Coffee at La Colectiva & Toma Olavide

Coffee Safari | Chamberi

The HM Coffee Map



La Colectiva 
Sadly, now Closed

In Pictures
On Google Images

What's the story?
A Vegan menu, but dairy milk is available.

A smallish, smart-modern space, with a display of Vegan friendly cakes on the counter that make choice a challenge. The fact they come in monolithic portions that would make a henge builder proud makes future visits not unlikely. Toast and tomato is just as generous as the cakes, the bread coming ready-oiled. The coffee's smooth, undeniably enjoyable and comes in two cup sizes.

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Space is at a premium with tables for two to one side. Stools and high tables on the other are OK for a stopover but not ideal for a lengthy linger - or more than three to share.

Customers are largely local with a range of ages from a couple of weeks upwards, with limited laptopping to be seen. It's pleasant, bright but has a slightly clinical corporate atmosphere. There's workspace available downstairs, which would be even more like the multimedia design studio it already resembles.

Coffee 👍👍👍👍
Choc-banana cake 👍👍👍👍
Toast 'n' tomato 👍👍👍👍

Toma Cafe, Olavide
Find
Net Toma's Website
Access Stepfree entry


In Pictures
On Google Images

What's the story?
Pretty much caffeined-up, the h:m test team trolled up to Olavide and the fairly recent addition to the Toma empire. A unit in a modern block, how things are going is clear as you walk in. There's a bicycle propped up inside, wrapped in plastic jungle. Yes, it's like that.


Different in decor from the incredibly popular, densely-packed shop in C/ Palma - there's not much wood, lots of plastic and distressed tiling and concrete, this one does feel more spacious - some tables would sit five or six - but it's not an especially warm setting. It's more like someone opened a cafe in closed-down art college basement. It might be less known, or be down to its location, but it's less busy on a Friday morning than its Palma equal.

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The usual range of milk/non-dairy additions are available, along with cakes, food and beers, with La Virgen's range in the fridge. We stuck to medium and large latte/leche, with no food. The coffee was creamily frothy and very smooth and tasty, just shading it on today's tour.

Customers were almost entirely anglophone on our visit, with a fair amount of laptoppage underway. TC, like La Colectiva had that new requisite for on-trend coffee bars. A resident neo-nate. In the UK, the most populars cafes - this sort, anyway - are always known to painters, decorators and street cleaners. Madrid coffee shops are getting the word out to a younger but perhaps more discerning crowd.

Prepacked coffee is for sale at the counter.
Coffee 👍👍👍👍👍