5 International Coffee Recipes You Need To Try!

When it comes to experiencing travel from home, other than cooking, watching travel movies and videos, a good cup of coffee, preferably an international coffee recipe, is something that can always transport us to a coffee shop in Paris, or a simple and delicious cup of café at a caféteria in México.

Now as the wind gets chillier, and the days get shorter, why not experiment with something so staple to our lives as coffee is, and recreate and enjoy coffee in an international way?

So, in today’s post, we are going to be exploring  5 International Coffee Recipes You Need To Try, and hopefully you’ll find a recipe that you’ll want to try out by the end of this post!

Throughout the post, I’ll be sharing recipes on how to make these international coffees, as well as where you can access certain coffee blends, and/or machinery/tools to recreate these international coffee recipes, so make sure to look out for that throughout the post!

Sữa Chua Cà Phê (Yogurt Coffee)

Origin: Vietnam

In Vietnamese known as Sua Chua Cafe, this international coffee is unique for its infusion of Vietnamese coffee and yogurt.  The yogurt adds a touch of silky, creaminess to it, while the sweetened condensed milk brings the sweetness to this rich coffee. The Vietnamese coffee adds a hint of chocolate undertones.  

Ingredients: (makes 3 cups)

• 2 tablespoons of Vietnamese coffee (such as this one widely used in Vietnam)
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 ½ cups of plain yogurt (a thick yogurt such as Greek will do!)
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk (this one by the brand Longevity is most commonly used in Vietnam)
• Crushed ice

Suggested supplies:

• Vietnamese coffee drip brewer like this one
• Vietnamese phin coffee filter like these

Instructions:

1. To brew the Vietnamese coffee, assemble your filter inside the coffee drip brewer. Once assembled, add the Vietnamese ground coffee to the phin filter chamber and place the filter press on top, press gently. Place the filter over a clean glass and then add 1 tablespoon of hot water and wait for about 10-20 seconds to let the ground coffee swell and settle.
2. Add the remaining hot water and cover the chamber with the filter cap. Let the coffee liquid drip into the glass. This may take a few minutes.
3. While the coffee is being brewed, add yogurt and sweetened condensed milk to a bowl and mix gently to combine. Divide the mixture into serving glasses. You can add more condensed milk to taste.
4. Once the coffee is ready, divide it into serving glass. Top with some crushed ice and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Café de Olla 

Origin: México 

A personal favorite of mine, café de olla is an international coffee recipe that brings the warmth and spiciness of cinnamon, and raw brown sugar called piloncillo in each sip.  Traditionally made with simple ingredients (no milk in this coffee recipe), café de olla is a very simple coffee to make that has been enjoyed by Mexicans for many generations in the past, and continues to be savored by many today. The perfect drink to warm you up on a chilly day, and that always personally brings me to weekend mornings, enjoying a full-on breakfast with my family in México. 

Ingredients: (makes 4 cups)

• 4 cups of water
• 3 oz. piloncillo like this one (or you can use ⅓ cup of dark brown sugar)
• ½ a stick of Mexican cinnamon 
• 4 tablespoons of Mexican coffee such as this one 

Suggested supplies:

• Typical Mexican coffee mugs like this one or this one
• A coffee or teacup strainer like this one

Instructions:

• In a medium saucepan, place the water, cinnamon, and piloncillo (or brown sugar). Turn the heat and simmer until the piloncillo is dissolved. About 7 minutes.
• When the water starts boiling, add the coffee, turn the heat off and stir.
• Cover the pot and let steep for 5 minutes. Pour through a strainer into your Mexican coffee mug. Enjoy!

Related: A Culinary Tour of Mexico

Türk Kahvesi

Origin: Turkey

A type of international coffee recipe made from very finely ground coffee, and recognizable because of the brewing pot commonly used called the cezve. Turkish coffee is strong, and even fortune-telling, as many Turkish people have the belief that the grounds left at the bottom of your coffee cup can be read to reveal your fortune.  Turkish coffee is actually the most common type of coffee preparation known and enjoyed in many Arabic countries, as well as Greece, meaning that these places use Turkish coffee beans/prep as a base for their own coffee recipes.  Similar to Café de Olla, Turkish coffee is not taken with milk or cream, and because of its strength, it’s often served with a cup of water on the side to cleanse the palate before taking your first sip.

Ingredients: (makes 3 cups)

• Ground coffee (very important!) like this one from the brand Mehmet Efendi
• 3 cups of water (room temperature)
• 3 teaspoons of Sugar (optional) 

Suggested supplies:

• Turkish espresso cups like these (important for measuring out the water that fits in the cezve pot, for each person served)
• A metal cezve brewing pot like this one

Instructions:

• Measure out 3 cups of water using a Turkish espresso cup ( 1 espresso cup for each person). 
• Add 3 teaspoons of sugar (if desired) to the pot of water (one for each person) and let it sink to the bottom without mixing until later – this will allow the sugar to caramelize at the bottom, float up and give it a distinct flavor.
• Add 3 teaspoons of coffee (one for each person) if you like your coffee strong, add a bit extra, and if you don’t want it as strong, don’t use as much.
• Place the pot on the stove with low heat, and allow the coffee to heat up before starting to mix. 
• When the coffee comes to a boil (after a few minutes on the stove) you’ll notice there is a ring of foam that forms at the top. At that point, remove the pot from the stove, and begin spooning the foam into the espresso cups. Supposedly for many, the more foam gathers, the higher the quality of the coffee.
• Return to the stove, and heat up again until it starts to boil again. At that point, remove from the stove again and serve the rest equally between the cups, nice and slowly to preserve the foam. ENjoy!

Frapés

Origin: Greece

America is not the only place obsessed with iced coffee, as Greece has its own frothy, iced coffee version that is quite popular, especially during the summer.  Speaking of beating out other countries, it’s been reported that Greeks actually beat out the French, the English, and Americans, when it comes to their coffee consumption! Originally accidentally invented by Dimitris Vakondios, a representative of Nescafé in 1957, in Thessaloniki, Greece, the Frapé would go down in Greek coffee history as a cultural favorite. This coffee is by far one of the easier recipes to make on this list, and it’s deliciously foamy, frothy, and refreshing. According to Greeks, nowadays, people use espresso rather than just instant coffee as the original recipe was created, so in the recipe below, I will make that edit in case you have an espresso machine you’d like to use or instant coffee.

Ingredients: (makes 1 cup)

• 1 tablespoon Nescafé Classic Instant Greek Coffee (if using an espresso machine, 2 shots of espresso)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of cold water
• A splash of milk 
• Ice cubes

Suggested supplies:

• Espresso machine if you’d like to have a stronger coffee taste
• Frother – handheld frother like this one or an electric one like this one also works
• Metal straws, like these

Instructions:

• In a glass cup, mix together Nescafé Classic Instant Greek Coffee (or double shot of espresso), brown sugar, and cold water, and froth together until it’s very foamy – the foamier, the better!
• After the coffee mixture is foamy, add a splash of milk to fill the rest of the cup.
• Add a couple of ice cubes, add your straw, and enjoy!

Café Lagrima

Origin: Argentina

As the name describes, lagrima is Spanish for teardrop, which makes this international coffee recipe particularly interesting, as it’s a cup of hot milk, with a “teardrop” of espresso, which leaves a bit of a teardrop appearance. Nevertheless, this coffee recipe offers a rich, frothy, and warm cup of coffee that is sure to wake you up or add to your mid-day pick me up. 

Ingredients: (makes 1 cup)

• ½ shot of espresso, or a dark roast instant coffee mix like this one from the brand La Virginia Argentinian Ground Coffee mixed with water according to package instructions. 

• 6.77 oz. of milk

Suggested supplies:

• 2 small saucepans such as these
• Frother (handheld or electric)

Instructions:

• Warm the milk in the saucepan, making sure it doesn’t boil.
• When your milk is hot enough, pour it into your serving mug. Froth using your handheld frother or electric frother to make it extra foamy.
• Add your espresso shot (or instant coffee mix) into the coffee in a straight line going vertical to create a bit of a teardrop shape (look at photo for reference) 
• Enjoy!

Do you like to drink coffee? Which international coffee recipe was your favorite? and which one will you try out next?

There are SO many variations when it comes to how people all over the world make their coffee, based on local ingredients, accessibility, or necessity that it’s an interesting journey on its own to discover them all.  

As I researched these amazing international coffee recipes, I stumbled upon these two YouTube channels that talk more in-depth about coffee culture in different parts of the world, coffee preparation, and more! I really enjoyed learning more about coffee from their videos, so if you’ve just gained an even deeper appreciation towards coffee, you can check out The Right Roast and European Coffee Trip. 

To many more coffee moments like these ✨

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