In Conversation
La Cafetería de Plácido y Grata
Plácido y Grata’s Café
NOMAD COFFEE
Good coffee is simply a must for us at Plácido y Grata, and the brews from Nomad Coffee are responsible for making our guests’ mornings even more pleasurable.
Thoughtfully selected from different origins, roasted in Barcelona and prepared by our team of baristas at our café, the beans from Nomad are just simply the best.
It all started in London, where Jordi Mestre’s passion about coffee started to show more than a decade ago, and so he went on to work as a roaster at Nude. Later, there was the coffee cart, the corner, and finally they opened the first coffee shop (there are 3 of them now!) and their very own roaster in Barcelona. Following their original concept, and that nomadic spirit in them, they keep moving around places with their coffee. This time, they landed in Seville along with Plácido y Grata.
We talked with Jordi Mestre, multi-award winning barista, founder and owner of Nomad Barcelona about their beginnings and why every little detail plays a major role when it comes to sipping the perfect cup of coffee.
Tell us about your early experiences in the world of coffee and the beginnings of Nomad.
I was living in London and was studying a course on Furniture Restoration. It was in 2011 when I started to pay attention to the coffee places in my neighborhood in East London. Those spaces; cozy and modern, the attention to detail, the creaminess of the coffee and their taste, the service… Everything was new and so appealing that it caught my eye.
How is the experience at Plácido y Grata coming along?
Just like we could foresee when the talks with Marta, Carlota and their team started, arriving at Plácido y Grata has felt like making a grand entrance in Seville. We are very happy about the work that’s being done at the café; the concept, the team of baristas, the products that complement the coffee… it all makes for a coffee place that we’d love to have near us in other cities of the country. You’d see me there every day!
How was the reception of specialty coffee in Seville? What is special about the coffee that is served at the hotel?
Since Seville is a mid-size city in Spain, we are aware that the coffee they serve need to be “round and stable”, that’s why at Plácido y Grata we decided to introduce our Balanced Session Espresso, an easy and creamy coffee; sweet with notes of chocolate and a hint of ripe fruit.
For filter coffee there are bolder options that are more edgy and diverse. For this kind, the guests can try our most playful, fruity and flowery coffees that are the result of experimental processes and even infused.
“To enjoy a good coffee you only need to be in the mood and have the time to drink good coffee.”
Aside from making excellent coffee and offering a great service, the educational aspect about coffee is also paramount. Can you tell us about this side of yours?
For us, it’s not just about selling a delicate product, but also explaining why this product and teaching how it must be prepared to get the best results, why it has a certain taste, why we prefer some coffees over some others; the history and values behind it… There are many reasons that make this coffee beyond question.
That’s why from the very first day in which NOMAD opened in Barcelona, we were right in the city center, face-to-face with our customers, willing to offer, explain, serve and learn from our coffees. It was the only way to introduce such a novelty in a culture of coffee that is so established and marked by the history.
It’s really important for you to be present during all the stages of the production process. Could you tell us something about visiting the plantations in their place of origin?
Fran González is now the Head of Coffee at NOMAD and is in charge of contacting producers, visiting farms, selecting green beans, developing experimental processes along with producers, the import of coffee, roasting, tastings and so on. All this certainly deserves an interview in itself where Fran could tell us in depth his experience at NOMAD; how we have grown and improved, since we have put a lot of our resources in learning and getting better in what we do.
What are your current and future plans? Any interesting project coming up?
To devote ourselves to our customers by offering a better service and keep working on spreading the culture of specialty coffee in our country.
Is there a user ‘s guide to enjoy a perfect coffee?
To enjoy a good coffee you only need to be in the mood and have the time to drink good coffee. Having those two elements, you can make it at home and enjoy it there or go get it at your favorite coffee place where there will also be a wider range of delicious options.
Come visit us at Plácido y Grata to enjoy the fragrant brews from Nomad Coffee prepared by our team of baristas José Quiles, Manuel Mora and Rocío Castro, and learn how to prepare and enjoy a perfect cup of coffee in the workshops and tastings that we host at the hotel. Stay tuned!
