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This Porto institution has been in operation as a grand café of Europe since
1921. With the Imperial Café converted into a McDonald's and the local A Brasileira in transitional ownership/use as a restaurant, this is one of the very few remaining grand cafés in operation in Porto. The place comes with weathered palacial decoration: grand mirrors, chandeliers, and sculpted artwork. They have an old brass dome Brasilia in the bar area at the center of the room (there's some limited outdoor table seating as well), but they currently use a red, three-group Faema E92 Elite marked as 'Selecção Diamante' by Delta Coffee. They produce espresso with a somewhat thinner layer of a deep brown crema. It has a great aroma, with flavors of cloves, tobacco, and a little oakiness. Pricey at 1,50€, but then you get the posh environment plus a Delta chocolate served on the side. When it comes to milk frothing, they produce a significant amount for Portugal (which isn't all that much) - though it consists of slightly large bubbles and no microfoam.
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