Basic coffee in Spain is often knocked for a process called torrefacto, which is when sugar is added in the last stages of coffee roasting, giving the beans a sticky, black coating.While it was developed to preserve beans, it also adds a burned and very bitter taste without any of the nuances of specialty coffee. Great article James….You’ve certainly broken the ice as far as why some cafe’s pass on bitter brews….keep up the good work, always great to hear your articles…interesting as always. But usually in Spain what you find is one bar each 5 buildings (Or even less!!) If you’ve been pining to recreate that delicious café con leche you enjoyed during your visit to Spain, search no more. The process makes the resulting drink much darker and more bitter. Saimaza are Spain’s premier coffee manufacturer, producing the country’s best loved brand in Seville since 1929. But if you do decide to do your taste buds a favour and ditch the burnt-sugar brew, then pull up a hessian cushion at Toma. Life IS too short to drink coffee. Sheesh. Great article, ever since I first read this a few years back I always pay extreme attention whenever I’m out buying coffee. Strong. Torrefacto. It must be a personal thing – but I love torrefacto coffee and the bitter taste – always bring loads back from any visit to Spain. Spain mug Spain Coffee Mug Spain Coffee Cup Id Rather Be In Spain Mug Spain Gifts Novelty gift Travel lover coffee mug. Even though we live in Sao Paulo, my parents still plant, harvest and roast their own coffee in our house in the country side. and all of them serves coffee but none of them have that idea of good coffee so what they do is hire a cheap supplier that gives them the coffee machine if they sell their coffee ending up in a cup of cheap coffee for 1-1.40€ (unless you're in a big city) Don’t be put off as this essentially means the roasting process. How about health, then? And given torrefacto is burnt sugar, well… you get the idea. In coffee you find a lot of acid, bitter ingredients, coffein, etc. According to the guys at Toma, stock-standard Madrid bars usually serve a 70/30 or 80/20 mix (where the smaller percentage is torrefacto beans and the rest natural beans). Torrefacto Coffee is very much common in Spain and if you order coffee at any restaurant of cafe in Spain, you are likely to get a cup of torrefacto coffee – a thicker with a rich flavour and aroma.. But torrefacto really took off after the 1936 – 1939 Spanish civil war. All companies of coffee in Spain have natural and roasted, robusta and Arabica coffee. This would make it no more dangerous than, say, a caramel pudding (which also uses sugar cooked until it darkens). Well, now we know why coffee is bloody awful and sometimes wonderful. I’ll be sure to have a read. Unfortunately health issues don’t allow me to have caffeine any more, yet I love the flavour and ritual of coffee.. Desperately in need of buying good coffee for home. Then, six months ago, I got talking to a guy at Cafés Pozo. (Santiago: “It’s a scam. Just stumbled upon this article and thread when trying to understand a bit more about spanish coffee. 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