Satan’s Coffee Corner is the most punk coffee shop I have ever been to. One thing they want you to know the second you walk in the door is that they don’t care about anything, except the quality of your coffee. With indie rock playing a sign reading “No WIFI, No fun for children” followed by some explicatives (see photo below), they did a good job setting the tone for customers. This location (there are two), was hidden in a corner in the Gothic neighborhood and, as I mentioned before in a previous post about many coffee shops in Barcelona, was pretty difficult to find for a tourist.
The shop is a small, but open space allowing for a decent amount of seating, yet it is almost always close to full. I found it interesting that the bar faces forward towards the entrance leaving the back open to customers seated. I then realized it was the best location logistically to allow people who wanted to take coffee to go to stay out of the way of people enjoying their drinks in the café, so I quickly began to admire the unorthodox layout of the space.
While the baristas may have looked a bit intimidating, they were extremely friendly and patient with customers, and of course, cared about coffee. While Satan’s Coffee Corner does not roast their own coffee, they used an incredible roaster called Right Side from the nearby town Castelldefells. They had bags of Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees for sale and were serving on filter Kenyan, Colombian and Rwandan coffees. I decided to order a cortado and the Kenyan filter coffee brewed on the Kalita Wave. When the coffee was brought out to me it was very nicely presented with he filter coffee was served in a beaker-like pitcher and a glass and the cortado served in glass with a saucer. I really enjoyed the Kenyan coffee since it was fruity and nutty at the same time. It had a strong grape flavor, but a bold aftertaste. Very unique and complex. As for the cortado, it was almost upsetting how delicious it was because it made it more difficult to prioritize which beverage to drink first. The espresso was sweet, not at all bitter, and the milk was very creamy which just perfected the drink. I did also have the opportunity to try their cold brew on a very hot summer day. I am usually not a huge fan of cold brew since I find it to be too concentrated and prefer Japanese iced coffee, but this cold brew was really delightful. This is not to say that it was not concentrated or strong, because it was in fact a full bodied and bold, slightly floral coffee. I probably enjoyed this cold brew because it did not seem at all syrupy and did not mask the complexities that third wave coffees typically have in their flavor.
One more point I should make about this coffee shop is the food menu. I don’t usually write much about the food at the shops I go to much, but this menu caught my eye. The foods were very eclectic ranging from Japanese foods to baked goods to salads. I was not really understanding the logic there, but I am assuming it has to go with the “who cares?” attitude this café wanted to convey.
The culmination of the atmosphere, quality coffee, and overall thoughtfulness put into every aspect of this shop made it my favorite one in Barcelona. This statement is really bold for me since I did visit so many wonderful, quality coffee shops. Satan’s Coffee Corner was a shop where I could tell people were really enjoying themselves and connecting with people. It was definitely the most memorable for me and the friend I was traveling with. While there are a variety places that can brew up a a tasty Gesha or flawless shot of espresso, I think we can all pick out ones we remember most for other reasons too, which is why Satan’s stands out in my mind.
The Coffee Code 