Interior of the premises: intimate and minimalist
We still remember when in Madrid it was rare thing to be able to find a good cup of coffee (specialty). The open season for Drink coffee in the neighborhood of Malasaña he took everyone by surprise: with origins of producers with faces, names and surnames; a passion for educating the customer and discovering that no, we didn't all know about coffee or the interest in explaining and cultivate a knowledge deeper into how it should be made and served.
It was not easy, but like all good things, its success set the tone for a new wave of good drinkers of coffee... and new Business models.
Devotos Specialty Coffee, in the neighborhood of Chamberi (Fernández de la Hoz, 50), is the new addition to the type of establishment that is beginning to become a "new normal" in the Spanish coffee scene: the specialty coffee shops . Buying a coffee on the way to work, at snack time or to extend breakfast over the weekend is already a new custom that many have acquired in their routines and that is based on quality coffees.
Its owners are Verónica, Tamara, Joaquín and Chiqui, four friends with complementary profiles who have been able to support each other to launch their first business together. "Tamara is from the Mar.ins studio and, together with her sister Verónica de ella, they have been in charge of devising and carrying out the aesthetics of the premises ", explains Chiqui from the bar. "I am the barista but I am also an advertising creative and I was in charge of the brand branding . For his part, Joaquín is the manager and administrator profile", he explains. "We have complemented each other very well and that is how our way of working has emerged".
Devotos is a space designed to buy and take away, although it also has two bars and high chairs to take a longer breather and accompany your coffee with one of the whims of your menu. "We are a take away but not a conventional one, we take our time and take very strict protocols regarding the weighing of coffee, extraction and grinding. We are not very fast in serving you [compared to other sites] but it is because we are preparing a very good product for you," he clarifies.
That love for coffee or, rather, that obsession, what led them to adopt the name by Devotos Specialty Coffee. "It's what we feel for coffee, we're crazy about it and it reflects our position and what we want to do," explains Chiqui. "Here in Spain, in the paradigm of coffee consumption, the extra roasted product and poor quality...even roasted . There are not many of us who are dedicated to specialty coffee and, as entrepreneurs, it requires us to make a small informative work with the public," he continues. "Even so, more and more people are searching for information on their own, traveling and learning."
Their espressos, macchiatos, lattes, cold brews and filter coffees are made with a 100% Arabica Colombian coffee –with notes of orange, flower, panela and cocoa– and cultivated by Hernando Diaz and his family at 1,700 meters high, on a very small farm in the Colombian municipality of Pitalito. They also offer all these drinks in their "with ice" version; chocolate with orange or mint; and infusions such as chai tea with milk –spicy and turmeric from the Chimo Chai brand–, made by a couple –she Australian and the Spaniard– in Madrid and with natural ingredients.
Open since September, their idea is to gradually integrate new members – pastrami sandwiches, bagels... – to a menu that right now focuses on breakfasts, "second breakfasts" and lunches. "We have sourdough toast Amasa, with tomato and emulsified oil; Of avocado; poached egg with truffle oil", Chiqui tells us. But also sfihas , some hearty and tasty Brazilian empanadas stuffed with chicken, beef or vegetables. In the sweet section, the chocolate chip cookies or red fruits and biscuits from Reposted, with organic eggs and seasonal products such as figs and liquorice.
Businesses like Devoto continue to be a novelty, even a fad, but also an emerging entrepreneurial thought that, day after day, traces the path so that coffee continues to be a fundamental part of our routine and tradition.
Address: Fernandez de la Hoz, 50 See map
Schedule: From Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.