In Hong Kong, coffee is mixed with tea to make yuanyang (Photo: Calvin / Flickr)
No matter where you start your work day, coffee is typically in order before meetings begin.
But how you brew the bean at home is likely quite different from the way it’s done in other parts of the world.
If you can’t have your joe your way, then have it like a local! Or you can go find the nearest Starbucks.
When you are overseas, how do you handle your need for coffee? Do you go local, or go to Starbucks? Please leave your comments below.
In the meantime, here are five kinds of coffee every traveler should try when visiting these cities:
Hong Kong: Once an enterprising outpost where tea was preferred instead of coffee (what do you expect from a place that was handed over from the British to the Chinese in 1997?), a compromise was made. It’s called yuanyang, and is actually coffee mixed with milk tea — or black tea combined with condensed or evaporated milk (see above). Add sugar to taste or nix the sweet stuff altogether.
Cafe noisette, a single espresso with a dash of cream or hot milk. (Photo: CycloneBill / Flickr)
Paris: The always popular cafe au lait is certainly a good way to begin the day, especially if that happens at a French cafe. Expect the wait staff to bring this refresher of coffee mixed with hot milk to you in a very wide mug. That way, you can dunk in your croissant without committing any kind of faux pas. Not enough punch? Opt for cafe noisette, a single espresso with a dash of cream or hot milk. Or, ask for a cafe allongé, a long espresso also popular in Quebec.
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Auckland: The flat white is currently making a splash in Starbucks around North America, but this coffee drink has long been part of the coffee culture of hard working New Zealanders who like to start their day with a cup or two. When you ask for your flat white, know that you’ll be getting an espresso combined with steamed milk. A dollop of foam is then plopped on top.
Turkish coffee is a thick brew usually served with water to help wash it down! (Photo: Erica Ashleson / Flickr)
Istanbul: Talk about a (coffee) production. Turk kahvesi — the manner in which Turkish coffee is made — takes quite a bit of preparation. Medium roasted beans are crushed into specks by mortar and pestle and then ground even further in a cylindrical brass coffee mill, then boiled with sugar. The result? One thick and powerful brew served in a mini cup– no gulping allowed. Let the grounds settle to the bottom of your cup, then sip and savor. Turkish coffee is usually served very hot with a cool glass of water on the side.
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In Vienna, coffee is nearly always served on a silver tray (Photo: Christian Kadluba / Flickr)
Vienna: Cafe culture is a must in Austria with many coffee selections in the mix. However, this coffee-drinking nation’s traditional drink, hailing from Vienna, is called melange and is similar to a cappuccino. Translation? A double shot of espresso coupled with steamed milk and froth foam, then the sprinkled with cinnamon, then served in a glass instead of a cup. Here’s a blurb from Chris’s BBC Business Trip about coffee in Vienna:
When you are overseas, how do you handle your need for coffee? Do you go local, or go to Starbucks? Please leave your comments below.
–Jane Lasky
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Why not do both? The chains often have items not found in the US.
Both. I enjoy local coffee but I may also pickup a Starbucks souvenir mug for my collection. But also, SBUX in other parts of the world have other drinks and food. For example, the bacon cheddar scone at SBUX Hong Kong is excellent, so nothing wrong completely avoiding a chain just for the sake of it being a chain.
I grew up in Vienna. I’ve never seen a Melange served in a glass, as pointed out in the article. It is served in a porcelain cup, but there always is a glass of water served with your coffee (as the BBC blurb says) . Even the accompanying picture doesn’t show the coffee in a glass, so I think the author got something confused.
On a different note, the emphasis of the coffee in Vienna is not that it comes on a silver tray. The tray is for practicality since the coffee comes with a glass of water (and possibly sugar, etc).
Totally agree. And I wouldn’t limit this to international travel either. Many cities (such as Little Italy in San Diego) have fantastic coffee shops offering a bevy of different coffee drinks.
Always go for the local coffee. You may find something you love, and then can buy some to bring home (or order online). In the Dominican Republic, I discovered Santo Domingo coffee. So far it’s the best coffee I’ve ever had.
I’ll always try to find the local coffee culture.
I am always stunned to see Americans happy to see a Starbucks overseas. How else to get the local flavor and vibe of the place than to go to an independent local cafe or coffee bar. While I have nothing against Starbucks and think their coffee is OK – it’s the experience of being in a particular location you lose when patronizing chain establishments of mind numbing sameness. Isn’t the reason we travel (personally) is to experience something new??