French coffees are known to serve some of the best coffees in the world. Whether you are in a Parisian cafe or on the beach on the French Riviera, having a coffee will not only energize you, but also bring comfort and satisfaction to your trip.
But each of us has our own preferences, and you don’t want a language barrier to stop you from ordering the right drink on the menu. If you can’t get caffeine, ordering the right drink could be even more crucial to a quiet and relaxing vacation. Knowing the basic styles, from espresso to latte , and using common coffee terms will help you order the perfect drink in France.
French coffee drinks
There are many drinks to choose from in France, and knowing the name of the drink you are looking for will make ordering easier, plus you can enjoy feeling like a local. Some frequently used terms:
- A coffee (kaf-ay) is a small cup of black coffee with nothing added, but it is strong because it is prepared like an espresso. You can also hear people ordering this using the French terms a petit café , a simple café , a café noir , a petit noir , an espresso or an espresso. Or waiters can say one of those expressions if they want to clarify their order.
- A serré coffee (kaf-ay se-ray) is a stronger espresso.
- A café au lait (kaf-ay oh-lay) is a style of French coffee that has become popular in the United States, as it is served at the Café du Monde in New Orleans. In France, this is simply a large cup of espresso, with steamed milk, and is almost always taken for breakfast. Sometimes coffee is served in the cup, with a jug of steamed milk to pour as you like.
- If you want more coffee or have mistakenly ordered just a small coffee, you should order du lait, s’il vous plaît (due-lay, see voo play).
- An espresso with a very fine crema is called a café crème (ka-fay kremm) or simply a crème .
- An allongé coffee (kaf-ay a-lon-jay) is an espresso diluted with water.
- A décafféiné coffee (kaf-ay day-kaf-ay-nay) is decaffeinated coffee. You will still have to tell them that you want milk (lait) or crema (cream) with your coffee. Sometimes it is shortened to a Deca .
- A café noisette (kaf-ay nwah-zett) is an espresso with a dash of cream. It’s called “noisette,” French for hazelnut, because of the drink’s rich, dark color. You can also request a noisette.
- An Américain coffee (kaf-ay ah-may-ree-kan) is filtered coffee, similar to traditional American coffee. It is also known as c afé filtré (kaf-ay feel-tray) .
- A Léger coffee (kaf-ay lay-jay) is an espresso with twice as much water.
- A café glacé ( kay-ay glas-ay ) is iced coffee, but this is unusual for traditional French coffees.
Some sweet words
If you’re not a fan of unsweetened coffee, order sucre (soo-kreh), which is sugar. The word for sweetener is édulcorant (ay-doohl-co-ronn) . The coffees will have sugar on the table or will bring two sugars wrapped in cubes on the drink plate. Since many French coffee drinks are strong, you may want to order more, so ask for plus de sucre, s’il vous plaît , (ploo duh soo-khruh, see voo play). The French often take cubed sugar and dip it into the cup, wait for it to fill up with coffee, and then eat it.
Drinks without coffee
If you’re looking for something to drink other than coffee, you have some great options in France:
- Hot chocolate (shoh-ko-lah show): chocolate caliente
- A tea (tay): té negro
- A green tea (tay verr): té verde
- A herbal tea (tee-zan), an infusion (an-phew-zee-on): té de hierbas
When and where to have your coffee
There are certain conventions in France that visitors must follow. If you are in a hurry or want a cheaper drink, have a little coffee in the bar with the locals who prefer it. Also keep in mind that the price of a coffee on an outside table may be higher, as you will likely sit there for a long time.
Many French people will have a latte for breakfast and give you a plain croissant, but not after lunch or dinner, when coffee is customary . Unless you ask specifically, the cafeteria will come after dessert. And a word of caution: a liégeois café is not a drink, but a coffee ice cream.
Edited by Mary Anne Evans
