city’s literary elite since the 1930s. Every day
for two decades, he has sat at a marble-
topped table here to write poems and drink
coffee. ‘Being here makes me feel connected
to Porto’s artists and writers,’ Joaõ says.
‘It’s almost as though you can drink in the
inspiration.’ Taking a sip, he reads me one
of his poems and, though I can’t understand
a word, his voice is lyrical, his delivery full of
emotion. ‘I write for myself, but my poetry
is free to whoever wants to read it.’ Before
I leave, he presses a poem into my hand.
For Joaõ it is creative fuel, but to Gonçalo
Cardoso coffee is a passion in itself. ‘Before
us, no-one was making speciality coffee in
Porto,’ he tells me, working in his shop,
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‘Everyone was drinking 80-cent espressos.’
He hands over a superior cup, made from
single origin beans roasted on site. ‘Our
coffee is more acidic, more fruity, than what
people are used to – but Portuguese people
are curious. They love to try new things.’
Combi’s best ambassador is the van for
which it was named, a repurposed classic
Mercedes. ‘People are always messaging us
saying “Where will the van be today?”,
remarks Gonçalo. ‘She gets a lot of attention.
But the earnings from the van paid for the
shop, so I’d say she deserves it.’
confeitariadobolhao.com; cafeguarany.
com; follow Combi on Instagram at
@combi_coffee, or at combicoffee.ptClockwise from top:
Combi’s Gonçalo
Cardoso in his
pistachio-green
converted van;
behind the counter
at Combi’s fixed
address; João
Pessanha reads
over his poem at
Café GuaranyTASTE TOUR OF PORTO