It has been a very long time since I was last in Madrid. I used to come here regularly. Sometimes two or three times a year. But I had not set foot in the Spanish capital in a very long time, until now. My mum has this thing where she always wants to go away for her birthday. As it is on the 27th of January and she hates the cold, we usually go somewhere south. For the past three years, we headed to Spain. This time, it was Madrid’s turn and I was excited to see how much the coffee scene had changed.
One of my first coffee destinations was Ambu Coffee Lab, a very fine little coffee shop in Chueca, a neighbourhood popular with the LGBTQIA+ community. The café might look unassuming from outside but it is probably one of the most ambitious in town. I was greeted by a lovely barista called Chema who took a lot of time to explain to me what Ambu is all about. I spotted various guest roasters on the shelves including KAVA from Paris, Three Marks from Barcelona and Kima Coffee from Malaga.
a few special espresso lots are prepared with freeze distilled milk
The coffee set up is great and includes equipment such as the Weber EG-1 precision grinder, four hoppers for espresso and a frozen menu. I ordered a batch brew and took a seat by the window. Places like Ambu Coffee Lab are still relatively rare in Madrid and what I noticed is that people on often complain in Google reviews about the price of coffee at venues that are offering something more refined.
Madrid, as some of my friends in the local industry told me, is still quite far behind the likes of Barcelona. It is home to surprisingly few great roasters and many of the cafés that advertise themselves as specialty coffee shops offer quality that is not on par with other cities. That’s why I think Ambu Coffee Lab is so good.
Chema went on to say that there is a workshop space upstairs where you can participate in a variety of classes including coffee brewing and cupping. What I loved the most, however, was the interior design. I really likes the handmade ceramic tiles on the walls that had imprints of different plants and the cork ceiling. This struck me as such a wonderful material to use and it looked great.
Once my batch brew had cooled, I was able to enjoy this lovely Colombian lot from KAWA. This didn’t stop Chema from suggesting I also try one of their exclusive espressos, which came courtesy of Standout Coffee in Stockholm. This was a washed Jarc 74112 lot by producer Mike Mamo but I think the recipe was not quite right. I didn’t get as many florals from this coffee as I was expecting.
Going back to the frozen menu, I should also mention that Ambu Coffee Lab has a few special espresso lots that are prepared with freeze distilled milk that is more commonly used in Barista Competitions. Again, something you don’t find very often and that offers a wonderful opportunity to try coffee in a way that would usually be reserved for judges.
Ambu Coffee Lab also has two other locations in the city but if you want to experience this high-end coffee then this is the one you should visit. There is almost no distraction as they only serve a small selection of pastries and no other food. This way you can really focus on the coffee and savour every drop of it.
