On the infamous café and restaurant lined calle Mandri in the upper part of Barcelona we were excited to find a newly opened Dr. Coffee. This is the second shop opened in town by biggie local roasters Café Saula and there is definitely room for more!
The shop has modern décor and bright splashes of their distinctive corporate yellow all around. The information on the walls is very engaging and even debate inviting as one of the huge posters is a description of kopi luwak coffee (the other poster tells about the Bourbon varietal of Arabica coffee). But the message nearest and dearest was the floor to ceiling We Love Coffee in several languages on an entire wall.
So, we ordered two cappuccinos and the barista (in training) was excited! - clearly not a common order. Watching him prepare them was a treat as he was carefully following all the steps to get it right. The milk was perfect (at least in one cup) but right before bringing them to the table chocolate syrup was poured over the beautiful latte art hearts previously created, bummer – so close… But they were delicious! In comparison to all the commercial coffees circulating the thousands of cafés in Barcelona, Saula is GOOD, sooo much better than all that torrefactoRobusta/Arabica blends served at most cafés. Their premium espresso blend consists of 100 % Bourbon, Arabica beans from different origins, sadly that’s all he knew about the coffee (and it’s also what’s written on the coffee tins). He was VERY friendly and eager to talk about coffee, making it clear they take their coffee seriously; he even treated us to a beautifully served espresso upon realizing our love for this beverage too. He explained they are all trained baristas and even admitted to knowing very little compared to some of his colleagues.
Highly recommended coffee spot for its excellent service and good coffee but we’d stay away from their “exclusive” super expensive coffees – Galapagos, Jaimaca Blue Mountain and Kopi Luwak – their premium blend is highly enjoyable on its own.
