One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to check out coffee speciality shops and Nokora is one of the best ones I've been to. And I do not say that lightly.
Although its pretty small, especially in juxtaposition to nearby Iberdrola Tower, Nokora provides a warm and inviting atmosphere for guests to come by and pick up a coffee to go.
I think the thing is, it might be hard to leave. Our barista (and I'm going to take a good guess she is was one of the store's co-owners) really takes her craft of making coffee seriously - I think anyone who says they went to Melbourne to learn is. She was incredibly fascinating to talk to and extremely precise with her preparation.
I ordered an uno y uno, which is two separate shots of expressos in which one is served straight and another with milk - they were both incredibly smooth and without an hint of bitterness but packed a giant punch that kept be a bit buzzed for the next couple of hours. In addition to that, the barista offered me a small cup of coffee derived from the same beans - which made me ever more jittery (in a good way)! For 4 euros, I thought this was a great value.
It was one of the better coffee experiences I've had and I was so glad to fit this in the morning of the day we were set to leave Bilbao. There's been a lot said about Spain's burgeoning coffee scene and it's very apparent to me that places like Nokora are leading the way. read more