By meaggymurphy
Blurb: Coffee is one of those things that exists all around the world but tastes different everywhere you go. Spain is no exception, and I've learned a little during my time here about the basic varieties that you'll find in cafes around the country. More than learning the difference between a café solo and a café suizo, I've learned to like the flavor. At first it wasn't easy, but as soon as I stopped looking for the nearest Starbucks, I found myself embracing the way the Spanish do coffee. Keep reading for an account of a coffee-lover's adventures getting her coffee-fix in Spain's cafes! #coffee #cafe #GWU #GWAbroad
I will admit that I was once one of those people who said that they would never drink coffee. I said this throughout high school, when I was young, naive, tea-loving, and unaware of the amazing deliciousness that is a cup of coffee. I was also ignorant of the fact that caffeine is nature's gift to students. Long story short, I jumped off my high horse and into Juan Valdez/Dunkin Donuts/Starbucks (in that order) after my first month in college.
At home, I'm a fan of a strong cup of basic coffee, nothing with flavors that sound more like Ben & Jerry's ice cream varieties than coffee. Coming to Spain, I've gotten used to a whole new coffee language that, thankfully, doesn't include anything called a Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino. Here, you have café solo, café cortado, and café con leche.
I'll start with the café solo, which is Spanish code for a little espresso shot. If you feel the need to be extra on edge, you can order a café double, which is a double espresso shot. I tend to shy away from ordering these because, well, I don't really have the patience to sip on a coffee that I could easy drink in one swig.
Café cortado is a café solo with a little bit of milk added. The difference between a cortado and a café con leche is the amount of milk; ordering the latter will get you about a 50:50 ratio, while ordering the former is more like 80:20. The theme here is café solo plus differing amounts of milk equals different types of coffee. For example, café manchada is a glass of milk with a dash of coffee for flavor (10:90, I think).
These three types are the most common from what I've seen, but you also get varieties like café americano and café suizo. The americano is café solo with water added and is probably the closest thing Spain has to a "typical" American cup of coffee. However, I try not to order this type because it seems too clichéd, the Americana ordering an americano. Café suizo is café solo with some whipped cream on top. "Suizo" is how you say "Swiss" in Spanish, and it makes sense that they named a coffee that resembles a snow-covered mountaintop after Switzerland. With this logic, what does that say about America if an americano is watery coffee? I'm not sure the implications here are good...
At first, I felt the coffee culture shock whenever I went to get my fix and left slightly frustrated by a coffee that was too milky/watery/small compared to what I was used to. I think I'm pretty easy-going when it comes to culture shock- I don't like to waste time thinking wistfully about foods and traditions I miss about America or trying to recreate them abroad. Coffee was the one exception to this rule because I was always trying to find ways to get my hands on an American-style coffee. However, I have recently decided that instead of constantly searching for a cup of coffee that's like what I'd receive at Dunkin Donuts (which actually exist in this region of Spain under the crafty name "Duffin Dagels"), I should embrace Spanish café. It may be mostly milk and pint-sized, but it's delicious.
Even more than being good, I know I'll always associate the flavor of a café con leche with Pamplona and spending a couple afternoon hours in one of the city's cafes. Good memories definitely make it easy to savor a cup of café español. And to think, I once said I'd never drink it- I had obviously never tried a good Spanish coffee before!