Coffee lovers are an intrepid breed. From the first mavericks who tried it in Europe when it was brought from the Middle East in the Middle Ages to today’s caffeinistas who follow their favourite blogs for new coffee trends, with coffee, there is always something new to discover.
Amazing Types Of Coffee
One of the most beautiful things about coffee is that it is a “global” drink. That means people all over the world have gotten a chance to put their spin on the beverage. So, for your enjoyment, here are 6 types of coffee from around the world that you should definitely try.
1. Mazagran (Portugal)
How about an iced coffee infused with a shot of lemon or lemon soda on a hot day? This is how they do coffee in Portugal.
The mazagran traces its roots back to French-occupied Algeria. Expresso is poured over ice and fresh lemon juice is mixed into this. You can add a sweetener of your choice. The bitter tang of the coffee is said to go well with and elevate the sweetened lemon juice. It’s certainly an interesting taste combination to imagine.
2. Qahwa (Saudi Arabia)
We are accustomed to the taste of ripe, roasted coffee beans but in the Arabic world, whole traditions have been built around coffee made with green beans.
The coffee, called Qahwa, is served after breaking the fast and at formal functions like weddings. In some preparations, this coffee is as green as the beans it was ground from. In others, it’s almost translucent. Still, in others, it’s almost black.
Qahwa is liberally seasoned with spices. On average a cup will contain cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and saffron. It is a tradition to serve it with dried dates.
3. Cafe Touba (Senegal)
If you want to up the heat content of your coffee, how about adding some peppers? That’s what they do in Senegal. They grind Selim peppers with the coffee beans to create a brew that locals say is effective against depression.
If you want to attempt this one at home, a burr grinder would be good. You don’t have to go far to find a coffee grinder that suits your requirements, just do some checking online. Once you have one, you can begin making your own experimental grinds like this one for some powerful coffee flavours.
The beans and peppers must be ground to a coarse consistency and stepped in hot water before being filtered in a pour-over coffee maker.
4. Kaffeost (Finland/Sweden)
Most of us prefer our coffee separate from our sandwiches. In Finland and Sweden, they are mixing things up a bit. Kaffeost is steaming hot coffee poured over cubed cheese. Yes. Cheese.
The cheese is traditionally made from reindeer milk, though cow’s milk substitutes are available. The cheese also isn’t always added to the coffee, sometimes it’s served at the side. This writer describes the cheese as imparting a rich, nutty flavour to the coffee while soaking up some of the smokiness of the coffee in the process.
5. Yaungyang (Malaysia/Hong Kong)
In Malaysia and Hong Kong, they are doubling up their morning drinks. This specialty coffee is a blend of coffee and tea with milk. Black tea is preferred for the recipe.
It is said that this is the go-to drink in both countries when you need that jolt of energy, such as late nights at the office or studying for exams. It’s easy to see why. Most of the recipes surveyed for this article called for both the tea and coffee to be brewed strong before they are combined in one energy-packed drink, with sugar added of course.
6. Ca Phe Trung (Vietnam)
The Swedes and Finns content themselves to add cheese to their coffee. The Vietnamese add eggs. The resulting drink is described as rich and frothy. The milk foam of the coffee drinks you are more familiar with is replaced with egg foam.
The egg yolk is whipped with condensed milk and this mixture is served at the top of a fairly bitter Robusta coffee. The drink itself has a very interesting history. A cafe owner came up with the egg yolk foam to replace milk in the mid-1940s after the war with France caused it to be in short supply. To stick with tradition if you are attempting this coffee, serve the cup of ca phe trug in a bowl of hot water.
Whew, that was literally a mouthful. The next time you are thinking about getting your coffee fix, whip up one of these instead of your regular drink.