When in Argentina have coffee!😁🇦🇷👍. Porteños, as locals are called, like to get together with friends to have leisurely discussions ranging from the whys and wherefores of life to their beloved football team, the course of the economy, or their amorous escapades in excruciating detail.Cafes are a rendezvous for friends: job interviews and work-related meetings also take place in them.
Here is a guide to the most common cups of coffee that you can order in most Argentine cafes.
• Café (a shot of espresso/short black)
If you ask for nothing more than a coffee, “un café,” without specifying details, you will be brought the basic short black in a small espresso cup. To be sure there’s no misunderstanding, you can say, “un café chico” and give the nationally recognized hand symbol when ordering (see image). For those who like life in the fast lane. It’s quick, strong, and it will certainly perk you up for a few hours.
• Café en jarrito
The same espresso coffee as above, but in a mini-mug. Still smaller than a regular coffee cup. This is basically a double espresso, so don’t expect to sleep for approximately three days after drinking one.
• Cortado (macchiato)
The most commonly ordered style in Argentina, this is an espresso which has been “cut” with a little milk, to take the edge off the bitterness. You can also ask for it in a jarrito, as above. Only when you’ve sat in a café and sipped on a cortado can you say that you have truly visited Argentina.
• Café con crema
The same as a cortado, but with a dollop of cream instead of milk. A nice dessert coffee. If you’re a tightwad, check the price first, as sometimes they will add an extra charge for the cream.
• Lagrima
For the lightweights who can’t handle a cortado, a lagrima is the inversion of the formula; an espresso cup filled with milk and just a touch, or ‘drop’ of coffee.
• Americano
This is like the bigger, weakling brother of the regular café chico. Hot water is added to a shot or two of espresso to dilute the strength a little. We don’t really see the point of this one.
• Café con leche (café latte/flat white)
A regular sized coffee cup half filled with coffee and half with milk. You can vary the dosage by saying “mas leche que café” (more milk than coffee). You could ask for more coffee than milk if you wanted too, but that would be a little bit crazy.
• Capuchino (Cappuccino)
This is a slight variation on the Italian blockbuster. It depends on the café you are in, but the Argentine cappuccino will usually come in a slender transparent glass, with clearly visible layers of coffee, milk and froth, topped with a little cinnamon or chocolate. Unlike in Italy, they won’t laugh at you if you order it in the afternoon or evening.
• Submarino (submarine)
OK, it’s not coffee, but it is very Argentine. Served in the same transparent glass as a cappuccino. This time the glass is filled with warm, frothy milk, into which a piece of chocolate is submerged. The chocolate melts and creates a sweet, creamy treat. Mmm… delicious! A drink for the softy in all of us.
—by Dan Colasimone