Brew & Review September 2024

Welcome!

Hello! September has come to an end, and that means it's time for this month's edition of Brew & Review! This time around, we're bringing you something extra special as my girlfriend and I took a trip to the beautiful city of Barcelona. While exploring the sights, I made it my mission to try out as much coffee as possible, and trust me, I ended up trying quite a lot! So, sit back, relax, and join me as I share my coffee adventures from the heart of Catalonia.

Good News Coffee

Bringing Good Vibes and Great Brews

During my trip to Barcelona, I stumbled upon Good News Coffee, and it quickly became one of my absolute favourites! What sets this place apart isn't just the incredible coffee, but also their philosophy. Born in 2020, they started out by transforming a newsstand into a coffee kiosk, exchanging cups of coffee for good news shared by their customers. How cool is that?

Their mission is simple: spread good vibes and good coffee to every neighbourhood. From ethically sourced beans to advocating for a zero-waste lifestyle, they're making sure that every cup counts, not just in taste but in impact too. Good News Coffee promotes values beyond just your morning brew – it's all about creating a positive impact on the world.

Now, let’s talk about the drinks! I have to say, their iced latte was my absolute favourite – smooth, rich, and oh-so-refreshing. But that’s not to say the other options didn’t shine; the cold brew was wonderfully bold, and the matcha was, dare I say, the best I’ve ever had! Every sip was a reminder of why Good News Coffee lives up to its name – they’re not just serving coffee; they’re serving good vibes.

So, next time you’re in Barcelona, swing by Good News Coffee and grab yourself a cup. Who knows? You might just leave with a little extra positivity in your step.

Fun Facts About Barcelona

• Two Official Languages: Barcelona is in Catalonia, where both Spanish and Catalan are official languages.

• Picasso’s Roots: Picasso studied art in Barcelona, and there's a museum with over 4,000 of his works.

• Sagrada Familia’s Long Journey: Construction started in 1882, and it's still not finished! It’s taken longer than the Egyptian Pyramids.

• Architectural Gold Medal: Barcelona is the only city to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects' Gold Medal for Architecture.

• Michelin-Starred Dining: There are over 20 Michelin-starred restaurants in Barcelona!

• 9 UNESCO Sites: The city is home to 9 World Heritage Sites, 7 of which were designed by Antoni Gaudí.

• World Book Day Origin: The tradition of exchanging books and roses on April 23rd started in Barcelona.

• Camp Nou Stadium: Home to FC Barcelona, it's the largest stadium in Europe with a capacity of nearly 100,000.

• The Eixample Grid: The iconic grid layout of the Eixample neighborhood was initially criticized but is now celebrated.

• Older than Rome?: Barcelona might date back to before Rome, with ruins from earlier than 5000 BC.

• Abandoned Train Stations: There are about 12 abandoned metro and train stations scattered around the city.

• La Rambla is Actually 5 Streets: The famous promenade is made up of five different sections.

• Beach Makeover: Before the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona's coast was industrial – some of the current beaches are man-made!

• Rejected the Eiffel Tower: The city turned down Eiffel’s design, thinking it would be an eyesore.

• Air Raid Shelters: Barcelona has over 1,400 bomb shelters from the Spanish Civil War era.

The History of Coffee in the region of Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community within Spain, a region home to infamous cities such as Girona and the infamous Barcelona. Within Spain there is a very unique method of brewing coffee, which transferred over to the Catalonian region, called ‘torrefacto.’

Torrefacto is the practice of adding sugar to coffee beans during the roasting process, during the process the sugar burns and the beans become a much darker shade, likening more of a black coating than that of beans from the bean belt that we are used to. This may be an explanation as to why Ethan referred to the cold brew he experienced from Good News Coffee as ‘bold.’ This is because the process was used primarily as a preservation technique, but as the sugar burns the beans become much darker and in turn more bitter.

Torrefacto really took off after the Spanish Civil War, to deal with shortages. Torrefacto extended the coffee, masked the quality, and provided the feeling of a strong cup of coffee. This allowed companies to use less, poorer quality coffee beans without consumers being able to tell. The reason that this method is still used to the present day in Spain is because it became common practice and the locals in the region of Catalonia got used to the taste and deem it as authentic.

Although this may still be the case for more traditional regions such as Catalonia, Spain has had a regional speciality coffee movement, meaning that not all of the country its still torrefacto based. Instead, the capital city of Madrid is moving away from the method while Barcelona still uses the method, incorporating more traditional coffee and the torrefacto method, usually in a 70/30 or 80/20 split.

In Barcelona Spanish coffee houses in the late 19th century used to be a place to socialise, being home to intellectuals, artists, poets, writers, and philosophers alike. Cafes were places to be seen, very atmospheric, and were more similar to that of present day fine dining. Those who attended cafes at the time were served by elegant waiters dressed in black tie.

So, if you are ever lucky enough to indulge in coffee within Catalonia like Ethan was recently, what should you order?

There are the traditional universal names for coffee such as an americano, or a cortado, but I’ll quickly run through the most popular coffees in Spain and what they are:

• Cafe solo is an espresso

• Carajillo is an espresso served with either rum, whisky or brandy

• The most popular coffee in spain is a Cafe con leche, served with equal parts espresso and milk, sometimes when ordered the waiter may ask if you want this with hot, cold or templada, (lukewarm milk).

• Cafe bombon is espresso with condensed milk

If, like me, you fall victim to a cheeky iced coffee during the summer months (or winter, I don’t judge) then there is a peculiar way this is served to you in Spain.

A Cafe con hielo will be your best friend, with your server bringing you a glass of coffee and a separate glass of ice cubes, to make a drink most to your liking. I mean can you blame the Spanish when it is consistently iced coffee temperature year round?

Coffeevolution

If, like myself, you weren’t fortunate enough to visit Spain this September, this closer to home coffee shop review may be for you. Coffeevolution, in our hometown of Huddersfield, is situation in the town centre, unsurprisingly being one of the finer places in the town centre, and can be found on Church Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1DD, UK.

They rightly pride themselves on their speciality beans from their suppliers the Bean Brothers, with their beans available to purchase in house. Not only to do they have great suppliers but they offer either V60, Chemex or Aeropress coffee to their loyal customers. Not only is there a wide range off coffee options but there are also many pastries on offer, provided by their local, independent suppliers Holmemades and Roger’s Bakery.

Coffeevolution has two floors, with incredible availability of seating, allowing you to comfortably work in a brilliant environment, without using data, as Wi-Fi is provided.

Now on to what you’ve been waiting for, the coffee review. Sensational. My expectations weren’t high but Coffeevolution exceeded my expectations and so much more. The price point was fantastic, although I did not have a pastry they looked fresh and mouth-watering and my coffee was a great price. I opted for the cold brew and it was delightful, you could really tell how high quality the beans were as the coffee was incredibly smooth and vibrant, almost sweet in nature. Also, whilst briefly talking to the servers you could tell the independent business was set up with a lot of love and a thought was taken into choose their suppliers.

If you are ever (unfortunately) in the area then Coffeevolution is a must check out, providing a comforting, homely environment, with great coffee, at great prices. What’s not to love?

A WORD FROM US!

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