The torrefacto

The torrefacto is coffee to which sugar is added at the end of the nut. The sugar is caramelized and wrapped in a black and bright layer. In Spain it is almost always sold as a "mixture," combined with natural-tweeded coffee in proportions like 50 / 50 or 70 / 30. The Spanish legislation, Royal Decree 1676 / 2012, allows a maximum of 15 kg of sugar per 100 kg of green coffee.

Its commercial version is attributed to José Gómez Tejedor, with a patent from the early 20th century, although other sources place the process in the 1920s. The sugar layer protected the grain from oxidation and gave more coffee when it was scarce. It spread much during and after the Civil War and is part of the taste of several generations. It is also done in Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Mexico and Ecuador.

Specialty coffee is often disadvised for several reasons:

• Cover the origin and quality of the nut: everything tastes like burned candy.
• It can hide faulty grains; historically it served to disguise low quality robust grains.
• It brings bitterness and astringence.
• When burned, sugar generates new compounds; acrylamide is often mentioned, although the tests are discussed.
• The sugar layer is attached to the mill's teeth.

To be fair, some studies attribute to the torrefacto a greater antioxidant capacity. And taste is personal: if your taste reminds you of home, it makes every sense you like.

Our proposal is simple: if you have always had a mixture, try a natural tweets coffee of a concrete, newly ground origin. It starts with a mid-toast in moka or milk, which looks more like what you know. You may discover flavors that sugar covered.