Coffee & Tea Across Europe
Experience the many forms, flavors, and traditions surrounding coffee and tea from Austrian mokka to Turkish Delight
By Elia Varela Serra
There are people like my father, whose espresso machine is the most important appliance in the house and who can't enjoy a meal without 'proper' coffee afterwards. They often have a hard time when traveling to countries that don't offer them the same coffee or tea they're used to in their daily routine. The truth is that although the different countries in Europe have a lot of things in common, the coffee and tea drinking habits differ quite a bit from region to region.
Being born and raised in Spain, a predominantly coffee drinking country, I learned to appreciate the pleasures of a well-made coffee from an early age. Growing up, tea was mostly an herbal beverage to be had only when sick, as if it were some kind of grandmother's remedy for flu and other winter ailments. It wasn't until a studying abroad in Prague for a year, that I also learned to appreciate the pleasures of a well-made tea, thanks to the fabulous cajovna (tea houses) that can be found all over the city. Now I'm both a tea and a coffee lover and, after having traveled extensively around Europe, I have learned what to look for in each country.
The simplest advice would be exercise flexibility while traveling to Europe and to order the specialty of the country. Even if that's not your most favorite beverage, it’s a good practice because if you insist on drinking what you have back home, you run the rather large risk of getting a very bad version of it. And if you absolutely can't live without your daily dose of a certain type of coffee or tea, then take it with you in your luggage! With tea it's a very easy task to accomplish simply by putting a few bags of your favorite blend in your suitcase. With coffee it obviously gets much trickier due to all the items needed for a fresh cup of the beans. It is possible to do this though, as shown by an Italian friend of mine that always traveled around with his 25 pound espresso machine. But unless you feel like being a pack mule, the best approach is to be open to new flavors.
If you visit Europe during the summer months you will most likely visit at least one country in the Mediterranean region. Since this area first became exposed to coffee in the early 1600s through Venetian traders that brought it from Africa, the preferred drink in most of Mediterranean Europe is coffee. However, this is prepared in a number of (delicious) ways that you need to explore. But don’t count out tea, as it has become increasingly popular in the last years, although still mostly drank in private homes. Following are a few tips on what to order in some of the most visited countries in Europe. Enjoy!
Austria
One cannot go to Austria without visiting one of the many Viennese cafés that are an institution in Austrian culture. In Prague (Czech Republic), Budapest (Hungary), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and other cities of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, coffee houses following the Viennese model can also be found. However, in countries like the Czech Republic, probably because of the Russian influence, tea is equally popular. Austrian coffee is called mokka and is similar to espresso but extracted more slowly with a different system. A popular Viennese specialty is Melange: half Mokka, half heated milk, often topped with foamed milk. Interestingly, in other countries such as France or Spain, a Viennese coffee is a coffee with whipped cream on top.
France
France has the honor of having invented not only the French press, but also filter coffee, although nowadays most coffee houses have espresso machines. In the last few years, tea has experienced a growing popularity, with tea houses and tea shops sprouting in French cities. Paris seems to have tea houses Salon de The on every corner, which is surprising to those who always think of the stereotypical Parisian with their cigarettes and coffee (and perhaps a baguette.) Unlike further north, black teas are not as popular and you’ll find the biggest selection to be in greens and herbal teas.
Greece
Although it is possible to find espresso in more touristic places, the most common coffee found in Greece and other former Ottoman Empire countries in the area such as Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia or Bosnia, is Turkish coffee. However, in each country it receives its own name, and thus in Greece it is known as Greek coffee. It is prepared by boiling finely powdered roast coffee beans in a pot, sometimes with sugar, and then served into a cup where the dregs settle, usually accompanied by a sweet called lokoum or Turkish delight.
In the summer months the star coffee in Greece is frappe, a delicious foam-covered cold coffee made from spray-dried instant coffee, usually available in three degrees of sweetness in coffee shops (sweet, medium and no sugar).
Italy
Italy is paradise for coffee lovers in general and coffee snobs in particular. The coffee drinking culture that has influenced the rest of the world and whose vocabulary American coffee houses have adopted. Italians take tremendous pride in their great variety of coffee preparation, which is almost a national fetish that no tourist should offend by taking the matter lightly. For example, espresso should be short and concentrated, and cappuccino should be drunk only in the morning and never after 12. After meals, it is common to have a caffe corretto, which is an espresso with an addition of grappa or brandy. If you would like a bigger and less potent espresso, more similar to the American one, you can order a caffe americano, a regular espresso in which hot water is added, or a caffe lungo, which is an espresso using more water than usual in the machine.
Spain
Spain shares a similar passion for coffee as Italy. A cortado is the equivalent of a macchiato in Italy. That is, an espresso with a little milk. A café con leche is the equivalent of a caffe latte, coffee with milk. Lastly, is the carajillo of a corretto, coffee with brandy.
Turkey
Although Turkey gives Turkish coffee its name, nowadays tea has become more popular among younger people. Herbal tea is the most common and available everywhere, especially at hookah cafes where people smoke nargile (Turkish for hookah) and sip tea socially all day long. The most popular herbal tea is made of dried apples, and other varieties include rosehip, linden flower or sage in the coastal areas. Black tea is also widely popular and has a very unique preparation with two special stacked kettles: water is brought to a boil in the larger lower kettle and then some of the water is used to fill the smaller kettle on top and steep several spoons of loose tea leaves, producing a very strong tea. When served, the remaining water is used to dilute the tea on an individual basis, giving each consumer the choice between strong or weak.
UK
In Europe, the UK is to tea what Italy is to coffee and is the place to go if you are a tea lover. Naturally, it is the place to avoid if you are a coffee lover. Although the tea selection in most places is quite short, even the most basic tea will be better than any tea in most countries of Southern Europe. If in doubt, stick to the classics: English breakfast, Earl Grey Afternoon tea.
