Mistral: Making Mallorca famous for it’s coffee, as well as its beaches!

Mistral Coffee House opened a couple of months ago (in July 2021) in a former jewellery shop in a centrally located Plaça de Weyler in Palma. However, Mistral has been a well-known name on the local specialty coffee scene for a while, as their roastery has been around since 2017. As I have already tried their coffee at several cafes around Palma and loved it, I was really looking forward to meeting one of the owners and chatting to her.

The people behind both ventures are business partners and friends Agata Mikulska and Greg Schuler. Agata is from Poland, a trained physiotherapist and a former bar owner, living in Majorca for the past ten years. Greg was a sailor, in and out of Mallorca for many years. He spent part of his life in Kenya and has always been passionate about good coffee. When they opened the roastery, four and a half years ago, they were the first in Palma. At that time specialty coffee was just becoming “a thing” in Palma, but everyone was sourcing their beans from the mainland or from abroad. Mallorca has been known for its beaches, but Agata and Greg wanted to make it famous for the coffee too.

As I was chatting to Agata, her passion for coffee was shining through. She told me: “Once you have a cup of specialty coffee you cannot go back to the commercial coffee; you feel, taste and smell the difference.” Sipping my favourite, a “cortado”, even as an amateur, I had to agree that this was indeed a great cup of coffee, incomparably better than the commercial stuff!

Agata tells me that their beans come from South America, Africa and Central America. She and Greg select coffees from the best parts of the world. Some of their preferred varieties are on offer all the time, while a certain amount of specialty coffees are only around for a season or two. They sometimes work directly with farms and sometimes with the cooperatives and they cherish their relationships with the coffee community. The owner of the farm where they got their first coffee beans from – Brazilian – even came to visit the roastery a few years ago! While all of their coffees are organic, some smaller farms or coops don’t have the financial means to get certified, so only some carry the organic label. However, with the specialty coffee the buyers and the consumers always know where the coffee is coming from, the industry is very transparent.

As Mistral is primarily about coffee, I ask Agata what are some of the coffees she and her team would recommend. She says that they always ask customers how they drink their coffee and how they prepare it. Answers to these questions determine the recommendations. Agata’s and Greg’s preferences revolve around natural African coffees with earthy, very fruity tastes. She tells me that her choice also depends on the time of the day – in the morning she prefers and recommends stronger coffees and in the afternoons something lighter. She comments that there is a bit of a “milky” coffee culture here in Spain, so people often ask for a “cafe con leche” or a “cortado”, but at Mistral there are also filter coffee, cold brew and various ices options on offer.

In terms of food, they serve breakfast/brunch and lunch. The focus here is on a very good coffee and the food is seen as “a nice complement”. They usually have a selection of toasts each day and then a special toast of the week as well as some seasonal offers, such as “mascarpone and forest fruit” or “cream cheese, melon and Serrano ham”. They have interesting plans to expand the menu with time, so watch this space! Agata tells me that halloumi toast is their best seller and I make a mental note to try it next time. They use seasonal fruit to make fruit juices. As in most places in Spain, orange juice is always on the menu, but they also offer watermelon juice during summer months – something that I have not tried or seen anywhere else.

When it comes to my favourite subject – sweet treats – Mistral has a small but very appetising selection. It includes banana bread (which they currently serve with juicy, locally-sourced figs), croissants, cinnamon rolls, cookies and at least one vegan option per day. Today there was a raspberry and orange cake which both Sandra and I concluded was delicious. They work with different pastry chefs, freelancers, while some cakes are made by the staff as well.

All in all, this is a great café with excellent coffee, a stylish, high quality interior, and a cool vibe, so I am definitely adding it onto my growing list of “favourites”!

Mistral Coffee Roasters
C/ del Banc 4, Palma, 07001

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Mistral Coffee House
Plaça de Weyler 2A, Palma, 07001
Tel: +34 634 363 806
Instagram: @mistralcoffee
Open: 9.30-18 Mon-Fri, 9.30-15 Sat