Specialty coffee in Portugal

Specialty coffee in Portugal reworks the bica, the sugared short espresso, and took hold in Lisbon from 2015 with Fábrica Coffee Roasters. The bica, a strong espresso traditionally made from arabica-robusta blends and drunk with sugar, remains the national habit. Fábrica Coffee Roasters opened in Lisbon in summer 2015, and Copenhagen Coffee Lab arrived around the same time with a Nordic approach to light roasting and pastries. Early specialty roasters often chose medium roasts as a bridge to local taste, and many still roast medium to dark.

Lisbon holds the large majority of the country's specialty cafés, and Porto matches it in roasting, with a compact scene that includes several roastery-cafés. Beyond the two cities, specialty coffee follows the coast and the tourist trail: Cascais, Ericeira and Costa de Caparica near Lisbon, Lagos, Albufeira and Tavira in the Algarve, and Funchal on Madeira, with Braga and Coimbra in the north and centre.

Roasters that shape Portuguese specialty coffee include Fábrica, SO Coffee Roasters and Combi Coffee Roasters in Porto, 7g Roaster, Senzu Coffee Roasters and Al-Gharb Coffee Roasters. Expect espresso and filter on most menus, brunch at many Lisbon cafés, and a scene that is still closely linked to the city's international residents while its local following grows.