COFFEE IN CENTRAL AND WESTERN EUROPE

The contents of coffee menus in Central and Western Europe are often a mixture of what you find in the North and the South. Espresso, cappuccino and even filter coffee are usually on the menu, but there are exceptions and drinks that you can only find in those countries. Even in Britain, a country where tea is the main drinker, coffee consumption is not low, but in the home you will mostly find instant coffee.

AUSTRIA AND VIENNESE COFFEE

Source: tasteatlas.com

Coffee culture has a long history in Austria, and specifically in Vienna, and few visitors don't enjoy a Vienna coffee with their traditional Sacher cake. The latter takes several forms. On the menu you can find, for example ,Melange, which is an espresso with warm milk and milk foam on the surface, or Eispänner. This is prepared in a similar way to the Melange, but whipped cream is used instead of milk. Einspänner is usually served in a tall glass and can be sprinkled with icing sugar or cocoa powder. Traditionally it is not stirred and the coffee should be sipped slowly over the whipped cream.

You may also encounter Fiaker coffee, which is similar to Einspänner. However, it is served in a smaller glass, and in addition, Kirschwasser, i.e. cherry wine, is added to this coffee, which is sometimes replaced by rum. 

 

IRISH COFFEE IN IRELAND AND AROUND THE WORLD

Irish coffee is not only found in Ireland anymore, it has lovers all over the world, especially in the USA, but its origins should not be forgotten. The coffee base is made from filtered coffee prepared, for example, in a French press or a moka pot. The coffee is supplemented with brown sugar, Irish whiskey and cream, which should be whipped at home and poured over a spoon.

CAFÉ AU LAIT - A CLASSIC OF FRENCH CAFÉS

cafe au lait - source: muratidobrasil.com

The fact that you can find coffees in Western Europe made from both espresso and filter coffee is confirmed by the French café au lait, which is coffee, properly prepared in a French press, topped with warm milk. However, you can also find café au lait made from espresso. It is important to note, however, that café au lait, unlike the Italian caffé latte, does not have milk foam.

 

COFFEE CULTURE IN SOUTHERN EUROPE

The coffee culture in the southern European countries is mainly based on espresso, which has its roots in Italy. Italians love espresso and just having a quick chat with a friend. The tradition of drinking coffee has been in Italy for a long time. Caffe Greco is the oldest cafe in Rome, founded in 1760. Espresso was invented in Italy. It is a unique combination of coffee machine, grinder, machine adjustment and human factor. In Italy, they roast the coffee very dark. It makes the coffee taste burnt, but that's what Italians love.

We also find espresso-based coffee in most other southern European countries, such as Greece, Spain and Portugal.

GREEK ICED FRAPPÉ

Frappé is not just a Greek thing anymore, but you can find it all over the world, thanks to the influence of coffee chains. A misconception we often encounter is that Frappé is made with milk. This is not true. A proper Greek Frappé is just instant coffee, water and ice. If you add milk to Frappé the drink is called frapógalo.

However, Frappé is not the only Greek coffee drink. Often in Greece, you will also see the drinks Espresso freddo or Freddo cappuccino. As the name suggests, this is an espresso-based drink. Espresso freddo consists of only ice and double espresso, which is sweetened according to preference. In order to dissolve the sugar better it is better to pour it into the cup where the espresso is extracted. The espresso is then left to cool for a while and then blended with ice. The Freddo cappuccino is also topped with a fine milk foam.

Greek frappe - source herbsandflour.com

SPANISH COFFEE SWEET AS HONEY

In Spain, you will also come across several traditional coffee drinks right away. One of them is the café con miel. An espresso made with whipped milk and honey, which can be complemented with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon or even ginger. The second drink, Café bombón, is also sweet . This one comes from Valencia. First, condensed milk is poured into a small glass, on top of which espresso is poured. Due to the different densities, the liquids are not mixed immediately.

 

NORTHERN EUROPE AND FILTER COFFEE

Theshort days and long nights that prevail for part of the year in the Scandinavian countries require a lot of coffee, so it is no wonder that the Finns, Swedes and Icelanders occupy the top three places in the ranking of the amount of coffee consumed per person. Due to the influence of the southern countries, it is easy to find espresso or cappuccino in these countries as well, and a constant here is filter coffee, which used to be mainly brewed directly in a pot and called coccaffe. The reason why filter coffee is drunk in Scandinavia is also because people here are used to taking a lot of coffee in a thermos with them on hikes, which you simply can't do with cappuccino.

Source: tasteatlas.com

Kaffeost is filter coffee with dried juustoleipä cheese. The combination probably seems strange to you, but everyone in the north loves this drink. 

 

EASTERN EUROPE AND COFFEE

Eastern European countries, with a few exceptions like Estonia, do not stand out in the coffee consumption rankings. Here, coffee is mostly drunk with milk or in the form of espresso extended with water. The drink, which looks like a Czech 'turek', is also found in Poland and Bulgaria.

A unique coffee drink can be found in Russia. Itis called RAF and is similar to a cafe latte. However, it differs from it in several ways. Vanilla sugar or syrup is added to the espresso base and cream is used instead of milk. The whole drink is then whipped together. You can also find RAF with alcohol or honey.

Raf is also sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon or flavoured with lavender.

AFRICA AS A COFFEE PRODUCER, NOT A CONSUMER

Now I'm coming across a minor paradox. Although a large part of coffee comes from African countries, its consumption by locals is not so great. Perhaps because coffee is seen as something expendable here. Even so, you can still find drinks that originate in an African country.

MAZAGRAN - ALGERIAN COFFEE AS YOU KNOW IT

Mazagran has its origins in Algeria, taking its name from the Algerian port city. It is acold filtered coffee served on ice in a tall glass with a slice of lemon and a splash of lemon juice. The drink can also be sweetened. And you already know that coffee from Algeria is not always what we in the Czech Republic know as Algerian coffee, i.e. coffee with eggnog and whipped cream.

Mazagrand can also be found in Portugal, but in this case the drink is enriched with mint and rum.

Mazagran with a slice of lemon. Source: crema.fiCOFFEE CULTURE IN ARABIA

From history, it is clear that the custom of drinking roasted coffee originated in the Arabian Peninsula. The story goes that an Ethiopian herdsman let his goats graze next to coffee trees with ripe berries. Some time later, he noticed that his goats had an unusual amount of energy. So he tried the berries himself and felt the energy for himself. And that's probably how coffee came about.

The word "coffee" was first discovered in the English language in 1582, derived from the Dutch word koffie, which in turn was borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish kahve, which was derived from the Arabic word for coffee or for cooking - qahwa.

ARABIC COFFEE RITUALS

Serving Arabic coffee has been an important aspect of hospitality in Arab societies for centuries. It is considered a ceremonial act of generosity and traditionally coffee is prepared in front of guests according to precise instructions. Coffee begins with the selection of coffee beans, which are lightly roasted in a shallow pan over a small fire. It is then placed in a copper bowl and ground with a copper mallet.

The ground coffee is then placed in a large copper coffee pot. Water is added and the coffee is brewed over the fire. Once it begins to brew, it is poured from the large pot into a smaller coffee container and then into small cups. The most important or oldest guests are served first. The custom is to drink at least one to three cups. Various spices such as cardamom or cinnamon are also added to Arabic coffee.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ARABIC COFFEE

The brewing process for most Arabic coffees is similar, but the style of pot varies. TheTurks use ezve or ibrik, the Saudis usedallah, and the Ethiopians use jebena. The similarity is that the ground coffee is mixed with cold water and brewed in an open pot.

POPULAR COFFEE DRINKS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA

As much of Central Asia is made up of China, where they are particularly fond of drinking various loose teas, you won't find a large number of local coffee drinks. The average Chinese person drinks just 3 cups of coffee a year. And so I'll move a little further south, to India.

INDIAN-STYLE FILTER COFFEE

Indian filter coffee uses afilter with their own design. This filter consists of two chambers. The upper one with a perforated bottom is used to hold the ground coffee and the lower one slowly drips the brewed coffee. The result of this brewing technique is a rich-tasting, full-bodied coffee to which milk and sugar are usually added.

It is traditionally served in a metal cup with a saucer. Sometimes the combination of coffee and warm milk is continuously poured from one container to another until it aerates and foams. Source: Food52HOW COFFEE IS DRUNK IN EAST ASIA

You can find plentyof coffee drinks in East Asia and countries like Vietnam, Japan, and Indonesia, including the famous dalgona coffee. So I will introduce you to at least some of them.

 

VIETNAMESE COFFEE

Even in most Vietnamese cafes in the Czech Republic you can enjoy traditional Vietnamese coffee, but do you know how to prepare it? Vietnamese coffee is prepared using a metal filter called phin and it is made from robustabeans , because this is the type of coffee plant that grows in abundance in Vietnam. Robusta is itself more bitter than arabica, and roasted dark, so the filtered coffee is mixed withsweet condensed milk, which cannot spoil as quickly as regular milk in humid and warm climates.

Vietnamese coffee can also be found in iced form or in a version with yoghurt, which is also used in the form of frozen cubes instead of ice.

Vietnamese coffee on a Phin dripper

 

COFFEE FROM INDONESIA

One of the most famous coffees you can taste in Indonesia is the world's most expensive coffee, civet coffee. In Java, you can have coffee that has a hot coal thrown in right after it's brewed. The addition of charcoal is supposed to bring health benefits. In the Aceh region of Sumatra, coffee is enjoyed in an unusual way, where the coffee is turned upside down on a plate. The coffee is then drunk using a straw that is threaded between the glass and the plate.

There is a legend attached to the way Kopi Terbalik is served, about how in the past men used to drink coffee and then go to work at sea, when they returned they could still drink pure coffee. Source.FLAT WHITE, A COFFEE DRINK FROM AUSTRALIA

You've probably already heard of Flat White. Over the past few years, you'll find it on virtually every coffee shop drink menu. It has gained popularity especially with coffee drinkers who like their coffee with milk but want a stronger coffee flavour in their drink. The basis of Flat White coffee is double espresso with double the amount of whipped milk. Flat White should therefore be properly served in a 140-160 ml cup.

HOW THEY DRINK COFFEE IN NORTH AMERICA

Apart from Europe, coffee consumption is also heavily influenced by the various coffee chains. However, in almost every American household you will find drip coffee machines such as the Moccamaster. Americans often drink their coffee pure black or top it up with cream and sweeten it with syrups.

One drink that has its origins in the USA is called Red Eye. It is an espresso, but instead of water it is extended with filtered coffee. It may be clear to you that the caffeine dose of this drink is not small.

MEXICO AND CAFÉ DE OLA

If you go to Mexico you will not miss the Café de Ola. The method of preparing this coffee is said to have originated during the Revolution, when women gave this drink to soldiers to wake them up and give them energy. This dark roast coffee is traditionally served from a clay pot (olla means pot) and filtered through a fine sieve. It is thenserved with piloncillo, an unrefined brown sugar that has a smoky and caramel flavour. You can also get a cinnamon stick with your Caffé de Olla to enhance the flavours.