Coffee has always existed, but specialty coffee is a recent phenomenon that is revolutionizing not only our minds, but also our pockets and most distinguished streets. To Malaga, specialty coffee arrived by the hand of Bertani Café in 2012. Since then, the number of specialty coffee shops has gone from 1 to 10 in just a few years, to what seems like more than 100 today.
And the historic center has proven especially permeable to this new culinary trend. If barely ten years ago signs could be seen explaining the difference between a “mitad” and a “sombra”, today what you find are establishments that make coffee no longer a means of morning survival, but an object worthy of tasting.
Struggle with the price
Because to be special, a test must be passed. Not only must criteria of social and ecological responsibility be followed, it must also score an 80 or more on the exquisiteness scale drawn up by the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association). Thus, the 3 € that are sometimes charged for an espresso might hurt a little less. Or maybe not.
More than one person from Malaga has been heard letting out a “well, I never!” in the face of such prices and refuses to pay more than 2 € for their coffee. They prefer their lifelong charred bean and for the milk of their “mitad” to still boil a little when it arrives at their table.
Coffee vs. alcohol
And while it is likely that the overlap between specialty coffee consumers and brotherhood members tends dangerously toward absolute nothingness, and that the majority of the clientele at Next Level and Santa Coffee speaks English, there is also a large number of locals who prefer a good coffee for 50 cents more than a bad coffee that on top of that burns your tongue. But it would surprise you to know, as it surprised me, where the worst coffee in the city is located… although we will get to that.
Before that, we have left to find out what has made the number of specialty coffee shops grow exponentially. I would venture to say, first of all, that it is no mere coincidence that this boom coincides with the decline in alcohol, especially among the youngest. According to some studies, Generation Z has reduced alcohol consumption by up to 60% compared to the previous generation, while simultaneously specialty coffee consumption has grown over the last twenty years by 80%.
Authentic luxury
This might make some think that the new generations have traded the drink of partying and letting off steam for that of work. However, far from having renounced experiences, Gen Z is reinventing them. Instead of going out into the street at two in the morning with a mixed drink in hand, they go out at seven with sneakers on their feet. And instead of ending up dragging themselves however they can to bed, they cap off the adventure with a specialty coffee as a prize and culmination of their effort.
But despite the fact that generational trends are important, in my view, the real reason for the success of specialty coffee lies in the following: it fulfills a seemingly impossible promise to keep, that of being an authentic luxury within anyone’s reach. Everyone can afford a coffee even if it is the most expensive in the city.
For those with a king’s palate and a vagabond’s budget, having a coffee like this makes us feel a little less miserable. We cannot afford a Michelin-starred lunch, but we can afford a breakfast, and thus participate, modestly, in the best the city has to offer.
