You’ll find so many different ways to drink coffee around the world. Here are 10 examples of that.
1. Turkey: Türk Kahvesi
Turkish coffee is famous around the globe; traditionally it’s prepared in a ibrik or a cezve, a small copper or brass pot. Firstly, the sugar is added during the brewing process , and secondly there’s no use of cream or milk. The cup is made with finely ground coffee beans: stir your coffee at the start but then resist the temptation to do it again.
2. Sweden: Kaffeost
You’d be forgiven for flinching from this peculiar speciality, found in Sweden and Finland. The name translates as “coffee cheese”, and that’s exactly what it is: coffee poured over cubes of “Leipäjuusto” cheese. In Finland, the cheese is usually served as a side with your cup , but in Sweden they go the whole way and put the cubes in the coffee cup. It’s not for everyone.
3. Greece: Frappe
There’s nothing like an iced coffee on a blistering day, and the Greeks know it. Frappe is eternally popular on the Mediterranean shores of Greece, made with iced instant coffee and plenty of fresh milk. You can have your coffee sketo (no sugar), metrio (same sugar as coffee) or glyko (2–4 spoonfuls of sugar).
4. Mexico: Café de Olla
Mexico’s Café de Olla is often found in rural areas with colder climes. Brewed in a clay pot, this variety’s unique flavour comes from piloncillo cones – unrefined cane sugar – and cinnamon. It’s usually served black.
5. Vietnam: Ca Phe Da
Over in Vietnam, coffee is served very sweet and very strong. Ca Phe Da is another iced variety, the coffee being brewed through a French drip filter into a cup of ice mixed with condensed milk.
6. Ethiopia: Ethiopia Genika
Coffee culture is alive and well in Ethiopia, where a local proverb translates as “coffee is our bread”. There are a staggering 6–10,000 varieties of coffee in Ethiopia. The most widely consumed variety is aromatic Arabica coffee, enjoyed during elaborate coffee ceremonies: beans are roasted in a pan before being ground, brewed and served to family and guests.
7. Austria: Weiner Mélange
The Weiner mélange is essentially an espresso topped with steamed milk and foam. Ask for whipped cream and cocoa powder to finish it off if you have a sweet tooth – the whipped cream also insulates the coffee below, keeping it warm.
8. Brazil: Cafezinho
Close to an espresso – but much stronger – a cafezinho is a hallmark of Brazilian hospitality, offered to visitors to any home. Thick, strong and brewed through a special cloth flannel filter, it is served super sweet, though the sugar is added early on as part of the brewing process. Generally drunk without milk or cream.
9. Ireland: Irish coffee
The Irish coffee is perfect for anyone looking for a coffee with a kick. Made with hot coffee, Irish whiskey and lashings of thick cream, the drink was invented by a man named Joseph Sheridan back in 1942.
10. Italy: Affogato
This classic Italian combo involves pouring hot espresso over a generous scoop of ice cream. Variations to the dish include adding a shot of liqueur to the mix, such as amaretto.