6 minute read
Sweet surprises from the strange new kids on the block
There is something lovely about rocking up to HanSo Café day after day in Madrid: the people behind the bar.
Words by OLGA KOTNOWSKA Pictures by ADRIÁN CANO FRANCO
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A good cup of coffee is something to behold. For devoted fans, seeking out a great cup of joe encourages the sacrifice of certain things—savings, time or daily plans. It’s worth traveling the extra distance, even when there are other options closer to home. I suppose this goes for many pleasures in life. When you know there is something good out there, the notion of settling for less seems almost ridiculous.
The people behind the bar HanSo is the newest addition to Madrid’s budding specialty coffee scene, and my current favorite spot that’s worth the extra travel time. The joy of HanSo extends beyond the drinks. The loveliest part about rocking up to HanSo day after day is the people behind the bar. Nico works together with his wife Eva and younger brother Enrique to make one hell of a barista team. In just under three months, the HanSo staff members have become friends. I stop in for a hot beverage nearly every day, and end up chatting with the smiling faces behind the bar every time. They leave me smiling.
Changing stereotypes Despite being a large, contemporary, influential European city, Madrid is still working on battling prejudice against people from foreign communities. Even today, it’s unusual to see individuals from the Chinese community working outside of the bazaar shops and tiendas de alimentacíon (food kiosks) that line the streets. For Chinese entrepreneurs to own a café in the heart of the city, the HanSo team is ushering in a change of mindset. The HanSo crew is subtly adding a new story to Madrid’s diverse social landscape. The team is changing the image of the Chinese population in the city. HanSo is an example of the impetus that Madrid needs to catalyze a change of attitude and perception towards Madrileños who are stuck in the old way of thinking.
Strange can be solid Of course, owning a café is far from normal. Many people talk about it. Only a few, in the end, achieve it. In Madrid, the business landscape is only just recovering from years of struggle. Additionally, the food and beverage market favors traditional Spanish flavors. HanSo introduces new combinations and ingredients, having firmly established itself as the strange new kid on the block. HanSo delights Madrileños with excellent coffee and an elaborate menu. The shop serves matcha lattes, red velvet hot chocolates, various tea infusions and other sweet creations that Eva makes. Delicious bites include matcha cakes, cheesecakes, Portuguese tarts and many more. Something seems to be working for the HanSo team, because the café is gaining popularity every day.
Putting heart and soul into the business The success of HanSo is not only a result of the crew’s welcoming demeanor, or of the insistence on quality ingredients and original recipes. What I find makes the most impact on the café’s already visible presence in Madrid’s coffee scene is the family’s firm belief in working together. Nico assures me that the notion of a married couple working together is quite normal within Chinese culture. Couples and families often work together. Working alongside Eva, he explains, strengthens their marriage and business because they share the same goal. They put their hearts and souls into all they do. This philosophy enabled the couple to launch a café prior to opening HanSo. The modest-sized café in the capital’s outer suburb of Usera was their testing space for HanSo. There, Nico and Eva became comfortable with the intricacies that come with working behind the bar or in a kitchen. Eva developed her first cakes, which became the talk of the suburb. Nico pursued his knowledge of coffee.
Pursuing passions
Today, Nico and Eva have carved out space for
themselves to explore their own passion projects in
different corners of the café. Nico and Enrique explore coffee varieties and play with new equipment at the front bar. Eva lets her creative desires run wild in the kitchen, adding new ingredients to the cakes and tarts that, as in their previous café, have become the speciality of HanSo. Everyday, customers swoon as they eat spoonfuls of Eva’s matcha cakes, cheesecakes and tarts. Albert Einstein once said, “A ship is always safe at the shore, but it is not what it is built for.” HanSo, the strange new kid on the block that offers fresh, new flavors in the heart of Madrid, has risen to the challenge of trying new things and working hard, to be proud and reap success. ¢ facebook.com/hansocafe
Breathing new life into the city
Green architecture is changing urban centers worldwide. A new initiative gives Madrid a fresh chance to make space for nature.
Words & pictures by MARIEKE ELISAH LENSVELT
Racing cars, wide roads, and horizon-blocking buildings: this is the city as we know it. Urban centers around the world have been growing horizontally and vertically, using up space that once was vast green nature. And not without effect. The effects of climate change are becoming more visible every day. However, change is on the way. Perhaps we can still keep our winters cold and summers warm. Can urban society truly make space for nature? Following the example of European cities, the Madrid city council and structural engineering company Arup launched the project Madrid+Natural in December 2015. The project is “a series of guidelines to tackle the global concern of climate change through multiple local solutions.” Don’t get me wrong—Madrid’s green stretches like Casa del Campo and Retiro Park offer the city dweller a quick fix of nature. However, climate change is a larger issue than parks or a few trees can resolve. Climate change is real and upon us: floods, droughts, air pollution and a loss of biodiversity are common results of extreme urban heat. One area to consider is eco-friendly architecture and infrastructure, which reshapes urban centers in a sustainable way. Madrid is known for blazing hot summers, leaving city streets empty after every citizen who has the means to travel has left for the summer. Arup and Madrid intend to beat the heat by implementing architectural adjustments and solutions, large and small, across the city.
Living, breathing architectural masterpieces So what does this entail? The most famous and existing example of smart green architecture is the Caixa Forum. A beautiful remnant of industrial architecture, this former power plant is now an architectural masterpiece, a flawless combination of old and new. Most importantly, the space flaunts a beautiful example of a vertical garden. Following the trend of building vertically rather than horizontally, such vertical landscapes make perfect use of unused space. Designed by Patrick Blanc, the mastermind behind many other European vertical urban gardens, Caixa Forum’s multifunctional green walls are much more than just easy on the eyes. They improve air quality and acoustics, and protect the building from weather fluctuations. According to Arup, the Caixa Forum has new projects on the way; more wallpaper jungles in the making. A lesser-known but equally impressive example is the Madrid Rio park. On the outskirts of the city center, this master project was completed in 2011 through
