Everybody knows cappuccino, latte macchiato or latte, even the ones who are not particularly versed in the world of coffees. However, there are many variations of coffee, which are not more complicated than these classics, are made of ordinary ingredients, but for some reason, they are less well known.
Bombón Café
The café bombón is a real candy bomb, made of sweet condensed milk and espresso. It originates from Valencia, Spain, but soon became popular throughout the country. Since condensed milk is very sweet in itself, the use of other sweeteners is unnecessary. Usually, it is served in a glass, which allows the layers to be seen because the condensed milk and the coffee are well separated from each other. But they are mixed before consumption. Similarly, coffee made with condensed milk is consumed in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Café Marocchino
Most of the cafés offer Marocchino that is made of espresso, steamed milk, and cocoa powder, yet somehow it is not so much in the public mind as cappuccino, for example. It comes from Alessandria, northern Italy. Usually, it is served in small glasses. It was named after its color, the word Marocchino originally referred to the Moroccan skin, which was a popular material in the 30’s due to its light brown color.
Espresso Guillermo and Romano
We may meet less often with this coffee variation, and it sounds much more exotic: Espresso Romano is served with a slice of lemon, that the sour taste may further accentuate the natural sweetness of the coffee. Guillermo is very similar to this: they put a slice of lime on the bottom of the cup and the espresso is brewed on it. If that would be too sour for any of you, you can prepare the Sicilian version, which is prepared in the same way, but with orange peel, mixed with brown sugar before the espresso is brewed on it.
Pharisäer
The Pharisäer, that is to say; Pharisee (self-righteous, hypocritical) is a popular beverage in northern Germany. It is a bit similar to Irish coffee, but rum is used instead of whiskey: it consists of a cup of black coffee, rum, and whipped cream. Interestingly, in 1981 a court decision declared that 2 cents of rum are not sufficient for the preparation of Pharisäer.
The coffee is a great drink because of the almost infinite number of variations for its preparation. Different varieties, processes, roasting and different brewing systems all affect the taste, not to mention that we may further expand the number of variations with flavorings, spices, fruits, syrups, milk, milk foam or whipped cream.