(spoiler: it’s Italian)

If you order un café (“a coffee”), you’ll be presented with a tiny cup of espresso. This could come as a surprise for some Americans that were expecting a full mug of “French Roast” drip coffee.

So you have your espresso. If you then request milk, you’re likely to get a weird look or sigh of exasperation. What’s the problem? Well,

The French are known for café culture, not coffee culture.

Our beloved lattés are actually ITALIAN

Le café français

In France, un café is an espresso as well as a location.

Café culture goes back centuries. They have always been a gathering place for intellectuals to meet and debate philosophical issues. They are in the same spirit as salons.  Even the freedom fighters of the French Revolution and later the French Resistance would meet in cafes to plot their course. Cafés were epicenters of the Avant Garde; think of the Woody Allen film, “Midnight in Paris.” In Paris, you can find cafes like Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots with name plates indicating where people like Hemingway, Sartre, and Picasso sat. In the 19^thcentury, the “Café Society” described how cafés were a place for “beautiful people” to see and be seen. “Café Society” was later replaced with the term “Jet Set,” if that helps with the meaning of luxury and it-factor.

un café simple

An espresso may be called a number of things: un petit café, un café simple, un café noir, un petit noir, un café express, or un express. That’s essentially ALL the French drink, so that’s what the word café refers to.

For those of you looking for a large cup of filtered or pour-over coffee (a traditional cup of joe), look for un café américain or un café filtre. I know this probably exists because that’s the correct term, but I’VE never seen it on the menu.

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What I order (because I’m addicted)

I’m an American woman that loves coffee. I like taking the time to enjoy a big mug of it. However, I’m often stuck with a Alice in Wonderland, SMALL sip of condensed espresso in a Barbie cup.

Solution?

I typically order un café allongé or un café long. What you get is essentially an “americano”- a shot of espresso in a larger cup, diluted with hot water.

The French typically take their espresso with a cube of sugar. But no milk, because that’s only for the Brits.

I like my coffee like I like my insert whitty punchline .  I like it black!

Taking it this way has saved me the eye roll my friends that request milk get. It just isn’t done in France. A theme you may see a lot in France. A cultural norm sans (without) explanation.

If you like milk, order it in your drink.

What I typically see on a menu is un café noisette or une noisette – espresso with a dash of milk or a spoonful of foam. This will come in a small cup.

Café au Lait is for breakfast and children.

Café au Lait is filtered coffee with milk, served in a big bowl.

At breakfast, the French like to dip croissants and day-old baguettes into a warm bowl of café au lait. Probably the closest thing to what Americans, like me, think of as “coffee”.

BUT this drink is only served in the morning.

Coffee “to-go” does not exist.

The French do NOT take coffee with them. There is no to-go/take-away, (called à emporter).

The French value their time at a dining table. Either you drink your coffee at home with breakfast or you take the time to go into a café. You will never see people with paper cups or tumblers/travel mugs running to work.

If you’re really in a hurry and need a pick-me up, you can take a quick café at the bar. I have seen cafés with three different prices: bar, indoor table, and outdoor table.

Bisous, Annie