What Kind of Coffee Does Spain Have? A Guide to 9 Spanish Coffee Flavors

Although coffee is popular worldwide, the way people drink coffee varies from place to place, reflecting local characteristics. For example, Vietnamese coffee beans are primarily Robusta. Since Robusta beans have a rather bitter and earthy flavor, they are typically roasted to an oily, blackened state. The extracted coffee liquor is rich in crema, with flavors generally presenting as hazelnut, grain, caramel, and distinct bitterness. In Vietnam, the aroma of coffee wafts through streets and alleys. Compared to the fresh milk preferred in European countries, Vietnamese people favor sweetened condensed milk with its lactose sweetness. Thus, they came up with using the sweetness of condensed milk to mask the intense bitterness in coffee. Locally, this beverage is called "ca phe sua da," which translates to Vietnamese drip coffee.

Beyond Southeast Asian Vietnam, Spain in Europe also has a "coffee + condensed milk" drinking habit. They like to call this coffee "Café Bombón." Essentially, it's espresso paired with condensed milk, served in a miniature cup. FrontStreet Coffee has also replicated this beverage. We take a 90-120ml glass cup—the glass is for better aesthetics. Pour condensed milk in a 1:1 ratio to espresso. For instance, if FrontStreet Coffee uses 40g of espresso liquor, we add 40g of condensed milk. Then pour the espresso over the condensed milk. Since condensed milk has a higher density, without external force, the espresso struggles to blend with the condensed milk, creating a very beautiful "black and white" contrast. The first sip is like "herbal jelly with condensed milk," with a texture much richer than drinking straight espresso, and it's no longer bitter.

The "condensed milk" coffee drinking method is not limited to just these two varieties. In recent years, a coffee + milk + condensed milk "Spanish Latte" has become a popular item on café menus. For example, the coffee chain Arabica has launched this popular coffee.

Such diverse coffee culture reflects Spain's inclusive nature. For them, coffee composed of any combination or ratio offers its unique charm. Take a sip of distinctly flavored Spanish coffee—rum from a century-old distillery, plus a touch of cinnamon and sugar, finally garnished with cream and cherries.

World's three greatest surrealist painters—Picasso, Miró, and Dalí—Gaudí's architecture listed as a World Heritage Site before completion, flamenco dance, bullfighting, Don Quixote... all these come from Spain, a dazzling palace of arts. Their culture, combining Western Christianity and Eastern Islamic elements, stands unique among European cultures, and its coffee culture is equally colorful. Spanish philosopher and writer Miguel de Unamuno once said, "Spain's true universities are in its cafés and city squares." They have integrated culture into life.

The History of Spanish Coffee

When we think of Spanish coffee, we tend to think of steaming coffee with rum or other alcohol, topped with fresh cream, but Spain's influence on the coffee industry extends far beyond ski lodge bars.

Spanish ships transported coffee plants and seeds to many remote regions of the world where coffee was not native but soon became central growing centers. Descendants of Spanish conquerors settled in Central and South America, where they created vast plantations for growing Spanish coffee.

Coffee first came to Spain with Turkish immigrants. Actually, not much coffee grows in Spain itself, but they developed a roasting method that produces very dark, almost black oily coffee beans that make very strong coffee, known as Spanish roast or dark French roast.

Spanish coffee growers in Latin America account for nearly half of exported coffee. However, most Spanish coffee served in Spain comes from Angola and Mozambique and is dark roasted to bring out the full flavor.

Spain has various types of cafés with different styles, but they share a common characteristic: they are always bustling with locals and tourists. In Spain, you'll be surprised to find that people seem to have too much leisure time to spend in cafés. In fact, Spanish cafés and bars use the same name. If you see a place with a "Bar" sign, feel free to walk in and enjoy a cup of aromatic coffee.

Spanish cafés are places filled with infinite energy every second. Waiters are loud, almost shouting, cash registers keep clattering, locals and tourists chat loudly, mixed with Spaniards' characteristic exaggerated body language. But no matter how lively the conversation, people don't forget to occasionally take a sip from their cups.

If you're new to Spain, you might ask the waiter for a small favor—to buy a cup of coffee to go. This isn't particularly difficult elsewhere, but in Spain, the waiter will give you a charming smile and persuade you to stay and finish your coffee in the café. Actually, drinking a cup of coffee in a café takes no more than 5 minutes, but what you experience is centuries of cultural沉淀 (sedimentation/accumulation).

The quality of Spanish coffee is excellent due to the quality of coffee beans and the unique way they are roasted and then blended.

Café solo is a small, strong black coffee, usually served in a small glass.

In Spain, the traditional carajillo is a café solo with a small amount of brandy. Alternatively, rum or whiskey can be used. If done properly, the brandy is first lit so the alcohol burns, then coffee (solo) is added.

Drinking coffee is a way of life for Spaniards. They walk into cafés shouting "Hola!"—they're not greeting a particular acquaintance in the café, but saying hello to everyone there. People in cafés are like a small community, and the stacked coffee cups and plates filled with Spanish tapas are part of this community. Here, people enjoy themselves. Even if they only spend 10 minutes in a café in the morning, they'll steal moments for laughter, lively discussion, or reading newspapers. For Spaniards, drinking coffee represents a simple and beautiful sentiment, a preference integrated into their souls.

Types of Spanish Coffee

Café con leche: Drinking coffee is a way of life in Spain. Spaniards usually drink coffee in the morning, and their breakfast helps them start the day. This first cup of coffee is typically accompanied by hot milk, and this coffee is called café con leche. In this most popular and common coffee in Spain, a considerable amount of milk heated by steam pressure coffee machine is added. It's generally served in large coffee cups or glasses.

Then around 11 AM, many Spaniards stop for a short break called Almuerzo. They often order a coffee called café solo and eat some small snacks like bocadillo, which we would better know as a sandwich containing cheese or ham (made with rectangular bread).

Café cortado: Coffee with only a small amount of milk, usually served in small coffee cups. The difference from Café con leche is that it has less milk. Typically, people drink this coffee after lunch.

Café Bombón: "Coffee + condensed milk" is not unique to Vietnam. In Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula, there's also a "coffee + condensed milk" way of drinking. In Valencia, Spain's third-largest city, you can order a coffee called "Café Bombón." This is actually a small coffee composed of espresso and condensed milk.

Café solo: Pure coffee, also known as black coffee, usually served in very small cups.

Café descafeinado: Decaffeinated coffee. Typically, there are two types of this coffee. De sobre: The brewing method mostly involves adding small bags of instant coffee to hot milk. De máquina: Coffee brewed using a steam pressure coffee machine with decaffeinated coffee grounds.

Café americano: This coffee is generally made by pouring boiling water into coffee brewed with a steam pressure coffee machine. In some cafés, a separate glass of water is also served for guests to adjust according to their preference.

Café con hielo: Iced coffee. Generally, when customers order this coffee, they are given a glass with ice cubes and freshly brewed pure coffee. Sugar is added to the hot coffee, then poured into the glass.

Capuchino: A type of coffee originating from Italy. On strong coffee, steamed foamed milk is poured. In Spain, it's made with fresh cream and cinnamon.

For friends who don't particularly like bitter coffee, Spanish latte is a good choice. Adding condensed milk can mask more of the coffee's bitterness while highlighting the sweetness of lactose and sucrose. Compared to adding syrups for flavoring, adding condensed milk is more natural and comfortable.

Coffee is also consumed during lunchtime (Comida) and after dinner (Cena). As you know, Spaniards love their coffee, and the best way to experience this coffee is in those worn, rustic, and very traditional Spanish bars.

Difference Between Spanish Latte and Regular Latte

Spanish latte is composed of espresso, fresh milk, and condensed milk. In other words, it's a regular latte with condensed milk added. The addition of condensed milk allows those who can't accept bitterness to taste the rich aroma of coffee.

Now that we know the difference between Spanish latte and regular latte, making it is very simple. FrontStreet Coffee first extracts 40ml of espresso liquid, adds 10 grams of condensed milk to the base, stirs thoroughly, then froths 200ml of fresh milk to a suitable temperature of 55-65 degrees Celsius, and finally incorporates it into the coffee liquid—the Spanish latte is complete. To make an iced Spanish latte, FrontStreet Coffee first adds 75g of solid ice cubes to the cup, pours in 200ml of iced milk, then adds 10 grams of condensed milk to the extracted espresso, drizzles it over the liquid surface, and stirs evenly with a straw before tasting.

Since FrontStreet Coffee's espresso coffee is made with their own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend," which combines Ethiopian sun-dried red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduran sherry barrel coffee beans (70%). The extracted espresso presents flavors of vanilla, cream, whiskey, and berries. Paired with milk, it tastes like vanilla chocolate milk, while the addition of condensed milk highlights the sweetness of lactose and sucrose.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions

Regardless of what coffee you're brewing, to make a delicious cup of coffee, you still need to pay attention to the freshness of the coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects the flavor of coffee. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when they receive it. The coffee bean resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at its peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds you: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide in the packaging can also make the coffee flavor smoother. So you can immediately brew a cup when you receive the coffee powder. However, coffee powder needs to be brewed promptly, because it oxidizes quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate faster, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests buying whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better taste the coffee's flavor.

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