Get your caffeine fix from Cuba to Vietnam. Coffee can do so much. It brings communities together in cafes, invigorates the workforce, and is the default excuse to get closer to your acquaintances.
1. Barraquito Coffee - Canary Islands ~
Rich espresso is countered by bright lemon peel; alkalic, thick condensed milk; spicy cinnamon, and warm Licor 43. The ingredients layer on top of each other in a clear glass, forming an ombre in shades of brown resembling a parfait, often served as dessert.
Try it at home: $22 licor 43 at totalwine.com
2. Irish Coffee - Ireland ~
The only thing better than caffeine is caffeine spiked with alcohol. Combining hot coffee, cold cream, strong whiskey, and sweet sugar, this cocktail is comfort and one that manages to simultaneously alert and relaxes the drinker.
Try it at home: $30 Jameson Irish Whiskey at drizly.com
3. Cappuccino - Italy ~
Yes, you can get a cappuccino at any coffee shop in America, but if you want authentic, you must go to Italy. Cappuccinos are traditionally four ounces and contain equal volumes of espresso and steamed milk, frothed to a bone-dry, airy state, and sometimes topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Try it at home: $50 12-Cup Bialetti Express Moka Pot at amazon.com, $17 milk frother set at amazon.com
4. Nitro Cold Brew - United States ~
It seems that cold brew has become the caffeinated drink of choice in the U.S. in the past few years. Nitro cold brew adds some extra flair—the coffee is infused with nitrogen, giving it a velvety, creamy, foamy texture, not unlike a Guinness.
Try it at home: $29 RISE Nitro Cold Brew 12-pack, walmart.com
5. White Coffee - Malaysia ~
It’s what you get when you lightly roast coffee beans in palm oil margarine—resulting in low caffeine content and delicate flavor—finely ground, brewed, and blended with sweetened condensed milk.
Try it at home: $30 instant white coffee on ebay.com; $3 sweetened condensed milk on amazon.com
6. Flat White - Australia ~
Originating in Sydney in the ‘80s, the flat white was a new espresso drink, in which the beverage has a thin layer of micro foamed milk but lacks the frothy bubbles on top. A flat white is basically a latte on a diet.
Try it at home: $499 Breville Infuser Espresso Machine at amazon.com
7. Indian Filter Coffee - India ~
To make Indian filter coffee, also known as kaapi, finely grind the beans, brew using a traditional metal filter, and blend with frothed, boiled milk. The beverage is typically served in a stainless steel tumbler and dabarah (container/cup) that cools the coffee. Use your fingers to hold by the cup by its rim, and sip slowly.
Try it at home: $20 Stainless Steel Coffee Filter Indian Style at amazon.com
8. Café Cubano - Cuba ~
Unlike the Italians, Cubans like their coffee sweet, very sweet. In a Café Cubano, espresso is brewed directly onto sugar, or the sugar itself is combined with grounds prior to brewing. Cap it off with steamed milk to make it a cortadito (not unlike a cortado, but sweeter.)
Try it at home: $159 Flair Manual Espresso Maker at amazon.com
9. Cafe au Lait - France ~
Like all things French, the cafe au lait is at once stylish and timeless. It’s made up of espresso (the Euro way) or drip coffee (the American way) combined with steamed milk. It differs from lattes and cappuccinos in that the milk isn’t layered on top; instead it’s just poured into the coffee casually. In France, the milk is usually served on the side of the coffee. The perfect accompaniment for a croissant or a pain au chocolat.
10. Café Bombón - Spain ~
This rich, condensed milk drink originates from Valencia but resembles some beverages of Southeast Asia. It is made by pouring the coffee and milk in a way that creates three tiers of tan crema, dark coffee, and white milk. It’s typically served in a clear glass and stirred before drinking.
Try it at home: $15 Clear Bodum Bistro Mug at crateandbarrel.com
11. Kaisermélange - Austria ~
During the Siege of Vienna in the 1680s, the Turks left behind plentiful bags of coffee beans before they were pushed out of the country, and soon enough coffee houses took off in the city. Opt for the kaisermelange, which comprises a shot of espresso topped with a honey-egg yolk mix and whipped cream.
Try it at home: $99 iSi Professional Cream Whipper at amazon.com
12. Frappé - Greece ~
Throughout Greece and Cyprus, especially in the warmer months, you’ll see this tall, cool treat sipped through a straw in every café you pass. It’s made by shaking together instant coffee, water, and sugar, is served on ice, sometimes with a splash of evaporated or condensed milk.
Try it at home: with one of our recommended instant coffees
13. Cafè Touba - Senegal ~
While many of the drinks above are similarly creamy or sugary, this signature Seganalese beverage is spicy. Cafè Touba is brewed with cloves or with spicy Guinea pepper (also called grains of paradise), a West African specialty that combines a black pepper-like heat with a fragrance similar to cardamom. Touba also comes with a generous helping of sugar, making for a wonderfully sweet (and spicy) cup.
Try it at home: $26, 8-oz. Grains of Paradise spice at thespicehouse.com
14. Türk Kahvesi - Turkey ~
Traditional Turkish coffee, or Türk kahvesi, is not filtered, so it has a thick consistency redolent of Mexican hot chocolate. Combine very finely ground coffee beans, sugar, and sometimes a pinch of spice in a copper cezve pot over moderate heat, then bring the mix to a boil (sometimes repeatedly, depending on the method) and pour it into small, ornate mugs.
Try it at home: $30 copper stovetop Turkish coffee pot at surlatable.com
15. Cafe Sua Da - Vietnam ~
In this beloved drink, coarsely ground dark-roast coffee beans are slowly strained through a traditional Vietnamese coffee press, known as a cà phê phin, and then mixed with sweetened condensed milk and plenty of cracked ice for an intensely flavored, refreshing sip.
Try it at home: $29 Vietnamese coffee filter at wayfair.com
Travel to a new place and chances are you’ll find a distinct coffee drink there you haven't had before and make these 15 coffee drinks from around the world at home!