spanish coffee

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spanish coffee

Postby misalda » Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:53 pm

Hi guys!
A little background may be required for this queery.
It goes back about 12 years, I was in Spain on holiday and bought some ground coffee from a local store. The guy on the checkout said "not for Eengleesh too strong" good I thought!...Wow, loved it!
It fired my interest in coffee and I've got to the point where I, and my 13 yr old son, buy green beens, roast them, degass them etc. Perhaps not a true buff but we know what we like.
Back to the point, I have never found out what was special about the coffee/roast. It is a Douwe Egbert.. Marcilla..Gran Aroma...Mezcla..Tuesto Lento, are all words which appear on the label.
Over the years I have written to them but they won't provide much info, it is apparently a blend of coffee containing "Tuesto Natural" and something else.
I've moved on, but I'm still curious about what got me interested!
A long shot I know but anyone offer me any info?
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Postby zapty » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:16 am

Hello guest and welcome to the forum,

Douwe Egberts is the Dutch parent of Marcilla who produces the blend that you mention.
In Spain it is fairly common practice to roast coffee beans with the addition of sugar, in order to reduce the acid and the bitterness of the coffee. That sounds in itself very interesting.
The in such a way roasted coffee (sugar and beans roasted together) is added to the slowly roasted coffee ("tueste lento") to 20% - 50%. The result is called "mezcla" (Spanish for "mixture"). One "mezcla" 70/30 consists therefore of 70% "tueste lento" and 30% "café torrefacto". Normally this Gran Aroma blend would consist of 100% Arabica beans.
Although one would think that this (sugar and beans roasted together) would be gross to say the least it (the blend you mention and the practice as a whole) has a nice aroma and very good taste...IMO.
Bezzera B3000A, Giotto Premium, several Cona's, several Balance Brewers, Atomic, Milano etc,
Aristarco, Rancilio MD 40, Ditting and Eureka MCI grinders, several antique roasters, a mini500/800N propane/electric Taiwanese roaster, greens all over the place...and some other unmentionables that have not been mentioned......
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Postby GeorgeW » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:27 am

zapty wrote:Hello guest and welcome to the forum,

Douwe Egberts is the Dutch parent of Marcilla who produces the blend that you mention.
In Spain it is fairly common practice to roast coffee beans with the addition of sugar, in order to reduce the acid and the bitterness of the coffee. That sounds in itself very interesting.
The in such a way roasted coffee (sugar and beans roasted together) is added to the slowly roasted coffee ("tueste lento") to 20% - 50%. The result is called "mezcla" (Spanish for "mixture"). One "mezcla" 70/30 consists therefore of 70% "tueste lento" and 30% "café torrefacto". Normally this Gran Aroma blend would consist of 100% Arabica beans.
Although one would think that this (sugar and beans roasted together) would be gross to say the least it (the blend you mention and the practice as a whole) has a nice aroma and very good taste...IMO.


I'm absolutely certain you made all of that up. :wink:
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Postby bogner » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:43 am

hehe made up or not - it sounds like a coffee I'm gonna try on holiday this summer
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Postby zapty » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:15 pm

I'm afraid not George, however crazy it may sound.
Bezzera B3000A, Giotto Premium, several Cona's, several Balance Brewers, Atomic, Milano etc,
Aristarco, Rancilio MD 40, Ditting and Eureka MCI grinders, several antique roasters, a mini500/800N propane/electric Taiwanese roaster, greens all over the place...and some other unmentionables that have not been mentioned......
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Postby BazBean » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:45 pm

Zaps......
i am seriously impressed ...nice info and very interesting.
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Postby zapty » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:15 pm

It is a Spanish custom that really does not get done anywhere else but it does result in a very robust and full bodied cup of coffee sans bitterness....
Am I the only one around here who knows about this and has tasted it before?
Bezzera B3000A, Giotto Premium, several Cona's, several Balance Brewers, Atomic, Milano etc,
Aristarco, Rancilio MD 40, Ditting and Eureka MCI grinders, several antique roasters, a mini500/800N propane/electric Taiwanese roaster, greens all over the place...and some other unmentionables that have not been mentioned......
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Postby zapty » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:37 pm

The green beans actually get misted with a sugar solution before being roasted and after roasting they get mixed with a regular roasted bean sort (arabica).
Bezzera B3000A, Giotto Premium, several Cona's, several Balance Brewers, Atomic, Milano etc,
Aristarco, Rancilio MD 40, Ditting and Eureka MCI grinders, several antique roasters, a mini500/800N propane/electric Taiwanese roaster, greens all over the place...and some other unmentionables that have not been mentioned......
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Postby GeorgeW » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:49 pm

I'd really like to try that. Nice one.
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Postby BazBean » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:50 pm

The only "spanish" connection i have to offer is "cortado" .

a curious macciato type drink. espresso with a short shot of hot steamed UHT milk. quite sweet due to UHT element.

Recently went to Tenerife for the first time and spend an age trying out coffee bars only to be sadened to see 8 second pours fireing out blonde coffee. rather then drink it as espresso i went for the cortado to try and salvage the whole affair. needeless to say it was unsucesfull.......

2 days in ..... started drinking Tea.

and no, i did not try and educate the natives on the finer points as wearing a straw donkey and having castinets inserted is something i tend to avoid... :? :wink:
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Postby BazBean » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:53 pm

Misting with a sugar glaze must make a heck of a mess with the roasting drum?. Caramelised Hotop... *** Shudder **
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La Spaziale S5,
La Spaziale EK 2 Group
k30 mahlkonig
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Brasilia RR, Macap Deli Grinder.
A growing Tamper collection
(Plus my own playground for the above- A Shop)
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Postby zapty » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:03 pm

Well the beans will of course be dried before roasting and it is not like sugar coated candy so the mess is actually not to bad.
I have done the process many years ago and maybe I will start another experiment in ToTo soon if time allows. Will let you know the results...
Bezzera B3000A, Giotto Premium, several Cona's, several Balance Brewers, Atomic, Milano etc,
Aristarco, Rancilio MD 40, Ditting and Eureka MCI grinders, several antique roasters, a mini500/800N propane/electric Taiwanese roaster, greens all over the place...and some other unmentionables that have not been mentioned......
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Postby Guest » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:36 pm

Zapty Your knowledge amazes me!!
You have put an end to years of mystery. I have asked endless people and no one has had the slightest idea, your explanation sounds very plausible and your taste description spot on. Very full bodied with lots of mouth feel, no bitterness and very rich.
Thanks guys :D
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Postby phil » Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:30 pm

Therte was a thread about torrefacto quite some time ago, raised initially by Jim (kingseven) IIRC.

Use the site search to find it. I keep all of the old keywords back to day one nearly three years ago (the database is getting quite big now :roll:)
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Postby CakeBoy » Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:44 pm

All the Spanish places that I have ever frequented have used UHT milk. I have never come accross the "sugar roasted" beans you mentioned Zapty, though I would be very interested to try them. Most places I have tried in Spain have used Colombian Arabicas of various types.
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