French Coffee

A word on coffee in France, from the perspective of an American. The French don't drink coffee. They drink rocket fuel. It is delicious, but is so strong it will send you into orbit. There have been days where I drank it too late in the day and it kept me up all night.

If you order a coffee (un café) from a French café you will get a tiny cup of very potent espresso. There is no to-go ordering, so if you're in a rush you have to stand at the bar and rub elbows with the locals. Most cafés are also brasseries (bars), so they serve beer too.

Un café:

If you want the weak stuff we normally drink back home, you will need to request un café américain or un café filtre. I've seen some cafés near tourist areas that specifically advertise café américain.

Note: If you want coffee do not order an Americano. Despite being the name of a coffee drink in the US, in France you will be served a cocktail instead. I learned that from a very upset person's restaurant review.

Café au lait is coffee with milk, and as my dad warned me before I left, they serve it in a wide cup or bowl. I learned that this is because the French dip their croissants and stale bread in it for breakfast, which is the only time they drink café au lait. After lunch and dinner is strictly espresso.

Until next time, this has been "Café avec Erik." See you later!

Note: there is no later. This is everything I know about coffee in France.