Specialty coffee in Spain

Specialty coffee in Spain had to overcome torrefacto, beans roasted with sugar since the Civil War; the change gathered pace in Barcelona from 2013. Torrefacto added weight to scarce coffee and left a bitter taste that became the national norm. Nomad Coffee, opened in Barcelona in February 2013 by Jordi Mestre after training in London, put single-origin espresso and filter on the bar under a no-sugar rule. D·Origen Coffee Roasters in Alicante, founded in 2012, won Spain's best espresso award in 2014, the year the number of specialty cafés doubled and the first Spanish AeroPress Championship was held.

Barcelona and Madrid hold most of the scene, with Barcelona the larger and more roaster-heavy of the two. Valencia is a strong third, and specialty bars have spread to Palma, Málaga, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, Granada, San Sebastián and Vitoria-Gasteiz, often as single cafés rather than clusters.

Roasters that shape the Spanish cup include Nomad, D·Origen, Animal Coffee Roasters, Cafè de Finca, Bluebell Coffee Roasters and Abyss Coffee Roasters. Espresso-based drinks remain the everyday order, most specialty bars also brew filter, and Tusell Tostadores, opened in Barcelona in 2014, built its approach on single origins with no blends.