Paris Pratique – Ordering coffee in France

I had always thought the variety of coffee drinks in France was driven by taste – if you like cream in your coffee order a café crème. If you don’t like cream or milk, order an espresso. It’s that simple, n’est-ce pas?

No, it is not that simple. Like many French habits, it’s a bit more complicated. Generally, the French order coffee drinks according to the time of day. Here’s a run down of what I learned.

Café Crème or une crème │ Coffee with steamed cream. It’s generally ordered in the morning and very often taken with a croissant. The cream helps neutralize the pH or acidity level of coffee and it’s a bit easier on an empty stomach.

Café au lait │ Coffee with steamed milk. It’s also ordered in the morning and very often taken with a croissant. It’s not as rich than a café crème, but has similar benefits in lowering pH and acidity levels.

Un café or un expresso │ Espresso is a full-flavored, concentrated form of coffee served in “shots.” It is made by forcing pressurized hot water through very finely ground coffee beans using an espresso machine. Generally, it’s ordered after a meal or on it’s own in the late afternoon.

Un déca │ As you may have guessed, this is a decaffeinated espresso. It’s also taken after a meal or in the late afternoon.

Une noisette │ Noisette means hazelnut – in this case, it’s a reference to color not flavor. A noisette coffee is an espresso with just a touch of milk. As my French girlfriend explained, “If you can’t bear an espresso in the afternoon, order a noisette rather than a café crème – it’s far more chic.”

Un café allongé or un café Américain │ As you may have guessed, un allongé is a big cup of black coffee and most like the filtered coffee Americans typically drink. Essentially, it’s a espresso with hot water added to it. The strength of an allongé varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added.