What is coffee?
Coffee is prepared from roasted seeds, ordinarily called coffee beans. The seeds are beyond doubt coffee cherries that grow on trees in over 70 countries around the World. Green (un-roasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.
K Cup Coffee
The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of the Yemen in southern Arabia.
From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas. Coffee has played an prominent role in many societies throughout history.
When the Moors invaded Portugal they brought along coffee and the drinking of it here has industrialized ever since. There are so many dissimilar ways of drinking coffee in Portugal that you could be spoilt for selection but you will soon find your favourite.
In Portugal there the most popular coffee is an espresso. In Lisbon you would order uma bica and in Porto um cimbalinho, elsewhere else um café. Here are some more of the popular choices;
For a large black coffee um abatanado.
Instant coffee, um Nescafe
A double espresso um café duplo
Milky coffee, um galão (is served in a tall glass and is about 3/4 milk. Traditionally made with a second passing of coffee from the motor and is very weak)
If you prefer something more like a Caffe latte, then ask for um galão directo (it will be stronger).
As the espresso style is the most popular, and the machines to make them expensive, it is clear why the Portuguese citizen are seen in their local café sitting with just a coffee. It is possible to buy stove top percolators from the markets and supermarkets in Portugal, and they make a reasonable cup of coffee. But nothing beats the strong, almost black liquid that is forced from the beans under immense pressure in a real espresso machine.
When a coffee cost 40-50c and an expresso motor 500-700€ then a walk to local café seems a very sensible selection and you get to meet your neighbours at the same time, and enjoy what has become part of Portuguese culture.
Drinking coffee in Portugal is part of the culture and part of everyday life. If you are planning to live in or visit Portugal then make sure you take time to gawk the culture. Portugal is not just about the Algarve there is a real side to Portugal that you will get to know if you take the time.
Drinking Coffee in Portugal
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