Monthly Archives: November 2019

5 International Coffees You’ve Probably Never Heard of Before

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Coffee is a truly international beverage consumed in just about every corner of the world. If you are tempted to think that traditional American coffee is the be-all and end-all, it is not. It’s not even close. There are tons of intriguing coffee drinks on nearly every continent. Some you’ve heard of, others you have not.

Below are descriptions of five international coffees we are willing to bet are not on your radar. They are drinks that are, at least in some cases, quite regional. If you are looking to try something different, maybe one of these coffees is for you.

1. Barraquito Coffee – Spain

This coffee drink hails from the Canary Islands in Spain. It is actually a combination of coffee and Licor 43, a well-known Spanish liqueur that is made only by a single-family business located in Cartagena.

It is often described as a coffee cocktail due to how the ingredients are put together. Nothing is mixed. Rather, the ingredients are layered. You start with condensed milk followed by the liqueur. Next is a layer of espresso, then frothing milk and a topping of cinnamon and lemon peel.

2. Cà Phê Trứng – Vietnam

Vietnam’s Cà Phê Trứng is a coffee drink that includes an egg. Yes, you read that correctly. You start by mixing an egg yolk with sweetened condensed milk until it becomes a light and creamy foam. It takes about 10 minutes. Afterward, you pour hot coffee over it. The coffee slowly sinks to the bottom.

3. Kaffeost – Finland

Adventurous types who appreciate Vietnam’s egg coffee might also be interested in trying this gem from Finland. Translated literally as ‘coffee cheese’, Kaffeost is a mixture of hot coffee and a traditional dried cheese known as juustoleipä. You just put the cheese in a wooden mug and then pour in hot coffee. The cheese absorbs some of the coffee.

4. Mazagran – Portugal

Iced coffee lovers, here’s a drink from Portugal that is right up your alley. Mazagran is allegedly the first iced coffee drink ever invented. It is said to have originated in Algeria. At any rate, it is a drink that combines iced coffee with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice amounts depend on personal taste. Some have described mazagran has iced coffee lemonade.

5. Kopi Luwak – Southeast Asian

This is perhaps the most unusual coffee drink on our list. Kopi luwak is not made from coffee beans per se, but from partially digested coffee cherries. Mammals known as Asian palm civets eat the cherries for their flavor despite the fact that their bodies do not fully digest them. The cherries are gathered after the civets pass them, then used to make drip coffee, espresso, or a French press brew.

There are some truly interesting coffee drinks found around the world. Here at Galaxie Coffee, we specialize in bringing the best coffee and other beverages to businesses throughout the tri-state area. We would love to add your office to our client list.

Have You Heard of National Cappuccino and Espresso Days?

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Doesn’t it sometimes feel like we have a national day for just about everything? We probably do, which brings us to the topic of this post: National Cappuccino Day and its cousin, National Espresso Day. Both are registered with the National Day Calendar as legitimate days of recognition.

We are cool with both days. After all, there are a few things we love to celebrate more than a good cup of coffee. Whether it is cappuccino, espresso, or the tried-and-true American coffee made with a standard pour-over, it is all good. Every day is a great day to enjoy the goodness of coffee.

National Cappuccino Day – Nov. 8

National Cappuccino Day is observed every year on November 8. It is a day for enjoying one of our favorite coffee drinks by whipping up a “frothy, hot cup of cappuccino,” according to the National Day Calendar website. The website goes on to explain cappuccino as a coffee drink consisting of “espresso, hot milk, and steamed milk foam.”

No one really knows the origins of this day as a traditional observance. The good folks at the National Calendar Day have been researching it for years. The best they have been able to come up with is the origins of the drink itself. As for the day, it seems to have been birthed from the coffeehouse craze that began in Seattle a couple of decades ago.

As for the origins of cappuccino, it goes back to Italian monks in the 17th century. In fact, the name of the drink comes from the dark brown hooded frocks worn by the Capuchin monks who allegedly invented the drink.

National Espresso Day – Nov. 23

National Espresso Day is another one of those annual celebrations with unknown origins. A lot of research has gone into discovering when and where it started, but to no avail. However, we do know the origins of the drink. Espresso was birthed in Italy during the early 20th century.

According to the National Espresso Day website, espresso lovers can thank inventor and manufacturer Luigi Bezzera. He is credited with inventing the very first espresso machine that reduced the time it took to create a tasty cup of coffee by introducing pressurized steam. He called his machine the Fast Coffee Machine.

A few years later, the machine and rights to it were purchased by fellow entrepreneur Desidero Pavoni, who patented it and embarked on a marketing blitz that made espresso a household word. The rest, as they say, is history.

Here at Galaxie Coffee, we believe every day is a wonderful day to celebrate espresso and cappuccino. On the other 363 days of the year, your favorite cup of coffee is just as good. So raise a cup to whoever came up with these tasty drinks and the days that celebrate them. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to us to learn more about office coffee and beverage service for your company.

Sources:

1. National Day Calendar – https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-cappuccino-day-october-8/
2. National Espresso Day – https://www.nationalespressoday.com