Spanish Word for Coffee

The Spanish word "café" means coffee in English.

Coffee is a much-loved drink in Spain. Its popularity is, perhaps, second only to anything with alcohol. Spanish will drink coffee for breakfast, at mid-morning break, after lunch, and very often after dinner.

Almost every Spanish home has an art deco style, stovetop coffee maker. However, coffee is best drunk in a bar, which the Spanish do a lot.

Spanish bartenders prepare coffee on large, steam-driven, espresso-type machines. High quality, medium roasted beans are used rather than the shiny, jet black varieties that are favored in many other countries. A thick brown stream oozes into the cups that are placed below the chrome spout of the machines. The bartender froths a stainless steel pitcher of whole milk with the steamer arm. It is then served in a ceramic cup or small, thin glass. Spanish coffee is rich, velvety and flavorful. It immediately deflates the well-established irony that coffee, like roasted chicken, smells a great deal better than it tastes.