While enjoying my coffee in Cafés El Magnifico, located in La Ribera, I overhead another tourist enter the shop and say “I can tell these guys know what they’re doing”. It is important to note while reading this post that I could not agree more. Essentially this spot has anything and everything coffee related: brewing tools, roasters, art, and beans (a lot of beans). Contrary to most coffee shops in Barcelona, and many other European cities, Cafes El Magnifico focuses on filtered coffee. They had 39 different types of coffee to choose from sourced from a variety of countries globally. When I went to order, they handed me a large book with a page for each of their coffees explaining their origins, taste profiles, and with images of the farms they came from. Really, they offered the ideal amount of transparency. In addition, you could order coffee brewed in the Chemex, siphon, AeroPress, French Press, Moka, and as an espresso.
Even though I was at their grab and go location, where many people go to buy beans or coffee to take with them, I decided to revel surrounded by all of the coffee beans along the walls and vintage coffee grinders, brewers, and images in glass cases and sit on the bench to enjoy the coffee I ultimately decided on. I decided to order a Colombian coffee from Finca La Palma brewed on the Chemex. When the barista handed me two wine glasses with the brewed coffee I laughed because anyone who knows me knows I was going to drink it all by myself. I also have a tendency of traveling with non-coffee drinkers, so wouldn’t want to waste coffee either! Anyways, this coffee was perfectly balanced with a nutty and bold flavor but slightly berry aftertaste. It kept me wishing I could try the 38 other coffees they offered, but I ended up leaving with one other bag of coffee (see coffee of the month).
The roasters and baristas at Cafés el Magnifico managed to not only “know what they are doing”, but they also wanted to share their expertise and the processes coffee undergoes with consumers. The only con to going to this shop is having to decide what to order!
The Coffee Code 