One of the many things many love about Spain is its coffee! Did you know that there are so many ways to order coffee in Spain? People say that the Americans have too many ways of ordering a coffee … but what about the Spanish?
Depending on in which region you find yourself, ordering a coffee in Spain can be quite a complicated affair.
Here are just some of the ways of ordering the many combinations of coffee in Spain:
• Café Solo : A simple shot of strong black coffee in a small cup
• Café Solo con Hielo : A short black coffee poured over ice (very refreshing in the summer!)
• Café Americano : The same shot of coffee but in a larger cup with more water added
• (Café) Cortado : A shot of coffee topped up with a small amount of milk (often served in a glass)
• Café con Leche : A regular old coffee with milk (although it may be stronger than you are used to).
• Café del tiempo : In Madrid, that is a cafe solo with ice and lemon
• (Café) Sombra : A slightly weaker coffee with milk.
• (Café) Nube : A much weaker coffee with milk.
• Carajillo : A small shot of black coffee with a generous splash of alcohol. The most typical being coñac although Baileys is pretty nice too!
• Bomboncito : A small black coffee with condensed milk.
• Manchado : In Murcia, it is like the Bombón, but with less condensed milk.
• Trifásico : A small black coffee with condensed milk and a slug of brandy
• Asiático : A potent mix of condensed milk, double espresso, licor 43, brandy, lemon rind and cinnamon. Also known as a Barraquito in the Canary Islands
The amount of coffee in your coffee is what influences its name. However, if you go to certain parts of Spain and ask for a “nube” (Spanish for cloud), do not be surprised if your friendly waiter looks at you as if you are in cloud cuckoo land … And when I went with a Spaniard to England and we had a coffee in Starbucks, he asked me “Why do I have just a large plastic cup of hot water with a splash of coffee for this price…”