You might not know it, but Spain is a mecca for coffee lovers. Coffee is certainly an important part of the day in Malaga. Many people have a cup when they wake up in the morning with just a light breakfast to tide them over until their second breakfast (yes, two breakfasts!) and coffee break around 11:00 a.m. Also for la Merienda (around 17:00 p.m.). Quite often merienda is coffee or hot chocolate with something sweet.
In most places, there won´t be a menu or board behind the bar to help you choose, so you´ll need to know how to order the coffee you like.
In the little white villages in Andalucia, southern Spain where we live, you coffee comes in a glass and is made espresso method, very strong. Vaso or Tasa? Is a common question in many Spanish bars, as many are served in a glass (vaso), so remember to ask for a mug (tasa) if you prefer that.
Types of Coffee in Andalucia:
– Cafe Solo: a single shot espresso, black, all coffee/no milk.
– Cafe doble or grande: a double shot espresso, black, all coffee/no milk
– Americano: cafe solo with hot water added, to make it a bigger cup and weaker. In some bars this may be a regular filter coffee, not espresso.
– Cortado or Corto (in Malaga): a shot of espresso, with a splash of milk.
– Largo (Malaga): a larger shot of coffee, with a splash of milk.
– Cafe con leche or Mitad (Malaga): Half and half. As the name suggests, it’s half coffee and half milk. The most popular type of coffee in Spain.
– Sombra (Malaga): literally means a shadow, a glass of milk with a splash of coffee (a slightly larger measure than a nube).
– Nube (Malaga) or Leche Manchada: literally means a “cloud” or “stained milk”, a glass of milk with a drop of coffee in it.
– Carajillo: a cafe solo with a shot of dark rum, brandy or whisky added!
– Cafe con hielo or cafe frio: iced coffee, usually comes as a shot of black coffee in a cup, with ice cubes served in a glass. You then tip the coffee into the glass with ice.
– Descafeinado: a decaff. coffee, either from the machine (de maquina) or sachet (de sobre), served black (solo) or with milk (con leche). So if you´d like a machine-made decaff coffee with milk, you need to ask for a “cafe con leche descafeinado de maquina”.
When it comes to milk, you should indicate the temperature at which you want it, which may be fria (cold), caliente (hot) or templada (warm – half cold, half hot). If you fancy a cold coffee, you can order it with ice.
Do you know the origin of the word coffee?
The origin of the word coffee comes from the Mohammedans who called coffee “Kahoueh”. This was the name they used to call alcoholic beverages, the same that the Turks pronounced as “Kahveh” and that transformed into Spanish ended up being “cafe” (coffee in Spanish).
Have a nice cup of Kahoueh!
