10 Delicious Coffee Drinks Enjoyed Around the World | Crazy Cups

We just love this time of year here at the Flavor Nation because we know that summertime means time for summer vacations! Some of our favorite places to travel around the world just so happen to also be some of our top spots to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee. There’s no better feeling than sitting in an exciting new place and trying a brand new coffee concoction. Suddenly we find our internet browser filling with airline prices and hotel options as we speak.

However, as connoisseurs of flavor every single day, we felt like such enjoyment should never be limited to those once-in-a-lifetime trips and exotic excursions. There’s no better place to experience a unique and delicious drink than in your very own kitchen. So take a seat because we’re here to show you how you can have just that. It doesn’t require any trains, planes, or automobiles to get it, either.

To help you capture that same feeling, we searched the world over for a handful of our favorite international java recipes for you to mix up your morning with any time of year. Give one of these 10 delicious coffee drinks that are beloved around the world a try today and feel yourself jet set across the globe with every sip!

Kahvesi — Turkey

One of the oldest coffee preparation methods still practiced is Turkish Kahvesi. This method is so fundamental to Turkish tradition that the U.N. group, UNESCO, even included it on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The drink is still made the same way today, typically using very finely ground coffee beans and a copper or brass pot called a cezve. Some significant differences are also that the sugar is typically added before brewing, and the grounds are never filtered, meaning some will frequently settle at the bottom of your cup. It’s naturally creamy, often made over an open fire, and always delicious!

Cà phê đá — Vietnam

Another legendary coffee drink is the famously bold, Vietnamese Cà phê đá. This drink is also rooted in the cultural tradition of Vietnam and has its own specialty brewer, called a Phin filter or sometimes a French drip filter. The combination of this brewer filter and the coarsely ground, dark roast coffee results in a taste that is always intense and heavy. While the hot version is still drunk dark in its classic form, a popular modern version is the Cà phê sữa đá which is brewed over ice and mixed with condensed milk for a sweeter, refreshing drink that is perfect for the hot Vietnamese summers.

Frappe — Greece

While many are familiar with the present-day incarnation of this beverage in the form of the apparent coffee shop staple, the Frappucino, not many realize that the Frappe has its origins in the country of Greece. Invented by a Nescafe executive in 1957, this one started out as simply a mixture of instant coffee and milk foam that is poured over or blended with ice. However, the magic of this drink on a hot day has inspired so many new iterations like the incorporation of brewed coffee or espresso, blending with ice cream, and topping with wonderful flavors like chocolate, caramel, and more.

Mazagran — Portugal

The iced coffee is always a delicious fan-favorite, but one of the earliest versions of it is not as widely crafted: the Portuguese Mazagran. While originating in Algeria as simply a sweetened iced coffee (sometimes sweetened with rum), it was in Portugal that it became forever tied to the addition of lemon or citrus. This refreshing combination is sometimes enjoyed black and sometimes sweetened with sugar syrup, but one of the most popular ways to drink it in Portuguese coffee shops today is in one big gulp! We don’t know about you, but to us, that sounds like a challenge.

Affogato — Italy

Caught somewhere between a coffee drink and dessert is our next Italian masterpiece, the Affogato. Essentially, this treat is just fresh espresso poured over a scoop of ice-cold gelato (or vanilla ice cream in the west). Unlike many of the other cream and coffee combinations on this list, this one isn’t meant to be blended or stirred. Typically you would enjoy it with a spoon as quickly as possible so that you maximize both the heat of the espresso and the chill of the gelato before they equalize. While the traditional Italian way utilizes just those two ingredients, you will often see different toppings like whipped cream, nuts, berries, liqueur, and more in current cafes.

Yuanyang — China

In China and many other countries in Asia, tea is considered just as popular as coffee. It’s from this shared love that our next selection, Yuanyang, comes from. Literally translated as “coffee and tea,” that’s exactly what this one contains. Originally served in open-air street food vendors and small cafes, this one has evolved to a delicacy served even in fine restaurants. While the ratios differ depending on who you ask, you typically find this prepared with five to seven parts of tea and three parts coffee. Since the advent of the iced coffee craze, you’ll often find this one in coffee shops sweetened with milk and poured over ice for a refreshing, highly caffeinated cup.

Café de Olla — Mexico

Next up is another traditional drink from Mexico called the Cafe de Olla, which translates to “pot coffee.” It gets its name from the traditional method of preparation which uses an earthen clay pot which many believe strengthens coffee's natural flavors. While many cafes today will simply serve it in a clay mug instead, it is still flavored with many of the same ingredients, such as a whole cinnamon stick and piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar). Other popular additives in modern recipes include cloves, berries, and even peppercorns. Sometimes you’ll even find some orange peel in there, a citrus pairing that makes it a surprising summertime hit.

Irish Coffee — Ireland

Pairing coffee with a different special elixir is the Irish Coffee of its namesake, Ireland, which pairs fresh coffee with many different varieties of liquor or spirits. However, this drink gets even better when it is sweetened with thick cream and cane or brown sugar. When consumed, it is frequently served in a clear glass with a handle and foot for presentation. For this reason, it is another entry that reminds one more of a dessert than a morning pick-me-up. Though historically, one would only use Irish Whisky for this recipe, nowadays, many will use other kinds of alcohol like Irish cream, rum, coffee liqueur, and even vodka.

Café au Lait — France

The most straightforward entry on this list is no less delicious. Coming from the urban cafes in Paris and sharing a historical lineage with another European classic, the Italian Caffe Latte, this drink is simply fresh coffee combined with equal parts steamed milk. In fact, that is literally what the name means in French. While you can experiment with this classic however you like, many enjoy it with just those ingredients. When paired with a fresh butter croissant, the only exception is often dipped right into the coffee by way of the wide-mouthed mugs it is typically served in at Parisien shops and others around the world. Now that’s our kind of breakfast!

Scandinavian Egg Coffee — Sweden/Norway

Perhaps the most unique of all the coffee beverages we had to save for last. Hailing from the Scandinavian countries of Sweden and Norway and famous and in many other parts of the world is the appropriately named Egg Coffee. Exactly as the name would suggest, this one is crafted from coffee, boiling water, and a raw egg. It’s meant to represent a breakfast in a glass that is less bitter because of the denatured proteins released by the boiling water “cooking” the egg. The result is mellow, silky, and often amber-colored. Unfortunately, this drink came about during a time in which high-quality coffee was not as available. However, you can still find it in many coffee shops as a fun, historical novelty that is still just as tasty.

No matter how you choose to enjoy your coffee, there’s always something new to try. From the U.S. to China, down to South America, and all the way up to Scandinavia, everywhere you go, people are embracing their love for coffee the only way they know-how. We think that’s a language we can all understand — the language of great flavor. That’s a language we think we’re all fluent in.

There’s no end to the limitless potential of coffee, and we think all of these great recipes prove just that. We hope you enjoy each and every one just as much as we do. Get in touch with us to let us know which were your favorite, or even which we should try next! As for flavor fiends, we can’t get enough when it comes to appreciating a taste we’ve never tried from a place we’ve never had the pleasure to visit.

Exploring all of the different flavors of coffee is our passion, and we guess you could say that we’re a little obsessed. Follow us on Instagram to keep up with our journey to understanding everything coffee has to offer and to try out all of the different recipes we’re constantly unveiling for you to explore too. We can’t wait to see what interesting paths coffee will take in the future, and we look forward to sharing it with you!