NOMAD Coffee did not begin as a polished international roastery. It began with Jordi Mestre serving coffee from a cart in London’s street markets in 2011, before winning the Spanish National Barista Championship in 2012 and placing 15th at the World Barista Championship in Vienna. He won the Spanish title again in 2013, then returned to Barcelona, where NOMAD Coffee Lab opened in 2014.
That origin story matters, because NOMAD has always carried a slightly different energy from many modern specialty roasters. It is not built around hype alone. It comes from competition, training, service and a very deliberate attempt to raise the standard of coffee culture in Barcelona.
From London Cart to Barcelona Coffee Lab
When NOMAD opened its Coffee Lab in Barcelona, specialty coffee was still relatively young in the city. According to NOMAD’s own history, the Lab was designed as a space where “coffee is the only protagonist”, helping push the specialty coffee wave in Barcelona. By 2015, they had opened their Roaster’s Home in Poblenou, supplying wholesale customers and running tastings and courses.
That training culture became central to the brand. NOMAD was not just roasting coffee; it was helping create the language around how specialty coffee should be brewed, served and understood in Spain.
The NOMAD Style
NOMAD’s coffees often sit in a very attractive middle ground. They can be expressive, but rarely feel chaotic. They are modern without losing clarity.
A coffee like Hambela shows this well. NOMAD lists it as an Ethiopian natural from Haro Sorsa in Guji, with notes of cocoa nibs, cherry and blueberries. Their own description presents it as fruity and sweet, with clean sweetness, lively acidity and a chocolate-like depth.
Then there is Kathima, a washed Kenyan coffee from Mathare-ini station in Murang’a County. NOMAD describes it with yuzu, yellow kiwi and dried apricot, plus juicy acidity, creamy body and evolving notes of pink melon, tangerine and papaya.
Those two coffees say a lot about NOMAD. Hambela gives you the fruit and sweetness people love from high-quality Ethiopian naturals. Kathima gives you the precision, brightness and structure that make Kenyan coffees so compelling on filter. Different origins, different processes, but the same sense of clarity.
Competition Coffees and Technical Precision
NOMAD also has a clear competition thread running through the brand. That starts with Jordi Mestre’s own barista competition background, but it continues today.
In 2025, NOMAD roaster Laura Coe won the Spanish Brewers Cup. For her open service round, she used a blend of Maragesha and Gesha from Colombian producer Wilder Lazo, prepared with competition-specific double filters. NOMAD described the presentation as standing out for clarity, expression and technical mastery.
That competition mindset also appears in NOMAD’s higher-end releases. Their Ají Las Flores is listed in NOMAD’s Competition category: a washed Bourbon Ají from Finca Las Flores in Huila, Colombia, with notes of muscat grape, cocoa butter and lemon verbena. NOMAD describes controlled processing involving oxidation, thermal shock, inoculated bacteria fermentation and dehumidifier drying.
This is where NOMAD becomes especially interesting. They are not anti-experimental. They simply tend to frame experimentation through precision rather than spectacle.
Why NOMAD Still Matters
A lot of modern coffee culture is driven by newness: new processing, new packaging, new flavour shock. NOMAD has managed to stay relevant by doing something harder — building trust.
Their best coffees feel carefully selected rather than randomly dramatic. Hambela is memorable because it is sweet, fruit-led and balanced. Kathima is exciting because it is bright, layered and clean. Their competition coffees show how far flavour can be pushed when sourcing, processing and brewing are all treated seriously.
That is why NOMAD remains one of Europe’s most respected roasters. Not because they shout the loudest, but because they have helped shape what modern specialty coffee can be: precise, expressive, educational and deeply drinkable.