During my recent visit to Lisbon, I was on a mission to find the most exciting coffee places of the moment. My previous visit to the Portuguese capital dates back to 2008 and obviously, a lot has changed since then. After having breakfast at our hotel, I grabbed my friend Maxine and jumped in a Bolt to go visit Comēte Coffee Roasters. I had heard much about them and let them know via Instagram that I would swing by.
The cute café and micro roastery is on a steep road in Pena and is so inconspicuous that you might miss it. There is a large floor to ceiling window painted in dark pine green next to double doors leading inside. The interior has industial elements with poured concrete floors, a bar made of modular metal elements and partially exposed ceilings.
Founded by French immigrants Alexandra and Adrien who previously worked in the pharmaceutical industry and lived in Paris, Comēte has built a loyal following of cafés and home brewers in Lisbon and beyond. Roasting is done on site using a Stronghold S7X roaster, keeping production boutique.
Maxine and I sat down at one of two tables and ordered a kombucha and a batch brew, respectively. I am still trying hard to convince Maxine of the joys of specialty coffee but she’s a hard nut to crack. The coffee I enjoyed during this visit was a lovely natural processed Honduras from Guazpo 24. In addition to the regularly changing batch brew, they also offer hand brewed V60s and espresso drinks.
There is a small selection of home-baked pasties such as Madeleines and Brownies. Various coffee bags are on display on the counter for people to explore and take home. I am a huge fan of passion projects as Comēte Coffee Roasters. Many of my previous Coffeevine partners started like this before growing their businesses and moving production out of the city.
As we were in a bit of a rush that day trying to visit as many coffee shops as possible, I didn’t get a chance to stick around long. However, I was super happy that I got a chance to say hi to Alexandra and Adrien who were both behind the bar that morning and just so lovely. Be aware that they are only open from 10 – 13 so plan your visit accordingly.
