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Where I live, coffee is mostly black, not sugar, no milk. And traditionally it would brought to the boil two or three times before you pour off the top layer with some of the ground coffee floating and then it is ready to be served.There is no doubt that having a coffee is a very pleasurable experience in Spain. I think that most Spaniards would be most amused by this entire thread. Really…it just a cup of coffee. The Spanish are generally careful and thoughtful with many aspects of their cusine. Great coffee machines are a certainty in any shop that plans to serve coffee in Spain. The coffee itself is carefully prepared…no secrets there. Maybe many pilgrims are coming from countries with a less thoughtful coffee culture. I’m not sure if even the Spanish could serve a great cup of coffee if most of their customers wanted their order in a 24 oz paper cup or a large insulated container.
Is espresso coffee becoming more popular in the US? Having experienced stewed drip filter coffee, I can understand why a number of Americans say they aren't coffee drinkers. Espresso coffee is the norm in Australia these days. Once, all we drank was instant and tea was the preferred hot beverage.I did my sophomore year in college in Spain. Before going to Spain, I wasn't a coffee drinker. Started drinking coffee in Spain. When I returned home, I thought, "Well, no WONDER I never drank this stuff! It's terrible!" (I do drink coffee in the U.S. now, but I still don't like most restaurant coffee.)
Well, in Southeast Florida espresso coffee is very popular and is called: Café Cubano.Is espresso coffee becoming more popular in the US? Having experienced stewed drip filter coffee, I can understand why a number of Americans say they aren't coffee drinkers. Espresso coffee is the norm in Australia these days. Once, all we drank was instant and tea was the preferred hot beverage.
Got to have it.Before the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
Not in the US myself -- but espresso has become more common everywhere since the invention of its capsule version, though it's not what I would consider as being espresso per se ... even though it is a very close approximation, and in best conditions (perfectly well cleaned and maintained coffee machine plus good, fresh coffee, and good water), it can be better than an average "proper" espresso.Is espresso coffee becoming more popular in the US? Having experienced stewed drip filter coffee, I can understand why a number of Americans say they aren't coffee drinkers. Espresso coffee is the norm in Australia these days. Once, all we drank was instant and tea was the preferred hot beverage.
I'm not a coffee drinker, and the Camino is the last place I'd want to develop a coffee habit. I've seen too many peregrinos who are miserable until they can find a place open for coffee in the morning. Why put myself through that?
Same defect is why I almost never drink coffee at home.But my home made coffee leaves a lot to be desired.
My husband was a black coffee drinker. Until the Camino. Now we have a frother and it's Cafe con leche every day.Before the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
I enjoy cafe con leche!Buen Coffee Camino!!!
I think I could have written part of this post! Love the orange juice on the Camino and even a Shandy a time or two, even though I never drink beer at home. Cafe con Leches are part of the Camino for me and I really appreciate a good one, even more a grande!Before the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
So, to have just a bit of milk, I love to ask for a Cortado. My fav!!All that milk drowns out the taste of the coffee.
Have to have my cafe con leche every morningBefore the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
What an awesome topic. I started drinking coffee here in the USA after college: Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, local coffee shops. Here in Portland, Maine we have had a pretty robust coffee culture, however I discovered cafe con leche on my first Camino Frances in 2015 and it was transformative. I could never ever locate anything as good back in the states. My wife and I walked the Portuguese Way in 2018 and found similarly incredible cafe con leche. What’s left to say, Europeans have superior coffee!Before the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
Great story! Most likely the girl drinking it in her slip had acid reflux. I have that and managed to avoid the deliciously wafting aroma of cafe con leche and OJ during our 2017 CF…until coming into Santiago I just had to try both at the same sitting! It didn’t go well for me but I don’t regret doing it - can’t say enough about the smooth flavor of the cafe con leche and the brightness of the OJ!OMG, I love this thread! I was first drinking café con leche when I was a kid, age 3, in Cuba. We had it for breakfast. All my 7 sisters drank it for breakfast when we escaped to Miami. All of us are alive and well and close to or past 60, including one sister who would puke it up every morning. Was it lactose intolerance, or the coffee? The parental solution she ate breakfast in her slip the rest of us in our uniforms, but I digress.She loves ️ today. A tidbit: both Bustelo and Pilón were Cuban coffee brands until they got bought out by a large US brand. Then, the price jumped, and the aroma and taste are no longer the same.
Keep on drinkingla ️ del Camino!
PS: here in Miami we have ventanitas, little windows cut out into restaurants, supermarkets so that you can get a️ hit as you walk by without having to come in.
PPS: my grandparents lived into their late 90’s and my Mom is almost 98.
My impression is that all the bars have the same machine, and therefore nearly the exact same taste. That's from having it in many places in Santiago, La Bañeza, Zamora, Burgos, Estella, Pamplona, Bilbao, Barcelona, and others, in addition to at least one in EVERY village on the Camino from Estella to Fromista.I don't know what the Spanish secret behind café con leche, you can taste the difference as soon as you set foot on Spanish soil.
Careful there!which is where the Aussie's got their flat white idea from
I did say it was a" humorous" post to stop it from being taken too seriously.Careful there!
Here is a quote from Wikipedia,
However, the origins of the flat white are contentious, with New Zealand also claiming its invention.[11][12] The New Zealand claim originates in Auckland, New Zealand, by Derek Townsend and Darrell Ahlers of Cafe DKD, as an alternative to the Italian latte,[1][13] and a second New Zealand claim originates from Wellington as a result of a "failed cappuccino" at Bar Bodega on Willis St in 1989.[11] Craig Miller, author of Coffee Houses of Wellington 1939 to 1979, claims to have prepared a flat white in Auckland in the mid-1980s
I guess you mean " cortado"?A tad off topic but still coffee and with humor, I lived in Lanzarote for 15 years and their coffee culture is totally different than the Spanish mainland. Firstly they don't see themselves as Spanish, they are Canarian and proud. back to the coffee, a cafe con leche is seen as a Spanish/touristy thing and not to be ordered unless you are one of the two, you have a few other local choices to order, all served in glasses , most popular is a "cortardo" 2 shots and hot milk ( which is where the Aussie's got their flat white idea from) a "cafe solo" 2 shots no milk and longer than an espresso, next is a " condensado" which is coffee and dash of condensed milk and I have seen sugar added,
And lastly and uniquely canarian and my
favorite is the " leche leche" or milk milk which is a cortardo with hot milk and condensed milk.
on hot days, all can be poured over ice.
Stubby fingers, Small phone. edited thanks.I guess you mean " cortado"?
I nominate Artic_Alex for best in show: witty, creative with a sliver of sarcasm. Levity and fun. Like a lot!
Getting️ from a hole in the wall adds an air of prohibition & mystery.
Yup! Camino coffee throughout the day!
I have been following this post with great amusement. My wife and I will be starting the CF in about 10 days. My concern is that even though my wife enjoys the Australian version of a cafe con leche, my coffee order of choice is a “triple shot long black in a small cup”. (At home I usually have about 7 shots in a large mug but use a “French press/plunger” for timeliness. Can anybody tell me how I should order my TSLB without being ejected from the cafe! Or do I go with the flow and have a CCL.?Before the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
But the third one is even more ridiculous:
I had this terrific coffe in Lyon. Can anyone tell me what it is called. I’m a total coffee snob and learnt to order Cortada coffee to get the full flavor I’m used to in Australia View attachment 143216
Just by looking at the cafe con leche (coffee poured into warm evaporated milk) served in a tall plastic glass made her nauseous. The consensus was that she was trying to get away from going to school. She now makes some of the best Cuban coffee of all. We haveMost likely the girl drinking it in her slip had acid reflux.
YES!! Gotta have my con leche every day on the Camino. 2-4 before noon. Not after or I don't sleep well. Noon, beyond and sometimes before I gotta have my fresh squeezed OJ. Many times, if the line is long and I've walked a couple hours, I will order two cafes at the same time. Beware (just my experience) as you get closer to Santiago, sometimes they ask if you want a regular or large. Large usually does not seem to be as flavorful. I suspect they just add extra milk. Now I always stick with regular size. Ironically, some of the fancier hotel bars are open much earlier than the surrounding bars and cafes, AND some of them only charge 1 or 1.25 euro for a cup. Before and after Europe, I am pretty much cafe Americano. Lattes and cappuccinos are just not the same.Before the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
Was that in Lyon (France) or Leon (Spain)?I had this terrific coffe in Lyon. Can anyone tell me what it is called. I’m a total coffee snob and learnt to order Cortada coffee to get the full flavor I’m used to in Australia View attachment 143216
OMG, I am SO sorry, but I broke out in uncontrollable laughter when you said that your new pilgrim family responded to your sobbing with 'Get a grip and get a coffee'. Sounds so callous (on both of our accounts) -- but it's absolutely TRUE!!! I can relate SOOOO much (I am the author of this post -- the one who didn't drink coffee prior to my Camino). I'm happy to hear that it helped you!!!I had my first cafe con leche on the way to Zubiri when I sat sobbing after the big down hill, saying - I can’t do this! My new Camino family said - get a grip and have a coffee. But I don’t even drink coffee I moaned (being a recovering caffeine addict). Have a coffee they said. And I did. And all of a sudden the pain fell away and inexplicable joy arose. I easily walked to Zubiri.
I read much later that coffee also has some pain killing properties so then I completely understood its place on Camino.
We have great coffee in Australia but not everywhere. In Spain I decided it is the ‘happy cows’ but it seems the unique roasting method is also a factor.
Finally attitude plays a big part in any food prep - and I think the Spanish love of coffee goes into every cup.
At home the cafe in our tiny local shopping centre does the best coffee. But my home made coffee leaves a lot to be desired.
OMG, I am SO sorry, but I broke out in uncontrollable laughter when you said that your new pilgrim family responded to your sobbing with 'Get a grip and get a coffee'. Sounds so callous
I've never heard of meia de leite and I walked the Portugues for the first time last October. Thanks for the tip!I've been drinking 2 or 3 cups of coffee a day my whole life but for years I couldn't find any that I really liked anymore.
Until the camino! I did the Portuguese 2 years ago and I love the meia de leite in Portugal even more than the café con leche in Spain.
Back home I bought a coffee machine and Delta coffee beans, now making my own meia de leite. Not quite as good as on the camino (but doesn't everything taste better on holiday or camino?) but I do like my coffee again.
Maybe we're Camino twin sisters, yet to meet? Let me know when and where your next Camino is .... we can celebrate with CCL and a Shandy!I think I could have written part of this post! Love the orange juice on the Camino and even a Shandy a time or two, even though I never drink beer at home. Cafe con Leches are part of the Camino for me and I really appreciate a good one, even more a grande!
If I lived in Paris I'd be at a bistro everyday having hot chocolate with dipping croissants and a glass or 2 of Bordeaux, watching everyone else. I'd also probably be 25lbs heavier because of it!!Same defect is why I almost never drink coffee at home.
Though conversely, with one single local exception of a local tea house that has Mariage et Frères tea, never tea anywhere except at home or one American friend's place, but she has an English tea culture and gets her own from Blighty. Mine is either Twining's or Tetley, which are not the best, but they're acceptable.
When I lived in Paris, I'd drink nothing of the sort except my own Mariage et Frères properly brewed leaf tea, the occasional French coffee, or a rare Viennese one (or chocolate) at the Austrian café near the Sorbonne. Or my Italian ex girlfriend's traditional Italian coffee gizmo version, which was OK, though I'd usually drink tea instead -- mostly because she was a genuine coffee lover, and needed it far more than I ever could !!
OMG. I had NO idea there were so many different types of coffee!!
Beautiful ... nothing beats a Camino family that lives long past our days on walking the Way!Oh it was necessary - like that slap on the face for a hysterical person. Not their exact words but absolutely tough LOVE. And the miracle of that coffee has never been forgotten by this pilgrim.
These four were my first Camino family (and Camino saviours) and they live in my heart forever.
I've been told it has everything to do with the water. Unfortunately, not much we can do about that. Still, I am a cafe con leche, cafe latte, cappuccino (call it what you like) devotee and love using Italian Illy coffee and steamed milk. Closest I can come.but cannot replicate the taste.
Never drank coffee before my first Camino. Then I tried the cafe con leche in a glass. Been drinking coffee ever since but can never get one that compares with that first one in Cizur Menor. With you on the zumo naranja natural and the cerveza con limón. Little cafe in the corner of the plaza in front of cathedral in Logroño serves a good coffee in the early morn as does a little bakery on the way out of Pamplona. Or cafe in Lavacola where the lady made a happy face in my froth to the chagrin of the other pilgrims who just got regular froth. Oh heck, everywhere is good for cafe con lecheBefore the Camino, I really didn't like coffee. Sacrilege, I know. Even now, I rarely drink it; I'm a herbal tea aficionado and lover.
But all that changes as soon as I set foot on the Camino. I became wooed and mesmerized by all things Cafe con Leche {and freshly squeezed orange juice, to be honest}. I even was seduced a time or two by the Lemonade Beer twist (Shandy??).
My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino? Pre, during and post? [to clarify pre, during and post, I am wondering both in your day-to-day on the Camino, and pre-arrival Spain and after leaving]
Do you have any favourite recommendations of must-go-to places for coffee along the Way -- whatever route that might be? Details and stories would be appreciated! Types of coffee? etc.
Buen Coffee Camino!!!
Further off-topic … I was an electronics instructor in San Diego and we had a restaurant-style drip brewer in the office. I speak Spanish, and would often go into Mexico. One trip, i brought back a giant can of coffee grounds I purchased down there. Collegues ordered me to NEVER again bring any of that awful tasting Mexican coffee. I found an empty Folger's can and dumped the "awful tasting Mexican coffee" into it. No more complaints!A tad off topic but still coffee and with humor,
It used to be sold in different percentages...25 75, 50-50, 75-25, now not so sure anymore.I see it very much like you do. I, too, grew up in a place where coffee with milk is the most common way of drinking coffee and I have drunk coffee in various countries and, generally speaking, in some it is more to my taste than in others. But it is not only a question of how fresh the beans are but also which kind of coffee beans are used or whether it is a mix of different sorts of coffee beans.
However, having googled it a bit right now, the word torrefacto popped up: Torrefacto refers to a particular process of roasting coffee beans, common in Spain (and a few other countries). The process involves adding a certain amount of sugar during roasting in order to glaze the beans. The glazed beans are then mixed with normal roasted beans (80% to 20%). Does anyone know more about this?
I agree RJM, the coffee is no better than anywhere else. It is the location, the experience, the ambience and the people you are with. One theory I have is that most of the milk used has been heat treated which gives the coffee a distinct flavour. My coffee of choice at home is a triple shot long black in a small cup but that was too hard to ask for when I have very little Spanish so a CCL was my go to.Having drank coffee in a lot of countries I find the coffee in Spain to be good but honestly no better than others I've had and I grew up in a place where coffee and milk was common, so that wasn't new to me.
Spain sources it's coffee beans from the same places everyone else does. After that it's a matter of how fresh the beans are when they're ground or pre ground before they're brewed.
I'm gonna say most of the raving about the coffee on the Camino isn't because the coffee is better, but instead it's because of when and where it was drank. A sort of case of the ambiance made the meal, not the food.
Me tooGot to have it.
Guatemalan coffee is the bestMe too
The same here: at home I drink regular coffee, but whenever I'm walking a Camino I get this irresistible craving for a cafe con leche.My question for you: what is your relationship to Cafe con Leche / coffee on the Camino?
Whatever keeps you floating along on your Camino is perfect. I'm an equal-opportunity coffee appreciator!!Ok...I'll admit it. No one else will so here's it is...I like an Americano. There I said it...don't judge.
But, I do like an occasional cafe con leche.
Back home I use a French press with 50/50 Starbucks Pikes Peak and Eight O'Clock Columbian.
In Italy I still order an Americano, which is good. Though, I do get some stares across the bar.
But, my favorite on the Camino is an Americano...the bigger the better and as often as I can. No judgement in Spain.
Love, love Camino coffee.
Ambiance and the Camino experience itself is EVERYTHING!Coffee in Spain is not extraordinarily special. There are many countries around the world where coffee is prepared with care. All you need is good, fresh beans, a good expresso machine and a milk heater and frother. This is not rocket science. You just need to make the effort. The ambience also helps a lot. Compare sitting outside a cafe, good weather, blue sky, friends, having a coffee….compare to sitting in your car, probably 10 cars in front of you, placing your order to a speaker and microphone, for some mega 18 oz beverage served in a paper cup.
Ok...I'll admit it. No one else will so here's it is...I like an Americano. There I said it...don't judge.
But, I do like an occasional cafe con leche.
Back home I use a French press with 50/50 Starbucks Pikes Peak and Eight O'Clock Columbian.
In Italy I still order an Americano, which is good. Though, I do get some stares across the bar.
But, my favorite on the Camino is an Americano...the bigger the better and as often as I can. No judgement in Spain.
Love, love Camino coffee.
Americano for me too. I had a cafe con leche on my first Camino just to see what all the fuss was about. I enjoyed it but wasn’t converted. I got given one by mistake on my recent Portuguese Camino. I drank it and enjoyed it but would have preferred the Americano I’d ordered.
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