The Luxuriously Layered Spanish Coffee You Need To Know

Coffee may be the most adored beverage in the world. It seems every country has its own signature way of brewing, serving, or drinking the caffeinated delight. Before the internet, the only way people could discover coffee other than their standard mug was through books, travel television shows, or traveling outside their home countries. Thanks to the spread of the information superhighway and ambitious coffeehouses, Americans came to know about drinks like the caffe misto (which is basically a French café au lait) and the ubiquitous latte.

Coffee has become a culture in and of itself, with java fans seeking out every kind of coffee drink they can get their hands on; the rarer, the better. The Darkest Roast suggests almost 50 coffee drinks from around the world that every coffee connoisseur should try, including a café Cubano, made by whipping espresso and sugar, and the ultra-potent ristretto. In Europe, Italy is arguably the country most known for its coffee and introduced the world to the pleasures of espresso; but another Mediterranean neighbor, Spain, might give the Italians a run for their money in their varieties of coffee drinks. According to Culture Trip, Spaniards enjoy everything from the mild leche manchada, made of mostly milk with a drop of coffee, to a drink that is equal parts strong, sweet, and beautiful.

Believed to have originated in Valencia, Spain, the café Bombón could easily be considered a morning pick-me-up or a legitimate dessert. Beans and Burrs explains that a café Bombón is made of just two ingredients in equal parts: Espresso and sweetened condensed milk. It is as visually striking as it is stunning on your taste buds. In the clear glass it is traditionally served in, the Bombón showcases a creamy white layer of condensed milk on the bottom, the dark, almost black hue of freshly pulled espresso, and sometimes a creamy caramel-colored layer on top that comes from the coffee's crema. It is meant to be stirred before drunk, and it is rich, robust, and pleasantly sweet.

Voltage Coffee points out that two almost identical coffee drinks exist in Thailand and Singapore, where it's called Kopi Susu Panas, and in Malaysia, where it's known as Gafeh Rorn. The only difference between café Bombón and the others is the use of ground coffee as opposed to espresso. You can also get a similar flavor with the popular Vietnamese coffee, which has become easier to find in the United States. It, too, combines strong coffee, made in the pour-over style and sweetened condensed milk, per Lonely Planet.