The results were based on a popular vote in which thousands of lovers of speciality coffee drinks took part. Those who took part were able to choose from more than 2,000 businesses of this type across the country. To make the initial selection, the organisers took into account several points such as the quality of the coffee and the service, the skill of the baristas, and the complementary offer such as the gastronomic section, the cultural offer or the decoration, among others.
Speciality coffee is coffee of the highest quality and gastronomic value. It is normally grown in special microclimates and in specific regions of the planet such as Colombia, Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Guatemala. That said, asking for a simple coffee in Spain couldn’t be easier! And café is a masculine noun, so if you want to order a coffee, you just have to ask for un café.
One of the main factors that contribute to Spain’s affordable coffee prices is its proximity to coffee-growing regions. While Spain itself doesn’t produce coffee on a large scale, it is fortunate enough to be just a short distance away from countries like Brazil and Colombia, which are major coffee producers.
Specialty coffee has driven a desire for more traceable coffee, and as such businesses are offering coffees that may come from a single origin, or a single lot from a single farm.
This can give rise to the roaster developing a relationship with the producer, to discuss and collaborate on coffee. The roaster may also choose to cut out the importers and exporters to directly trade with the producer, or they may “fairly trade”, where any third-parties involved in the transaction are thought to have added value, and there is a high level of transparency around the price, although often there is no certification to back it up. This process tends to only be done for high-quality products since keeping the coffee separate from other coffees adds costs, and so only coffee that roasters believe can command a higher price will be kept separate.
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If Brazil and Colombia are but a short distance from Spain I hate to think what a long distance looks like. Time for plenty of cups of coffee methinks. I would accept they are not too far away ethnically but that metric does not fit into the story.