Coffee-lovers may have noticed a distinctly bitter taste to their order in some Spanish cafés. This is café torrefacto.
Torrefacto is a word for which there is no English translation, but it means that the coffee beans have been roasted with sugar until coated with a dark, caramelised glaze. In the past, this was mainly done to mask the flavour of inferior beans, but as it also increases the weight and makes the beans last longer, it means torrefacto coffee is cheaper.
Although coffee gourmets generally dislike torrefacto coffee, many Spaniards have grown up with it and appreciate that unmistakeable bitter, burnt flavour. Most normal cafés will use a coffee blend containing torrefacto beans, not only because it is cheaper, but because their clients expect it. The bitterness of torrefacto coffee also explains why so many Spaniards add sugar to their coffee as a matter of course.
If you see the word “Mezcla” (Blend) on a packet of coffee, it will contain torrefacto coffee. If you don’t like the flavour, always look for café “Natural”.
