Coffee is now as much a staple beverage throughout Latin America as it is in many other countries around the world. Latinos often drink coffee as part of their breakfast, but the beverage is also enjoyed after a typically enormous Latin lunch. And in the evening, coffee is served with some bread for a light afternoon snack or dinner called lonchecito.
So if you find yourself in a Latin American country (or any Spanish-speaking country) and are in need of a coffee fix, don’t despair! You can always find a nearby café near to quench that caffeine craving in a heartbeat.
In this article, I present a summary of coffee culture in Latin America. Then I’ll share a cheat sheet with the main coffee ordering vocabulary and phrases you’ll need!
A note about coffee culture in Latin America
Coffee was introduced to many Latin American countries in the 1700s, and has become an important element of the culture. Not least because several countries are now world leaders in growing and exporting coffee beans. It is widely available, but don’t expect the coffee menus to look identical across the continent, and don’t expect them to offer the exact same variety of coffees as you would find in most Western upmarket coffee shops.
There are a number of regional differences in how coffee is prepared and served. In Argentina, for example, the influence of a large number of Italian immigrants is noticeable; most Argentinians like their coffee made in a percolator and drink it as espresso or americano. In Peru, where coffee is also very popular, coffee is usually prepared with a drip filter and isn’t necessarily that strong.
You’ll also notice big differences between different regions in the same county, often depending on the geography of the region or the socioeconomic level of the place where you’re ordering your coffee. A low-budget restaurant or food place that doesn’t specialize in coffee will probably just offer black coffee and coffee with milk, and it might even be instant coffee (gasp!).
On the other hand, most larger cities will usually have a few fancy coffee shops where you can choose the beans, type of coffee, and milk, and your brew will be prepared by highly skilled baristas.
Basic coffee vocabulary
I recommend you to read through the list a couple of times and then move on to the conversations below where you can use the vocabulary in context.
- Café con leche – Coffee with milk
- Café solo, café americano – Black coffee
- Café manchado – Macchiato (an espresso served with a dash of milk)
- Carajillo – Spanish coffee (coffee with cream and a shot of rum)
- Café descafeinado – Decaffeinated coffee (this is not commonly available!)
- Leche, leche condensada, crema – Milk, condensed milk, cream
- Leche caliente, leche fría – Hot milk, cold milk
- Leche vegetal, leche de soya/almendra/coco – Plant milk, soy/almond/coconut milk
- Azúcar, edulcorante, miel – Sugar, sweetener, honey
- Con hielo – With icecubes
- Fuerte, suave – Strong, smooth
- Amargo, dulce – Bitter, sweet
Basic ordering vocabulary
- ¿Tiene…? – Do you have…?
- ¿Me puede traer…? – Could you bring me…?
- Traeme… / Dame… – Bring me… / Give me… (this sounds very direct and fairly rude in English, but it’s okay in Spanish!)
- Quisiera… – I would like…
- ¿Qué café me recomiendas? – What coffee do you recommend?
- Te encargo… – I would like to order (This is mostly used in Mexico)
- ¿Cuánto está…? – How much is….?
How to ask for your favorite coffee: Conversation Worksheets
Roleplays are often the best way to remember the phrases you need for a specific situation, so here are two short conversations between a client and a barista that you can practice on your own or use as a roleplay with a friend! The translation in English is included after the Spanish conversation.
Coffee Ordering Conversation 1:
· Cliente: Buenos días. Un café por favor.
· Barista: ¡Buenos días! ¿Qué tipo de café desea? Tenemos espresso, café solo, café cortado, café con leche..
· Cliente: ¿Hmm… cuál es la diferencia entre café cortado y café con leche?
· Barista: El café cortado es como un café americano pero con solo un poquito de leche. El café con leche tiene bastante leche, prácticamente como un café latte.
· Cliente: De acuerdo, gracias por la explicación. Entonces dame un café cortado por favor.
· Barista: Perfecto, un café cortado. ¿Lo desea con leche fría o leche caliente?
· Cliente: Leche fría está bien. Pero, ¿tiene leche de soya?
· Barista: Claro que sí. Un momento por favor.
*Cinco minutos después*
· Barista: Aquí tiene su café cortado con leche de soya. En su mesa hay azúcar o edulcorante. ¡Qué lo disfrute!
· Cliente: ¡Muchas gracias!
English Translation Coffee Ordering Conversation 1:
· Cliente: Good morning. A coffee, please.
· Barista: Good morning! What type of coffee would you like? We have espresso, black coffee, café cortado, coffee with plenty of milk…
· Cliente: ¿Hmm… what’s the difference between café cortado and coffee with milk?
· Barista: Café cortado is like an americano but with only a dash of milk. Coffee with milk has a lot of milk, it’s practically like a latte.
· Cliente: Okay, thanks for the explanation. So, give me a café cortado please.
· Barista: Perfect, one café cortado. Would you like it with cold or hot milk?
· Cliente: Cold milk is fine. But do you have soy milk?
· Barista: Of course. One moment please.
*Five minutes later*
· Barista: Aquí tiene su café cortado con leche de soya. En su mesa hay azúcar o edulcorante. ¡Qué lo disfrute!
· Cliente: ¡Muchas gracias!
Coffee Ordering Conversation 2:
Since so many of us like our coffee a very specific way, it’s not unusual for problems to arise with coffee orders. The client in the following conversation isn’t quite content with the coffee the barista brings, but fortunately the barista manages to solve the problem.
· Cliente: Buenas tardes. Quisiera un café con leche, pero con la leche muy caliente por favor.
· Barista: Por supuesto. Un momento por favor. Enseguida se lo llevo a su mesa.
· Cliente: Muchas gracias.
· Barista: Aquí tiene su café.
· Cliente: Pero, ¡este no es el café correcto! Te pedí un café con leche muy caliente, ¡este café ya está tibia!
· Barista: Tiene razón, ¡lo siento mucho! Deme un momento, ahora le preparo el café de nuevo.
*Cinco minutos después*
· Barista: Listo, señora, le traigo el café como me pidió, con leche muy caliente.
· Cliente: A ver. (Prueba el café) Ahora está perfecto! Muchas gracias joven.
· Barista: De nada, mil disculpas nuevamente.
Translation Coffee Ordering Conversation 2:
· Cliente: Good afternoon. A coffee with milk with very hot milk, please.
· Barista: Of course. One moment please. I’ll bring it to your table shortly.
· Cliente: Thank you very much.
· Barista: Here’s your coffee.
· Cliente: But this isn’t the right coffee! I ordered a coffee with very hot milk, this coffee is already lukewarm!
· Barista: You’re right, I’m very sorry. Give me a moment please, I’ll make you a new coffee.
*Five minutes later*
· Barista: There you go, ma’am, here’s the coffee just as you ordered, with very hot milk.
· Cliente: Let’s see. (Tries the coffee) Now it’s perfect! Thank you very much, young man.
· Barista: You’re welcome, (a thousand) apologies again.
Exercise to review your knowledge of ordering coffee in Spanish
Time to put this new knowledge to the test. Below is another coffee ordering conversation with some words missing. Complete it with the missing words from the box, only use each word once. We purposefully haven’t included an English translation of the conversation, you can use an online dictionary if you need help translating. Answers are found at the end of the article. Good luck!
| desea – fuerte – amargo – condensada – descafeinado – miel |
· Cliente: Buenos días. ¿Me puede traer un café 1) __________ con leche y un café solo con hielo, por favor?
· Barista: Claro que sí. Desea leche normal o leche 2) __________?
· Cliente: Leche normal está bien.
· Barista: 3) __________ azúcar, edulcorante o 4) __________?
· Cliente: Azúcar por favor para el café con hielo, sin eso estaría muy 5) __________!
· Barista: Así es. (Cinco minutos después) Listo, aquí sus dos cafés. 300 pesos por favor.
· Cliente: Gracias. (Prueba el café) ¡Qué rico, está 6) __________! Justo lo que necesito para este lunes. El otro café me lo llevo para mi jefe. Aquí tiene los 300 pesos.
· Barista: Muchas gracias. ¡Qué tenga un buen día!
· Cliente: ¡Igualmente!
Time to go and get your favorite cafecito!
Whether you’re a weathered coffee connoisseur or just need a routine caffeine boost to get you going, you are now totally ready to go out and order a hot coffee, the Latin American Spanish way. Enjoy, and let us know how it went!
*Answer key: 1) descafeinado, 2) condensada, 3) Desea, 4) miel, 5) amargo, 6) fuerte.
If you’re visiting Colombia, the “home” of coffee in South America, check out this guide to ordering food and drink in Colombia. If you happen to be studying Mexican Spanish, check out our guide to ordering food, drinks, coffee, and whatever else you need, in Mexico.
