Hola Coffee, Madrid :qué tal!

Adios Clooney :-)

First,the Cafe:

Born from the simple word ‘Hola’ which means ‘Hello’, this café recently entered into its year number 7.

Pablo Caballero (2016 & 2018 Spanish Barista Champion) and Nolo Botana (2017 Spanish Roasting Champion) are two of the biggest names on the Madrid coffee scene and for a good reason.

They were among the pioneers who brought specialty coffee to Madrid.  It was a chance encounter many moons back when they said hello to each other in a bar in the Raval and since then they have not stopped saying goodbye. Goodbye to working for others and welcome to the crazy world of coffeepreneurship!

Pablo and Nolo started their journey with their original roastery and café, Hola Coffee and soon added Mision Café near city centre where they offer Hola’s specialty coffee along with a wide range of delicious bakery items from their own bakehouse.

Being in the center of Lavapies, this café can get quite packed at times, but it is well worth the visit to enjoy some nice music while relishing your coffee.

Then,the Coffee:

This is what Barista Adrian made for me: Colombia – El Rubi (Carbonic Maceration)

Heiner and Johanna never stop innovating and come up with new varietals and processes at their El Rubí estate, so when Hola found out that this year they had taken the favourite coffee from 2021 and processed it using the carbonic maceration system, Pablo and Nolo booked it without even tasting it.

Expectations got exceeded when they tasted it for the first time, which is more like a tropical fruit juice than a coffee. It has notes of papaya and pineapple, as well as providing a sensation in the mouth like a guarana soft drink. This is a competition coffee, super complex and special.

Technical Details:

• Origin: Colombia - Huila

• Process: Carbonic Maceration + Natural

• Altitude: 1600-1800 masl

• Varietal: Pink Bourbon

• Producer: Heiner Lazo

• Vintage: 2021

Tasting notes: Papaya, Pineapple Yoghurt, Guarana 

Finally,the Coffee Farm History:

This farm is located in San Adolfo, a municipality in the Acevedo area of Huila. It was purchased 25 years ago by Heiner and Johanna from a former owner who had named it after a wedding present. Heiner and Johanna now regard it as their precious ruby, as it has enabled them to get by and supports them and their three beautiful daughters.

Traditionally they have worked with varieties such as Caturra, Colombia or Castillo, which are quite common in the area, but in recent years they have dared to experiment with other more exotic varieties such as papaya, SL28 or this pink bourbon, of which they planted 7500 coffee trees 4 years ago and are now beginning to harvest their fruits. This varietal is a little more difficult to work with consistency, but when it comes through it gives us a delicate, smooth and complex profile, due to its genetics with a higher glucose content.