Spanish-Style Coffee: Cortado, Café con Hielo, Café Bombon – What Are They and How to Make Them?

We all know Italian coffee classics well – every coffee fan has already tried espresso, caffe latte, cappuccino … A whole galaxy of Italian coffees has become a permanent part of our café customs. But what do we know about the ways of drinking coffee in Spain? I bet not much! Spaniards have their own coffee drinking traditions, which are slightly different from those we know from the Apennine Peninsula.

How do you drink coffee in Spain? Coffees such as Café con Hielo, Cortado or Café Bombon are certainly less common than Caffe Latte or Flat White. As Spanish coffees are not popular and easily available in Poland, we have a handful of recipes and inspirations for you on how to make real Spanish coffee at home.

Cortado coffee – what is it and how to make it?

Cortado coffee is an intense flavor coffee for those who are looking for something stronger in taste than flat white, but slightly weaker than espresso macchiato.

You need:

• Espresso doppio or about 50 ml of coffee from a moka pot
• About 100 ml of milk (plant-based or regular) frothed in the same way as for flat white (not too much foam!)

Pro tip: if you don’t have a milk frother, you can successfully use a French press.

• A tumbler or a cup with a maximum capacity of 150 ml

The espresso is poured over with warm frothed milk, resulting in a coffee that is intense in taste and slightly colored with milk. Spaniards drink coffee in an urban mode – they usually drink Cortado on the way to work. This amount of caffeine is just right for breakfast and will perfectly prepare us for the hardships of everyday life.

Something for those with a sweet tooth – a recipe for Café Bombon

Bombon coffee is more of a dessert than a stimulating blend. It will successfully replace a piece of cake or chocolate when you feel like something sweet. It is a blend of condensed milk with essential espresso.

To prepare Café Bombon you need:

• Espresso doppio or 50 ml of coffee from a moka pot
• Two tablespoons of condensed milk
• A small glass (about 100 ml)

Pour the condensed milk at the bottom of the glass, and then pour the espresso slowly, so as not to mix the layers. You get a perfect dessert with a small shot of caffeine.

Not only for hot days – Café con Hielo

Café con Hielo is basically iced coffee. However, it differs from the Greek frappe – it doesn’t contain additives and is not mixed with ice. It’s a great solution for warmer days (which are obviously aplenty in Spain, contrary to Poland).

To prepare Cafe con Hielo you need:

•     Espresso doppio or coffee from a moka pot (cooled down!)
•     Ice cubes (enough to fill the glass)
•   Plant-based drink or milk
•     A straw, preferably made of metal or paper

Pour the cooled down coffee into a glass filled to the brim with ice, then add a plant-based drink or milk. Sip through an ecological straw, enjoy the sun or dream of beautiful weather (delete as appropriate).

It is worth looking at coffee from different perspectives

When it comes to espresso-based coffees, it seems that cafés dominated by Italian beverages are opening to more and more bold alternative coffees (fortunately!). It’s easy to forget that coffee is drunk in the world in all sorts of ways that can also be remarkable. It’s worth opening up to recipes for coffee in a slightly different style – maybe you will find new favorite flavors!