I had the pleasure of meeting Satomi Morimoto a couple of weeks ago.
I saw her at Teatro Timanfaya where she played jazz with ST Fusion, then a couple of days later when in a classical trio OpenART Ensemble she played music from the film Amelie and the modern tango of Astor Piazzolla.
She is an amazing jazz and classical pianist, and has an incredible voice.
Film is at her house, then centre of La Laguna.
Cathedral
San Cristóbal de La Laguna, was founded in 1500, the original capital of Tenerife.
It is an old colonial city of grand mansions, plazas, churches, convents, museums and a cathedral.
It was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999.
The layout of La Laguna was the concept of Governor Fernandez de Lugo following a trip to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella. He wished to create a modern Renaissance city, with wide royal streets running parallel to each other, criss-crossed by narrower streets forming a grid.
The relationships between many of the open spaces and the churches have a mathematical and mystical relationship. For example the alignment of the churches of Concepción and San Miguel and the Cathedral and the geometric centre located in the San Agustín Church.
What was unusual about the city, apart from its planned layout, was that it lacks a city wall, it is open to the surrounding countryside.
La Laguna formed the model for cities in Latin America, for example Old Havana in Cuba, Lima in Peru, Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and San Juan de Puerto Rico.
From Puerto de la Cruz, take 102, direct bus to Santa Cruz calling at Tenerife Norte and La Laguna.
WTF no way is this a cappuccino
El Café del Aguere is the coffee shop in La Laguna.
There is another coffee shop, La Cafeína, around the corner.
Last week I looked in, I guessed around 50 varieties of coffee beans, they said 47. I asked a few questions. Most important. when was the roast date? They did not know, could not see why I asked. Clueless on coffee. I walked out.
Yesterday, I decided to investigate further.
I ordered a cappuccino.
WTF. I do not know what it was, but it was not a cappuccino.
I do not like to be served a takeaway, but a takeaway would have been preferable to being served in a plastic cup.
I have never before been served a coffee that had a bad smell. Unpleasant taste, yes, undrinkable, yes, but bad smell, no. Bad smell an understatement, this stank, it was as though a rat had died and rotted.
No way was I going to drink it.
I took a very tiny sip. It was undrinkable, scalding hot, brewed in an automatic machine.
Where was the skill of the barista? No barista worthy of the name serves scalding hot, not unless you wish to serve undrinkable coffee. And no barista worthy of the name would be using an automatic machine.
I asked to look at the beans, to smell them.
Usually beans have a wonderful aroma. Not these. I have had beans smell earthy, but these had a disgusting smell.
One look, and I could see something was wrong, very wrong.
They were not roasted, they were burnt to a cinder.
And they were not, as I had assumed, stored in glass jars, they were stored in plastic jars.
Leaving my coffee untouched, I advised they threw the beans in the bin, then walked out.
I cannot understand how anyone could drink this disgusting coffee, especially when around the corner, El Café del Aguere, the best coffee shop on the island.
El Café del Aguere
cappuccino
Hotel Aguere
Hotel Aguere
I was told of this coffee shop, I was told it was good.
Located in Hotel Aguere, an old hotel in the centre of La Laguna, an old colonial town, the original capital of Tenerife.
Tiny, with seating outside, and seating within the courtyard of Hotel Aguere.
Next door a fashion shop.
Good, an understatement, an excellent coffee shop, a very professional barista.
It is always a pleasure watching a skilled barista at work, engaging in conversation.
Interesting how the cappuccino was poured, half way, a small amount of cocoa added, then filled.
The beans were from Colombia, imported via Spain, even showing the roast date. The barista had visited the coffee farm in Colombia.
Coffee beans supplied by SupraCafé.
If you want good coffee, you need the equipment, a skilled barista and quality beans.
Generally, a good coffee is a coffee without defects in its flavour, such as excessive bitterness or acidity. A good espresso should be sweet without the need for adding sugar or milk. This is reasonably easy to achieve if you respect each step: the origin of coffee, roasting, packaging, water, grinding, maintenance of the coffee makers and the barista’s techniques. It seems complicated, yet these steps are key to obtaining a good espresso!
If you appreciate good coffee, then El Café del Aguere a must visit in La Laguna, indeed even worth a visit to La Laguna.
On a par with the best coffee shops in England.
A very popular coffee shop, word-of-mouth.
Although I was there primarily for the coffee, I was feeling peckish and decided to have a bocadillo con tortilla. It was excellent. It is surprising how satisfying simple fare can be.
Hotel Aguere: Casa de los Marqueses de Torrehermosa, constructed April 1736.
Teatro Leal
La Laguna, the former capital of Tenerife, is a town I had never visited before.
Direct bus to Santa Cruz, with stops at Tenerife Norte, La Laguna and Santa Cruz.
Old colonial town, constructed in 1500, broad streets, impressive grand mansions.
From where the bus drops off, maybe 20 minutes walk into the centre. Or catch the tram.
I had three girls from Santiago de Compostella show me the way, two of who were students at the university, Universidad de La Laguna, studying pharmacy.
I arrived mid-afternoon, not many people around, shops starting to open.
I was not cold, but turned cold when I left.
One of my reasons for visiting, was a coffee shop El Café del Aguere in an old hotel, Hotel Aguere.
There is another coffee shop, La Cafína. I looked in, I guessed around 50 varieties of coffee beans, they said 47. I asked a few questions. Clueless on coffee. I walked out.
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