Ordering Coffee in Spain

Varieties

Café solo, café con leche, corto de café, or largo de leche, descafeinada de sobre, and many other variations. Coffee in Spain is something enjoyed either at home or in the numerous bars and cafes, for breakfast, after a meal, or just in between. There are coffee variations with or without alcohol, and different regions in Spain have their own expressions and variations. There are many coffee variations in Spain, and if you listen in a bar or on a terrace in Spain, you'll hear them naturally. There are diverse types even for the most common coffees, and the list keeps growing. The most popular varieties include:

Cortado

A strong cup of coffee with a splash of hot milk, often served in a glass but also possible in a cup. For many foreigners, Cortado is the most suitable type of coffee as it is quite similar to coffee in their own country. If you want something stronger and the bar offers it, you can also ask for an Italian macchiato.

Americano

An Americano is comparable to a café solo but milder, also known as a large cup of black coffee. An Americano is usually served in a larger cup.

Café con leche

Perhaps the most familiar coffee type among foreigners, a large cup of coffee with hot milk. This coffee is most commonly consumed in the morning during breakfast and is similar to a latte in the Netherlands. In Spain, it's customary not to drink café con leche after 11 a.m. After that time, it's usual to opt for a stronger variant.

Carajillo

This is a small strong cup of coffee (café solo or cortado) with a shot of whiskey, brandy, Baileys, or other liqueur of your choice. This type of coffee is popular among Spanish men.

Café con hielo

Very popular during the hot summer months, a cup of coffee, usually café solo or cortado, served with sugar and a glass of ice. The drinker pours the coffee over the ice to make an iced coffee. Refreshingly cool.

Cappuccino

Known to everyone and originally from Italy. This is essentially an Americano with either whipped cream (nata) or frothy milk on top. Spaniards don't drink much cappuccino, but if they do, it won't have whipped cream, that's more for foreigners.

Regions

VALENCIA

Many Dutch and Belgian people spend the winter on the Costa Blanca and will undoubtedly be familiar with the following coffees. How about 'blanco y negro', a granulated coffee with meringue milk (café granizado con leche merengada)? And what about 'café del tiempo', which is a cold coffee with lots of ice cubes and sugar, possibly with a slice of lemon and cinnamon.

MURCIA

In Cartagena, you can ask for an 'asiático', a café solo with condensed milk, brandy, Licor 43, and ground cinnamon, served very hot. If you order a 'belmonte', you'll get a coffee with condensed milk and brandy.

MÁLAGA

Ordering a cup of coffee in Málaga is an art in itself, and they have very different names and types of coffee. For instance, there's 'mitad', which is actually a café con leche (half and half), but you can also ask for 'largo', with more coffee and less milk, or 'manchado', which is very little coffee and a lot of milk, or 'corto', which is lots of milk and little coffee. And then there's 'sombra' (shadow), which is a finger-width of coffee and the rest milk, or 'nube' (cloud), which is a lot of milk and just a few drops of coffee.

ARAGÓN

In Aragón, you can order 'quemadillo', which is basically a coffee with something in it. And that something is usually alcohol, such as 'quemadillo aragonés', which is coffee, rum, and milk.

BALEARIC ISLANDS

On the Balearic island of Ibiza, you can ask for 'café caleta', which is a carajillo with rum or cognac with a bit of lemon and orange. In Mallorca, you can order 'rebentó', which is also a carajillo with rum from the island.

CANARY ISLANDS

Here, the coffee can have different names on each island, but if you order 'leche y leche', you'll get a large coffee with condensed milk (café largo con leche condensada). On Lanzarote, you can order a double coffee (café doble) by asking for 'nunca mais'. On Tenerife, people drink 'barraquito', which is a café con leche with condensed milk.

CANTABRIA

In Cantabria, it's common to ask for 'mediano', which is a café con leche, and the cortado is always served in a glass cup (presentation matters).

CASTILE AND LEÓN

In this region, you can order 'completo', which means you not only want a coffee but also want a brandy and a cigar to go with it, a complete package usually enjoyed after a meal.

CASTILLA-LA MANCHA

If you want a true café manchego, go for 'resolí', which is mountain brandy, sugar, coffee, dried orange peel, and cinnamon.

CATALONIA

Naturally, in Catalonia, you order coffee in Catalan, such as cortado, which is 'tallat' there, or café con leche, which is 'café amb llet'. But you can also order 'trifásico', a café con leche with brandy, or 'catalán', which is coffee with crema catalana.

GALICIA

In this region, you can order 'celta', which is coffee with brown sugar, a dash of orujo, coffee beans, and a slice of lemon. You can also ask for 'café con gotas', an espresso with a few drops of orujo (distilled alcoholic drink popular in Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria).

MADRID

In Madrid, you can order all the normal coffees, but also a 'mediana', which is a café con leche, but halfway through the morning, in a small cup. But if you ask for 'mitad y mitad', you'll get the coffee with half warm and half cold milk.

Source: Spanje vandaag