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spanish coffee

PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:53 pm
by misalda
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?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:16 am
by zapty
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.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:27 am
by GeorgeW
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:

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:43 am
by bogner
hehe made up or not - it sounds like a coffee I'm gonna try on holiday this summer

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:15 pm
by zapty
I'm afraid not George, however crazy it may sound.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:45 pm
by BazBean
Zaps......
i am seriously impressed ...nice info and very interesting.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:15 pm
by zapty
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?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:37 pm
by zapty
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).

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:49 pm
by GeorgeW
I'd really like to try that. Nice one.

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:50 pm
by BazBean
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:

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:53 pm
by BazBean
Misting with a sugar glaze must make a heck of a mess with the roasting drum?. Caramelised Hotop... *** Shudder **

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:03 pm
by zapty
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...

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:36 pm
by Guest
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

PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:30 pm
by phil
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:)

PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 7:44 pm
by CakeBoy
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.