A nice lighter roaster espresso. Blackberry, green apple, and chocolate with a little earthiness. Some light notes. Dark roast drinkers will find it a little bit too acidic. Tried V's latte and thought it works very well in milk drinks. Lighter crema but a very nice mouthfeel and a pleasant linger of medium length.

Cupping Method:At Ripa Coffee in Barcelona

Very nice, flavorful, nutty, cold brew. Not bitter at all, but brewed quite strong. Some peach and earthy notes.

Cupping Method:I had this at Ripa in Barcelona. I think it might have been their C-04 Kenia filter roast, but I didn't confirm.

Maybe actually unfair since I had it side by side with Hidden's Ethiopia espresso, which for me was outstanding. This is floral, fruity, complex medium roast as well, with a lot of chocolate undertones and a very pleasant crema.

I can certainly see why this one is used for milk drink, it has a bit more balanced and a more muted acidity than the Ethiopia. It's much closer to something everyone would like. I know my wife loved her cafe con leche that they made with this espresso.

Cupping Method:Side-by-side tasting vs Ethiopia Oryx espresso at Hidden Coffee Roasters in Barcelona

An excellent light roast for pourover, definitely towards the very top end of Brazilian. Driven by uninterrupted fruitiness and acidity, this is a very tasty coffee for a light roast drinker and nothing like you normally get out of Brazil.

I got a combination of persimmon and blood orange, and a very distinct vanilla. The roaster said peach, apricot, and vanilla, so I think in line. The persimmon comes from a bit of uniqueness, it's not as straightforward as some of the Central America peach/tropical coffees. I think that's what makes it unique and fun.

Cupping Method:At a Hidden Coffee in Barcelona

Dark, nutty decaf espresso with some complexity and acidity. A little bit of bitterness and smoke but not overwhelming. Medium crema and nice mouthfeel. A pleasant after dinner dark roast.

Cupping Method:At a cafe in Barcelona

Good dark roast with big, durable crema and a lot of nuttiness. A lot of chocolate notes and just a touch of smoke. Very clean finish and good enough acidity to keep a balance.

Cupping Method:At a cafe outside of Barcelona

This was an excellent decaf espresso on the darker side. I was going to pass on coffee at the pizza place we were at but I noticed the main espresso roast was a Agaro Honey so I decided to have a decaf. The dark notes hit all at once up front, maybe a bit too much but then transformed into a complex and long mid palate with a nice linger and great mouthfeel. For a roast on the darker side a lot of very pleasant acidity.

Cupping Method:At a pizza shop in Tossa de Mar

Missed this one when we were in Santander so glad to see it on the Costa Brava. A very nice medium dark espresso here. Syrupy with medium complexity, with a bit of smoke. I get some cherry and clove as well.

Cupping Method:Double espresso at a cafe at Tossa de Mar

An excellent balanced espresso with fantastic acidity. Naturally a touch answer with caramel and blackberry. Great mouthfeel and nice medium crema.

Cupping Method:Espresso as CaixaForum in Zaragoza. Had already taken a sip when I took this picture.

A well-balanced and delicious cafe medium roast with some complexity and a massive, durable crema. Crema was the type that sticks to the cup and to the ribs!

Excellent mouthfeel approaching a syrupy texture, some balanced acidity. Nutty character upfront. Clean finish.

Cupping Method:At Ilcapo cafe in Hondarribia, Pais Vasco, Spain

Really liked this medium roast Indian. I'm not a sophisticated drinker of Indian coffee, but this had some of good characterstics of a nice medium roast Columbian. I think it's chocolate with a nice acidity on the lighter side (maybe red grape). The standout characteristic is a fun and clear peanut mid-palate, which gives it a Reece's Pieces type character.

I also cupped a Nomad Rwandan side by side and you can see the darkness (the Berasategi Indian is the dark one).

Cupping Method:I boubght the bag from the M. Berasategi roaster and cupped it the next day with a V60. Relative to coffee in the US, it was amazingly inexpensive.

After discovering M. Berasategi espresso at Plan B, a local cafe, I went to M. Berasategi roaster in Lasarte-Oria, and it was really quite an experience. It's a gorgeous, small store front, and the beans are roaster there.

Just had time for a double espresso, and they were pulling a single origin from Guatemala. Delicious single-origin espresso, medium-level roast with lovely crema. A lot of natural sweetness, a running strand of blackberry acidity.

Cupping Method:At the M. Berasategi roaster in Lasarte-Oria

The caffeinated version of the Berasategi espresso was so good, the lingering mouthfeel left me wanting another. Unfortunately, I was at my caffeine limit for the morning. But that's what decaf is for!

The decaf is also outstanding, and in a lot of ways similar. Wonderful mouthfeel, a natural sweetness with the European breakfast biscuit character, caramel, a nice acidiy throught. I don't get the same level of florality and complexity but it's still an outstanding decaf espresso.

Cupping Method:At Plan B cafe in Lasarte-Oria

Very good dark roast for capsule coffee which I usually give a half grade bump to. Smoky, great mouthfeel, massive persistent linger, a touch of spice, and a clean finish.

Cupping Method:Dolce Gusto machine in Spain

Outstanding espresso with complexity, smooth mouthfeel, and lively acidity. Has some natural sweetness and a hint of those lightly sweet European breakfast cookies.

Cupping Method:At a cafe next to the Guggenheim

A balanced chocolate and earthy dark espresso with a touch of acidity that's very good.

Cupping Method:Espresso at Gomez Fusion, a cafe in Satander, Spain

A lot to like for dark roast espresso drinker. Flavorful, with a bit of smokiness, balanced flavor. Nutty, caramel. Big lasting crema, very nice mouthfeel, and a very pleasant lingering finish.

Cupping Method:At a cafe in Santander as a cafe solo

One of the better decaf espressos I've had in Spain. Big crema and great mouthfeel. Very earthy with a touch of nuttiness. Dark roast characteristics are muted but present and contribute rather than detract as a touch of spice and smokiness. Acidity is very limited, just a touch of blackberry for a split second in the mid-palate.

Cupping Method:At El Colonial, on the Sardinero in Santander

Really enjoyed this roast and can see why it's a winning cafe dark roast. Super smooth, dark chocolate with just a touch of spice and caramel. The good dark roast characteristics without much bitterness. Persistent crema and good mouthfeel. Very clean finish that left me wanting another!

Picture from cafe is a few minutes after coffee arrived due to childcare issue delaying my enjoyment.

Cupping Method:Espresso at a cafe in Santander, Spain

This espresso was much better than another Templo I had just a few days before. Definitely on the dark side as well but much more vibrant. Chocolate, spice, clove and a nice lasting crema. Good mouthfeel and clean/short finish.

Cupping Method:Doppio at Ily Cafe in Leon

Toasty, caramel, spice, lime. Nice, complex espresso.

Had heard that San Agustin was the hot roaster in Leon. Tried the decaf espresso last night also with good results. Tried in the morning to go to what in Google Maps was labeled "San Augustin" on the same street and found a weird store that only sold bags of coffee. Woman seemed surprised we were there. Kids wanted ice cream again so made it back to try this espresso.

Cupping Method:At an ice cream shop in the Romantic District of Leon

Complex, floral espresso with massive bright crema and great mouthfeel. Will be a touch acidic for some.

Cupping Method:At La Posteria in Leon

Interesting medium roast cafe blend espresso that has some complexity while being middle of the road in many ways. Medium body, medium acidity, medium crema, but NOT MID!!

Central to that is that the fruity acidity mid-palate takes a couple interesting turns even if never veers close to the limits. There's also just a hint of the florality that's expressed in lighter roast espressos. I can see why the Pozo brand has some lasting appeal!

Cupping Method:At a cafe in Madrid

Excellent Rwandan where the stone fruit is definitely prominent after the cooling off. Actually drinks a bit darker before it cools, then it's very much black tea and fruit. Ends up being very easy to drink and clean, and a very well-executed roast characteristic of high-quality Rwandan red bourbons.

Cupping Method:At Randall Coffee in Mercado Vallehermoso in Madrid

I like this coffee a lot and was glad I picked it, as sometimes I avoid Kenyans. This was the lightest roast available from La Deseada, a coffee shop where'd I'd just pulled an incredible shot of Myanmar espresso from Osorio.

I think Osorio has done great work with this Kenyan. If there's any savoriness, it's limited to maybe just a touch of celery. Otherwise, it's black tea, blood orange for days, bright strawberry/raspberry, and very easy to drink. A hint of natural sweetness in the brown sugar spectrum, plus a good mouthfeel ad very clean finish. Practically chugged the cup I made this morning.

Cupping Method:Chemex v60

Longer post here, but a super super interesting coffee with an aroma on the grind that was absolutely incredible. I have to confess, I actually kept drinking this coffee and I couldn't quite figure out what word to use. I decided on a sweet sage or salvia but I don't think that's quite right. It's neutral in terms of whether it adds or u

There's a nice tropical acidity and some blood orange clear through that makes it very pleasant overall. It's a 8 in terms of how delicious (would happily have every day) and a 10 in terms of intellectual process and fun to try to understand for a specialty coffee lover.

It was explained to me as thermal ferment, which I previously had explained to me.

So what is a thermal ferment?

The process commences by carefully selecting cherries at their optimum ripeness, ensuring a significant sugar content.

Subsequently, the thermal procedure initiates through a brief exposure to a high-temperature shock, approximately 70 degrees Celsius. The coffee cherries are pulped and placed directly under the sun to achieve this. The heat exposure commences the breakdown of the coffee cherries' natural sugars, resulting in partial caramelization. This innovative technique imparts the coffee an exceptionally sweet and fruity flavor, leading to a well-balanced and rounded cup.

The coffee undergoes thorough mixing and is transferred into a tightly sealed tank. The complete closure of the tank is crucial as it prevents the escape of CO2 and ensures pressure generation. The tank's temperature is carefully regulated throughout the fermentation process. Additionally, the pH is constantly monitored after 15 hours to track the progress of fermentation.

Fermentation must be halted once the sugars in the mucilage have been consumed, without any alcohol being produced. This creates flavor complexity different and unseen in other processes which is definitely seen in this coffee!

Cupping Method:v60 pourover in the Dabov Madrid store. Photo is Dabov expert barista measuring.

A lighter roast to pull as an espresso, but the barista at Dabov Madrid wanted to do it, so I obliged. This was somehow right at the edge of being undrinkable and really good. My first impression was it's going to be too acidic but it never crossed that line for me (I'm pretty sure it would for a dark espresso lover). Almost like a gobstopper, it changes taste and mouthfeel about 4 times in 5 seconds. Fruitiness and florality is at the center of it all. I don't know if it's what I want as my every day espresso but it was a lot of fun.

Cupping Method:Dabov pulled this for me as a single shot of espresso at their store in Madrid, side by side versus their Signature Blend. The Signature Blend is pretty outstanding but I think it didn't influence my judgement here.

I had this coffee as cold brew so I might not have gotten the full experience here, but it's something Dabov offered me.

I can say the cold brew was delicious, fruity but low acidity, low bitterness with a wonderful natural sweetness and a touch of tropicality and florality.

Cupping Method:Cold brew at Dabov store in Madrid.

One of the better capsule coffees I can remember. An easy drinking light-medium roast for people who like a lighter bodied coffee.

A good crema after extraction that dissipates pretty quickly. Very clean acidity, I get the red apple described (but not really the mandarin). Has some natural sweetness. A touch of nutty/caramel right before a very clean finish.

Uses a compostable pod that extracted well.

Cupping Method:Nespresso machine, pink capsules purchased from Dabov store in Madrid

I was actually surprised by how good this was. I had it a cafe in the Retiro and had low expectations. Intense, bold, with some complexity. Chocolate, carmel, and some graham cracker character, and a very nice crema - that was a surprise for a capsule coffee.