When the Spanish order a coffee in the morning, they appear to be speaking on code. It's rarely just 'coffee' (or 'café' in Spanish). These are the terms you're going to have to get to grips with if you want to keep your head above water in a Spanish 'cafeteria. (If you're more a tea drinker, read about Tea in Spain)
- Café solo Espresso, the standard form of coffee in Spain - if you want lots of water in it you could ask for it to be added (con agua caliente) but you might get laughed at. Seriously!
- Café con leche Espresso with milk added. The most popular form of coffee in Spain.
- Cafe cortado Espresso with a drop of milk. Sometimes called 'cafe manchado' (stained coffee). Not to be confused with the drink below
- Leche manchada 'Stained milk', a little coffee and a lot of milk. More like coffee flavored milk than a proper coffee. Not very common, though I've seen it in the south (in Seville).
- Café descafeinado Decaff coffee. You can ask for it from the machine (de maquina or from a sachet (de sobre.
- Café con hielo An espresso and a glass of ice. You're supposed to pour the espresso over the ice, but I wouldn't recommend it.
In some bigger cafes, there will be even greater selection of coffees. Irish coffee or Russian coffee (with vodka) are some examples. None alcohol ones include Viennese coffee (coffee with milk and whipped cream) or, my personal favorite, cafe bonbon con hielo - coffee with sweetened condensed milk. You mix the two together and then poor them over ice. It's the sort of thing Starbucks would call a Super Duper Wacky Frappuccino or something like that (and charge you twice the price).
