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| Perhaps the best coffee in Spain is served by the Cafeteria staff at the Hotel Europa, Madrid, Spain |
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| Sidewalk cafe Hotel Europa, Madrid |
LET’S START IN SPAIN—For me the best coffee served in Europe starts in
Madrid. I prefer Madrid as my tourist
entry into Europe. It’s not as
complicated as the main airports in London or Paris and Madrid Barajas (MAD)
has just as many Euro connections.
But the main reason I like Barajas is because the
Spaniards have their transportation act together.
If you do your travel homework you can go from Madrid’s
airport to the heart of the city by subway.
The trick is finding a metro stop by a convenient hotel.
This trip we chose the Hotel Europa for that reason.
We surfaced from the depths of the Metro right into Puerta
del Sol or simply Sol. Our hotel was
steps away.
And the faster I can get to Hotel Europa’s delicious
coffee bar (they call it a cafeteria but don’t be turned off by the name
because it’s nothing like American cafeterias) the better.
Let’s go back to the airport and I’ll walk you through
from main airport stations.
Take line 8 from the Madrid Barajas airport (MAD) to the Nuevos
Ministerios station, which is the main transport hub for central Madrid. From
Nuevos Ministerios more than 50 underground stations are accessible from this
point. Lines 6, 8 and 10 all run to and from the station. At the airport Line 8
stops at Terminals 2 (first floor) and 4 (-1 floor). Transfer from Line 8 at Nuevos Ministerios to
Line 6 and go one stop to Cuatro Caminos station. From there take Line 1 to the Sol station.
Now back to the coffee.
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| Hotel Europa near Metro Stop from Airport |
From this long bar of coffee and tapas (it’s the hotel
restaurant so its always open for food and coffee) you may order any
combination of coffee drinks known to the tuxedoed and aproned staff. Start with Café con leche (even if you don’t
use milk at home—don’t be stubborn).
The first sip (this time after 3 years away) was
everything delicious. Why coffee in Spain
and Europe in general tastes so good is beyond me. It’s like sports or bar movies you have to be
there to appreciate the atmosphere.
Words cannot describe the smoky taste of a Café con Leche (milk with hot
milk, steamed).
Back home I try to recreate the coffee I have in Europe
and fail. The closest I get is to order
dark, dark coffee beans; grind them at home; and use them in an espresso
machine. Then I steam a 50/50 mix of Carnation’s condensed milk with half and
half.
We’re talking taste here so don’t confuse this blog with
a nutrition lecture.
My recipe is close, but still not the beautiful taste and
aroma we enjoyed from our coffee adventures from Madrid to five other Euro
cities.
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| Hotel Europa, Madrid |
But that’s why we travel. It’s all about the exploration. And, the mystery.
Never ending research:
For a well done history of coffee in Spain link to:
For a well done history of coffee in Spain link to:
For a better written café
con leche story than mine link to:
For more images of Hotel
Europa link to: http://www.hoteleuropa.eu/en/fotografias/
About the Author:
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| Espresso at a cafe along Rue Cher in Paris, April 7, 2013 |
Holden DeMayo is travel and dining writer based in California. He was former Restaurant Critic of San Francisco Magazine and North Park News in San Diego. His articles have appeared in numerous general interest and inflight magazines, including the late, great PSA Magazine. Currently, he is the travel and dining writer with Pillar to Post, a daily magazine style blog. He can be reached via email at Holdendemayo15@gmail.com until the junk mail becomes unbearable.
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