Coffee around the world is unique! Coffee is a common thread that connects people around the world. It's a great way to experience other cultures, and it's also a fascinating way to learn about them.
But what are some of the most exciting coffee rituals outside of your own?
Let's take a look at some of the most interesting ways people around the world drink their favourite morning beverage!
Turkish Coffee in Turkey
Turkish coffee is thick and frothy, always served in small cups. It's made by adding hot water and sugar to finely ground beans, which are then boiled until the grounds sink to the bottom of the pot. Turkish coffee is often served with a glass of water on the side—an important addition that helps to cut through its richness.
Ethiopia: Buna Dabo—" Coffee with Butter"
The coffee in Ethiopia is handcrafted and often served in a coffee ceremony. The country is known for its Buna Dabo—" coffee with butter"—a traditional Ethiopian coffee recipe that uses butter instead of milk or cream to brew the drink. The strong taste and creamy texture are perfect for those who like their morning cup on the stronger side.
Cafe Con Miel in Cuba
You may be surprised to learn that Cuban coffee is sweetened with honey, a natural alternative to sugar.
While all kinds of honey can be used for this purpose, it's important to note that not all jars of honey are created equal—some have more health benefits than others. For example:
- Honey has a lower glycemic index than table sugar, meaning it doesn't spike your blood sugar levels as quickly and can help manage your weight over time.
- Honey is also rich in antioxidants that fight free radicals and other harmful substances in the body. It's even thought to have anti-cancer properties! (This may be why many ancient cultures considered it a medicine.)
- As an added bonus (or perhaps because of its low glycemic index), honey has been shown to suppress coughs better than any over-the-counter cough syrup available today; research suggests that this benefit comes from its antibacterial properties rather than any sweetness on its own. Finally: if you get an owie while camping or hiking outdoors, try applying some melted honey instead of rubbing alcohol—it'll disinfect the wound while sealing up any cuts or scrapes on your skin
Hawaii: Kona Mochasippi
Kona Mochasippi is a type of coffee that originates from the Kona region of Hawaii and is made by mixing different blends. The way it's prepared is unique: first, all the ingredients are ground separately into coarse textures; then, they're heated in an oven until they turn into a liquid form; after that, the various components are blended.
The result? A drink with rich texture and distinct flavours. In other words, you'll have something totally new to look forward to every time!
Peru, Bolivia and Chile: Manjar Blanco
You may have heard the term "manjar Blanco," but what exactly is it? It's a sweet sauce made with sweetened condensed milk, traditionally served in South America with café con leche (latte). It can be consumed on its own as a dessert or added to other foods like hot chocolate.
Manjar Blanco is traditionally made with cinnamon and vanilla. Some recipes call for lemon instead of vanilla, but you'll get that warm spice flavour unique to manjar Blanco. As for serving the two together? If you're drinking your coffee black, this might be too much sweetness for your taste buds!
If you want to try this recipe at home, just mix one tablespoon of manjar Blanco into one cup of hot milk and stir until combined—it's also delicious on top of plain cake or ice cream!
Australia: Flat White
The Flat White is the drink of choice for Australians. It's a milky, cafe-style coffee, but it isn't quite as frothy or creamy as an American latte. The flat white was invented by New Zealanders and has become so popular in Australia that there are now chains dedicated to serving them. The secret to making them well is ordering them with steamed milk rather than foamed; this results in a richer flavour.
Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia: Ca Phe Sua Da—" Iced Milk Coffee"
Ca Phe Sua Da (pronounced "sounds like") is the Vietnamese name for iced coffee. It's a simple concoction of strong drip-brewed coffee, sweetened condensed milk, and ice.
The story goes that a group of French soldiers stationed in Vietnam during the colonial era brought their love of café au lait—strongly brewed coffee served with hot milk. Still, they were unable to find cows on their tropical island home. So they swapped out dairy for dairy products from another local source: coconuts! In Vietnamese, the resulting drink was dubbed "coconut coffee," or ca phe sua da.
Ca Phe sua da's popularity spread across Southeast Asia and beyond, finding its way into cafés around the world under many different names: kopi susu in Malaysia and Singapore; kopi susun in Indonesia; cà phê sữa đá (iced white coffee) in Laos; cà phê sữa đá or cà phê quay (iced tall glass/tall glassed) in Cambodia; cà phê bồ đề or cà phê chanh nước (iced passion fruit) all over South East Asia (Thailand included), etcetera!
Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and UAE (Dubai): Qishr
If you've ever had Yemeni coffee (or Qishr, as it's known in the Arab world), you know that it doesn't actually taste like coffee. A little bit of sugar added to the brew helps, but not much. What is this strange beverage? It's more like what remains when all of the good stuff has been extracted from a coffee bean: The husks are dried out and then boiled in water until there's nothing left but bitter sludge. You'll find this traditional drink throughout southern Arabia, where it is served black or with cardamom and clove spices—and sometimes even with milk and sugar!
Caffè Shakerato in Italy
Caffè Shakerato, or shaken coffee, is the Italian equivalent of an iced coffee. It's a very simple drink to make: you just shake espresso with ice and sugar in a cocktail shaker until it forms a nice foamy head. Then pour it into an elegant martini glass and serve it as an after-dinner treat.
The best part about this beverage is that if you're feeling fancy, you can use any espresso machine instead of just shaking the ingredients with ice cubes!
Cafe de Olla in Mexico
You might not know it, but Mexico is one of the world's largest coffee exporters. The Chiapas region alone produces 60 per cent of all Mexican coffee, and this robusta is what you'll find in Cafe de Olla—a sweetened blend of beans from various areas across the country. In addition to being a great source of income for farmers, this beverage has become an integral part of Mexican culture.
Cafe de Olla is prepared by boiling ground coffee in water with sugar and cinnamon sticks until they reach a near-boil. The resulting drink is thick and fragrant; you can smell it brewing from down the street as you approach a cafe selling it hot or cold (it often comes with condensed milk on top). It's usually served in clay cups that keep your hands warm while enjoying every last drop!
Eiskaffee in Germany
The German Eiskaffee is a cold frothy coffee drink that was invented in the 1950s. It's served in a tall glass with ice, milk, and whipped cream. The coffee can be either hot or cold, and it tastes like a milkshake! While many Germans enjoy this as an after-dinner treat, you can also order it at any time of day.
Eiskaffee is made by adding whipped cream to hot or cold espresso or coffee, then blending everything with some ice cubes for texture. Try using this recipe if you want to make iced latte macchiatos at home without making an extra trip to Starbucks or another coffee shop!
Cappuccino Freddo in Greece
Cappuccino Freddo is a summer favourite in Greece. It's made with cold milk and espresso—not hot coffee, like your usual cappuccino. Served in a tall glass with ice, it's also called "Greek Iced Cappuccino."
The drink is made with either evaporated milk or condensed milk combined with ice cubes to cool the drink down quickly. Ice cubes are added because they melt faster than cubed water. The ice melts into the liquid, then poured over coffee grounds and topped off with frothy milk foam resembling whipped cream.
Coffee drinkers in Greece often add sugar or sugar substitute to their iced cappuccinos, but if you want yours unsweetened, make sure to ask your server first!
Blue Mountain Coffee in Jamaica
Blue Mountain coffee is the third-largest producer of coffee in the world, but it's not just any old cup of joe. The beans from Jamaica's Blue Mountains are protected by a certification process, only allowing them to be sold under the name if they meet strict quality standards.
The production process for these beans starts with cultivating coffee trees on small farms that often use traditional methods handed down over generations. This process takes about five years before harvest and processing begin; at this point, farmers take care to remove all unripe cherries from their crop so that they don't damage the tree or reduce its yield in subsequent years.
Kopi Luwak in Indonesia
If you're not familiar with Kopi Luwak, it's probably because you've never had the opportunity to try it. Making this coffee is far from straightforward, and its rarity means that it's only available in select coffee shops around the world.
The first step in producing this coffee is collecting ripe red coffee cherries from a tree, fermented and dried by civet cats. Civet cats are large animals that resemble weasels and eat an omnivorous diet consisting of insects, fruits, vegetables, small mammals, and fish—but they also like to eat unripened coffee berries!
Once consumed by these nocturnal creatures (civets), beans are cleaned once they have passed through their digestive tract; this process removes any unwanted pulp or fleshy material from inside each berry before it can be roasted and brewed into your cup.
India and Sri Lanka: Kaapi or Chaa
In India and Sri Lanka, a cup of coffee is made by mixing ground coffee beans with boiling water, and then pouring it into a cup of frothed milk. The resulting drink is rich and foamy consistency.
Japan, Portugal, and Brazil: Cafe Pingado
A bit of an oddball in the list, Cafe Pingado is popular in Japan, Portugal, and many other countries worldwide. It's a cafe au lait, with equal parts hot milk and coffee—but it's topped with condensed milk instead of regular milk. This gives the drink a creamy texture that some may initially find off-putting but that others love. The taste is very similar to a cortado (the difference being that cortados are served with whole milk rather than condensed).
For those who like sweet coffee drinks and want something filling enough to be considered breakfast or snack food, Cafe Pingado can be ideal—especially since it comes topped with whipped cream!
Pharisäer and Pharisee in Germany and Sweden
You're at a cafe in Berlin, and you want to order a drink that is equal parts epicurean, decadent, and delicious. You'll want to try the Pharisäer (or "Pharisee"), an aromatic coffee mixture with rum and whipped cream. Rum made from the same beans as your coffee will give it an extra sweetness that compliments its bitter notes; this is especially noticeable when you add the extra layer of whipped cream on top.
Conclusion
If you love coffee, it's well worth experimenting with these cultural differences. Try your local favourites and if you've ever been abroad, try the foreign variations on how to prepare and drink your cup of joe.
With that in mind, why not order Lyger Coffee's americano and latte? Both flavours have high solubility, which means mixing them with other ingredients will not be difficult and will help you discover new ways to make your coffee interesting. Check them out here!