5 Ways to Drink Coffee Around the World

No matter where you find yourself in the world, chances are you'll start your day off with a cup of coffee.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

No matter where you find yourself in the world, chances are you'll start your day off with a cup of coffee.

Everyone has their preference: cappuccino, latte, black with a little sugar (or not), but your choices will be slightly different depending on what country you're in. Coffee is prepared and drank differently across the world so if you're traveling, it helps to know the lingo before you try to order your morning cup of joe.

You want an espresso in Madrid? Well the Spanish have many different types of traditional espresso drinks including cortado, which is cut with a little steamed milk, or a café bombón, which is made with one part espresso and one part condensed milk. If you're in Australia, you may want your espresso as a "flat white" which is a shot with a splash of steamed milk and milk foam (sounds a lot like the U.S. latte, doesn't it?).

In Italy, meanwhile, coffee is serious business. There are many different coffee creations and specialties, each with its own name. A city favorite is the café Romano, which is an espresso shot served with a slice of lemon that offsets the bitterness of the strong coffee and makes it taste a little sweeter without you needing to add sugar. And if you want an espresso but not an entire shot, then try a ristretto, which is a very short shot of espresso.

And if you can't decide whether you want a cup of tea or a cup of coffee in the morning, well then China has an answer for you -- coffee is combined with tea here in a drink called yuanyang (named for the Mandarin duck whose males and females look so different from each other it's like they're two different species of duck). It's so popular that Starbucks has a limited edition Frappuccino based on it and it's now drank across the world.

Coffee may be fairly ubiquitous these days, but many don't know it originally came from the Horn of Africa and, according to legend, the Ethiopian province of Kaffa. Slaves would chew the coffee cherries for energy and took them to Yemen where it was cultivated in the early 15th century. It made its way to Europe, finally, in the 17th century where the Dutch cultivated the plants in greenhouses. Today it's a multi-billion dollar industry that's set up shop in scores of countries across the globe and is drank in hundreds of different ways

Read on to find out more about the ways people are drinking coffee around the world.

1
Café de Olla — Mexico
Literally translated as “pot coffee,” this is traditionally prepared in beautifully artisanal clay pots which give the drink a distinctly warm, earthy flavor. Cinnamon and piloncillo (which is a customary sugarcane candy) are added for that extra kick and to sweeten the drink.
Photo Credit: © Flickr / diana.solano
Click Here to see more Ways to Drink Coffee Around the World
2
Kopi Susu Panas — Malaysia
The British introduced coffee to Malaysia in the early 19th century but the style here is to serve it thick and sweet. One part condensed milk is poured into the cup first. Very strong ground and brewed coffee is added after. The coffee steeps into the condensed milk, thickening up the whole drink. When you’re ready to drink it you just give it a quick final stir.
Photo Credit: © Flickr / Austronesian Expeditions
3
Turkish Coffee — Turkey
This small yet powerful coffee packs a punch — roasted and finely ground coffee beans are boiled in a tiny pot called a cezve (traditionally made from copper) and usually prepared with sugar. It’s poured straight into a little cup and served hot, though you only drink it after the grounds have settled at the bottom of the cup. The tradition goes back to the Ottoman settlers in Arabia during the early 17th century and the drink was so popular that the method of preparation has changed little since that time.
Photo Credit: © Flickr / Stoyan Dinev
Click Here to see more Ways to Drink Coffee Around the World
4
Indian Filter Coffee — India
Also known as “kaapi” (and pronounced with a long “A” sound, like k-ah-pi), south Indian sweet, milky coffee made from dark roasted coffee and chicory is brewed in a metal container with two circular cups. During the process, the coffee grounds are compressed and brewed, resulting in a stronger product than most western-style “drip coffees.” The complete drink is also one part milk to the one part brewed coffee plus sugar is added.
Photo Credit: © Flickr / Kamakshi Sachidanandam
5
Espresso Romano — Italy
Coffee is serious business in Italy, especially in Rome where espresso is king. There are many distinct versions of espresso drinks, this one is a shot of espresso with a slice of lemon served either on the side and sometimes run along the rim of the glass. The tart, lemony aspect highlights the sweetness of the espresso so that sugar is not required.
Photo Credit: © Flickr / lupoo_033
Click Here to see more Ways to Drink Coffee Around the World

- Serusha Govender, The Daily Meal

More Content from The Daily Meal:

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE