, but I've had to adapt to it. Milk and sugar help a lot. In Uruguay, not a coffee drinking nation, it was all I could find in supermarkets. Gah! I think they call it glaseado, Now, can we have a video about why when you order a glass of orange juice, it always comes with sugar packets? :)
Good call on the sugar packets! lol
It's true James. I always add a sachet of sugar to to my tiny glass (cafe en vaso). I don't have sugar anywhere else. I'm very pleased to get to the end of my coffee and wash it down with a, far superior, fresh orange juice to rinse my mouth out. You did a great video explaining the history of Spanish coffee. Spain is such a fast cafe culture that it's going to take a long time for the coffee to change. We tend to eat with the coffee too so it disguises the poor quality. Stuart at Spain Speaks did a video of this also. Cheers. WT
I love this explanation. Did not know.
I enjoyed the video very much. What kind of coffee maker is it that you used to make coffee in your kitchen?
Thank you! Just the typical Bialetti-style (but not that actual brand). But if you Google Bialetti you'll find it.
Thanks. I’m looking forward to your next video.
@@spainrevealed The one you used in the video is an actual Bialetti -- the logo is engraved on the side. Have you tried using a lower flame and shutting it off as soon as the small bubbles appear? Makes a huge difference in the taste.
The issue we had with the coffee in Spain wasnt with the espresso being bitter, but rather the drip coffee being sour. It was as if everyone brewed light roast, and we werent fans. But cafe con leche was always a good back up for us.
To which I respond- who goes to western Europe and orders drip coffee? You know?
I'll be in Spain next month so I greatly appreciate this information!
Have a great trip!
@@spainrevealed Thank you! While most of our time will be spent in Valencia and Malaga, your videos are so helpful. It's nice to hear both the expat experience and the local one from Yoly. My husband and I are thinking of moving to Spain in the future (he is an EU citizen from the Republic of Ireland, though we both currently live in Canada which is where I'm from). We do hope to explore Madrid in the future, as well!
Very educational, hilarious and authentic. I love this channel. I have always enjoyed strong black coffee, but I am not sure that I can handle nuclear! Lol. I guess I might need to drink something else when I return to Spain. Thanks for the history of Torrefacto.
haha - thanks Anne! Let us know how you get on!
Omg finally a kiwi youtuber passionate about Spain I just discovered your channel today
Hehe welcome!!
James , you are a genious!
From Argentina
Puerto Rico produces one of the best quality coffees in the world...100% pure coffee....
People still put sugar in it.
Yes, en España se consume mucho café de la hermana Puerto Rico y de muchas partes del mundo. Pero aún hay muchas cafeterías de baja calidad, que usan cafés malísimos.
Si tienes un viaje planeado a Miami, tendrás que probar un Cafecito Cubano. No te lo pierdas!
Ok!
Yo soy cubano y cuando voy a Cuba les llevo Tirma, que es de aquí de canarias, a ellos le gusta.
Nice mate. Great little history lesson, a reason for the madness atleast. Nick and I went to toma café today. I hit that up most days. Makes me feel like I'm back in welly for a few brief moments.
Hey, Josh! I must have given you all the wrong number in the last meet-up! Not intentionally of course. I must be developing dislexia or something. I sometimes mix up sixes and nines, especially when I've had several vermouths! 😂 Sorry if you tried to contact me and it was the wrong number. Say hi to Nick from me.
James how do you know what the bars are serving? I now know what to look for in the Supermarkets but what about my usual cafe con leche (er, and no to sugar in coffee, sorry Yoli). 😊
You sort of don't. But if it's a traditional place, it'll likely be serving torrefacto. I'm sure there are exceptions.
Lol..that was a funny opening🤣
Totally true! That's why I love Portugal...
Does anyone know what that music is that plays when he’s making the coffee?
Great video! I missed Spanish coffee while living in England, and now that I am here I can notice the difference. However, I do like mezcla! I find it good for cortados, café con leche and just general small sized coffees. The problem I saw in the UK was that, even if you could find nice coffee, only the chains (not Starbucks, ugh!) and the special little shops would do a nice coffee for my tastes, everywhere else it would just too watery, and that's just not nice! This is my opinion though, I still think Italy are the masters of coffee!
Hi Yoli! You are my inspiration......"sorry...but...I'm not really sorry". Te adoro. Desde Boquete, Panama, the land of coffee.
Gracias Regina (dice Yoly) xxx
Great video!
I've been in Spain twice and the coffee there always taste amazing !! Even in the small train station coffee shop ;-)
It's really interesting! In Brazil, the bad quality coffee is made with extra toasted beans, so people don't recognize if some branches/leaves were burnt together with it. The coffee, then, tastes very very strong, but not as a good coffee. As you said, the secret in this case is to buy the 100% Arabica ones!
On the other hand, I really like strong coffee, strong flavor, but balanced with the acidity. Colombia produces great coffee, but their preference is not to toast it dark, making their coffee more acid. Moreover, they make it looks like a tea, because they add too much water.
The truth is that coffee has a range of flavors and preferences, but you brought me a new information: I never realized it could be toasted with sugar!!! I read this "mezcla" in the supermarket, but I didn't get it so I didn't buy it!
Thank you, guys!
Finally I understand why our coffee was so bad! I must say that things are improving though. Thank you for the great explanation, well and for all your videos.
Menudo tonto eres que no sabes nada y te tragas el primer video que ves
Loved the video. Have you tried the coffee the shops Black Poplar Federal Cafe? If you haven’t, you should.
I’m going to Madrid and Seville in a few weeks. I’m glad I saw this. I drink coffee all day but need cream and sugar.
Just got back from Spain and I love, love, love their coffee. Wish we could get that here in Michigan
You can get it at Italian coffee roasters!
Shelly Andrade ...... He doesn't know what he is talking about , he thinks that the only coffee in Spain is the torrefacto kind , You love the coffee in Spain because you had drink good coffee , he still don't know where to find it , not even at the stores . I am from Spain my wife from USA everytime we have been going to Spain with friends from this country , they had love the coffee there . He likes Arabica coffee , a light coffee like cola cao . Do you like arabica coffee ?? I don't . So you see that goes for taste .
If You like Strong coffee You like torrefacto. My father doesnt like coffee Like the ones you can find abroad, he likes Strong and dark coffee. For him, coffee isnt good if its lighter. Its all about what you are used to. I like coffee with a lot of milk and i have got used to have It without sugar. Natural coffee seems like It hasnot enough coffee when you mix It with milk. And the smell of torrefacto is more intense.
@@rojimyayang5857 .....Not really , not all strong coffee are good , and torrefacto for my taste is bitter , not strong , now like I said that is go by taste and what we like , there are a lot of people who like torrefacto , like chicory , like arabica , or like sanka , or nescafe , coffee have so many different flavor like so many people who drinked . It is something particular for each one .
@@angellavado4846, he knows perfectly well. He is voicing a common complaint not only among visitors from other countries, but also Spanish people. The coffee served in most neighbourhood bars is torrefacto and really bitter. It reminds one of the smell of tar or burnt tire. I didn't know that was the effect of the burnt sugar coating the beans. As I said in a previous message, I used to go to Delina's and I really loved their coffee because it tasted like coffee and it was not bitter at all. I asked a waiter what kind of coffee they served and she told me it was natural roast, not torrefacto, so I decided to switch to natural ever since.
But if someone likes or even loves torrefacto, well, they are free to have it. They only have to go to the nearest bar and order one. No problem.
¡Qué interesante! Thank you, James. I'm Spanish and I'm doing some research about coffee for a podcast and I didn't know what torrefacto was!
I like the new editing style 😁
Thank you! Carlos, my editor, is fantastic!
Wait, I was drinking shots of espresso. Do they do the same process with their espresso? I'm craving it!!
Yep totally. Espresso is just a way of serving coffee (i.e. a small amount)
Thanks for the video! I'm spaniard (also living in Madrid) and I didn't know all this.
I never liked the bitter taster of the dark coffee but until now I didnt know it was mostly artificial!!
I guess is one of those cultural things, but from now on, I will try to find natural coffee.
Fascinating!