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How to order a coffee in Spanish: 11 types, and 20 variations

For some of us, coffee is more than a beverage–it’s a true necessity. If this sounds like you, then you need not waste any more time before learning how to order coffee in Spanish.

Even if you’re not studying Spanish, you should probably still learn a few ways to order coffee in different languages. That way, you can easily get your caffeine fix no matter where in the world life takes you.

And if you’re unlike most and don’t need coffee to function, you may still enjoy an occasional cappuccino or pumpkin spice latte. If you’re traveling to any of the coffee regions in Latin America, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not trying some of the wonderful local coffees. Indeed, with no less than half of the world’s top 10 coffee producers, Latin American coffee is like no other.

So, you can already imagine that coffee is naturally a big part of Latin American culture. If you make new friends in Colombia, it’s not uncommon for them to invite you over “por un tintico.” If you’re not familiar with some of the coffee slang, you might end up passing up on a great opportunity for a fantastic conversation.

Luckily, this article will show you everything you need to know about coffee, from ordering your favorite coffee to coffee slang to the coffee regions in Colombia and Latin America. We’ll even show you how to place your favorite complicated Starbucks order in Spanish!

So, go ahead and make yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, and read on!

Woman relaxing while drinking a cup of coffee.

How to say coffee in Spanish

If you’ve studied the colors in Spanish, then you already know how to say coffee in Spanish: café. Yep, just like the color brown, coffee in Spanish is just café. Simple, right?

Since the singular already ends in -e, all you have to do to make it plural is add an -s: cafés. Couldn’t be easier!

And café is a masculine noun, so if you want to order a coffee, you just have to ask for un café. But we’ll get into more of that down below!

Types of coffee you can order in Spanish

Unless all you drink is black coffee, you’ll need to know a few more words than just un café. Sometimes, a macchiato or perhaps an iced coffee is what we need to hit the spot. No matter your taste preferences, the table below will help you learn how to order coffee in Spanish

English Spanish IPA Pronunciation
Coffee Un café kaˈfe kah-feh
Iced coffee Un café helado kaˈfe eˈlaðo kah-feh eh-la-doe
Black coffee Un café negro kaˈfe ˈneɣɾo kah-feh neh-gro
A cup of coffee Una taza de café ˈtasa ðe kaˈfe tah-za deh kah-feh
Decaf coffee Un café descafeinado kaˈfe ðeskafejˈnaðo kah-feh des-kah-feh-e-na-doe
Latte Un latte ˈlatte la-teh
Cappuccino Un cappuccino kappukˈsino kah-poo-chee-no
Flat white Un flat white ˈflat ˈwite flat white
A shot of espresso Un shot de espresso ˈsot ðe esˈpɾesso shot deh ehs-preh-so
A double espresso Un espresso doble esˈpɾesso ˈðoβle ehs-preh-so doh-bleh
A macchiato Un macchiato makˈʧjato mah-key-ah-toe

More notable coffee vocab

As mentioned earlier, coffee is a big part of most Hispanic cultures. So, even if you’re not a coffee drinker yourself, you’ll probably hear many words and phrases related to coffee in Spanish. And who knows, if you spend enough time in a coffee region in Colombia, you might end up becoming an avid coffee drinker yourself!

Coffee break in Spanish.

English Spanish IPA Pronunciation
Do you want coffee? ¿Quieres café? ˈkjeɾes kaˈfe key-air-ehs kah-feh
Coffee break Un descanso para tomar café un desˈkanso ˈpaɾa toˈmaɾ kaˈfe oon des-cahn-so pah-ra toe-mar kah-feh
I need coffee! ¡Necesito un café! neseˈsito wn kaˈfe neh-seh-see-toe oon kah-feh
Can I have more coffee, please? ¿Me podrías servir más café, por favor? me poˈðɾias seɾˈβiɾ ˈmas kaˈfe | poɾ faˈβoɾ meh poh-dree-as ser-ver mas kah-feh pore fah-vore
A coffee for here Un café para tomar aquí kaˈfe ˈpaɾa toˈmaɾ aˈki oon kah-feh pah-ra toe-mar ah-key
A coffee to go Un café para llevar kaˈfe ˈpaɾa ʝeˈβaɾ oon kah-feh pah-ra yeh-var
A coffee mug Una taza de café ˈtasa ðe kaˈfe oo-nah tah-za deh kah-feh
A paper cup Un vaso de cartón ˈbaso ðe kaɾˈton oon vah-so deh car-ton
A reusable cup Un vaso reutilizable ˈbaso rewtiliˈsaβle oon vah-so reh-oo-tee-lee-sah-bleh
A straw Un popote / Una paja poˈpote / ˈpaxa po-po-teh / pah-hah
A lid Una tapa ˈtapa tah-pah
A sleeve Una manga ˈmanɡa man-gah
A coffee stirrer Un agitador de café axitaˈðoɾ ðe kaˈfe ah-he-tah-door deh kah-feh

Coffee slang in Spanish

If you’ve spent some time in a Spanish-speaking community, you know that day-to-day conversations seldom sound anything like the dialogues in your textbooks. Spanish slang is ubiquitous all over Spain and Latin America, so you’d be spending your time wisely by learning a few words of coffee slang in Spanish.

English Spanish IPA Pronunciation Description
A red Un tinto ˈtinto teen-toe Black coffee
A marshmallow Un bombón bomˈbon bom-bon Half espresso half condensed milk
A cut Un cortado koɾˈtaðo core-tah-doe Espresso with steamed milk
A damn Un carajillo kaɾaˈxiʝo kah-rah-he-yo Iced espresso with Licor 43
A stained milk Leche manchada ˈleʧe manˈʧaða leh-che man-cha-da Warm milk with a touch of coffee

How to order coffee in Spanish

Now, the time you’ve all been waiting for: how to actually order coffee in Spanish. Nowadays, there are a million different ways to order a coffee: with syrup, with foam, with a caramel swirl, with an extra shot, with milk, with soy milk, with oat milk, with no milk–you name it! The possibilities are endless.

Regardless, we’ve included some of the most popular ways to order coffee in Spanish in the table below. While this may not encompass the entire range and versatility of this wonderful java drink, it’s certainly a start.

How to order coffee in Spanish.

English Spanish IPA Pronunciation
Black Negro ˈneɣɾo neh-goh
With milk Con leche kon ˈleʧe con leh-che
With almond milk Con leche de almendras kon ˈleʧe ðe alˈmendɾas con leh-che deh al-men-drass
With soy milk Con leche de soya kon ˈleʧe ðe ˈsoʝa con leh-che deh so-ya
With oat milk Con leche de avena kon ˈleʧe ðe aˈβena con le-che deh ah-veh-na
Without milk Sin leche sin ˈleʧe seen leh-che
With sugar Con azúcar kon aˈsukaɾ con ah-zoo-car
With milk and sugar Con leche y azúcar kon ˈleʧe j aˈsukaɾ con leh-che e ah-zoo-car
With an extra shot Con un shot de espresso adicional kon un ˈsot ðe esˈpɾesso aðisjoˈnal con oon shot deh ehs-preh-so ah-dee-see-oh-nal
Decaf Descafeinado deskafejˈnaðo des-cah-feh-e-nah-doe
Iced Helado eˈlaðo eh-la-doe
Frappé Frapeado fɾapeˈaðo frah-peh-ah-doe
On the rocks En las rocas en laz ˈrokas ehn las ro-cass
With foam Con espuma kon esˈpuma con ehs-poo-ma
With cinnamon Con canela kon kaˈnela con cah-neh-la
With simple syrup Con jarabe natural kon xaˈɾaβe natuˈɾal con hah-rah-beh nah-too-ral
With vanilla syrup Con jarabe de vainilla kon xaˈɾaβe ðe βajˈniʝa con hah-rah-beh deh vah-e-nee-ya
With caramel syrup Con jarabe de caramelo kon xaˈɾaβe ðe kaɾaˈmelo con hah-rah-beh deh ca-ra-meh-lo
With a caramel swirl Con espiral de caramelo kon espiˈɾal de kaɾaˈmelo con ehs-pee-ral deh cah-rah-meh-lo
With whipped cream Con crema batida kon ˈkɾema βaˈtiða con creh-ma bah-tee-dah

Coffee order example sentences

If you feel like you need a little more guidance on how to place your very first coffee order in Spanish, we’ve got you covered. If you find this section helpful, you may also want to check out our blog on how to order food in Spanish.

English Spanish IPA Pronunciation
Hello, I would like a black coffee, please. Hola, quisiera un café negro, por favor. ˈola | kiˈsjeɾa wn kaˈfe ˈneɣɾo | poɾ faˈβoɾ oh-la, key-see-air-ah oon cah-feh neh-gro, pore fah-vore
May I order a cappuccino with sugar, please? ¿Te puedo pedir un capuccino con azúcar, por favor? te ˈpweðo peˈðiɾ un kapukˈsino kon aˈsukaɾ | poɾ faˈβoɾ teh poo-eh-doe peh-deer oon cah-poo-chee-no con ah-zoo-car, pore fah-vore
I would like an iced macchiato with a caramel swirl and whipped cream, please. Quiero un macchiato helado con espiral de caramelo y crema batida, por favor. ˈkjeɾo wm makˈʧjato eˈlaðo kon espiˈɾal de kaɾaˈmelo j ˈkɾema βaˈtiða | poɾ faˈβoɾ key-air-oh oon mah-key-ah-toe eh-la-doe con ehs-pee-ral deh cah-rah-meh-lo e creh-mah bah-tee-da, pore fah-vore
Do you serve frappés? ¿Tienes frapés? ˈtjenes fɾaˈpes tee-eh-nes frah-pehs
An iced americano on the rocks with vanilla syrup, please. Un americano en las rocas con jarabe de vainilla, por favor. un ameɾiˈkano en laz ˈrokas kon xaˈɾaβe ðe βajˈniʝa | poɾ faˈβoɾ oon ah-meh-ree-cah-noe ehn las ro-cas con hah-rah-beh deh vah-e-nee-ya, pore fah-vore
A decaf iced latte, please. Un latte helado descafeinado, por favor. un ˈlatte eˈlaðo ðeskafejˈnaðo | poɾ faˈβoɾ oon lah-teh eh-la-doe des-cah-feh-e-na-doe, pore fah-vore

Coffee regions in Colombia

As you probably already know, Colombia is a coffee powerhouse. As the world’s third-largest producer of coffee beans, you can bet that coffee is a big deal in Colombia.

Whether you want to visit or simply want to make a more informed decision when you buy your next bag of coffee beans, you’ll want to be familiar with the coffee regions in Colombia.

An overwhelming majority of the coffee production is centered within the eje cafetero, also known as the “coffee triangle.” This region encompasses the following departments:

  • Caldas
  • Risaralda
  • Quindío
  • Tolima
  • Antioquia
  • Valle del Cauca

So, if your coffee comes from any of the places above, you’ll almost certainly guaranteed a phenomenal cup.

Coffee plantation in Columbia.

What’s the best place to visit in Colombia for coffee?

Any of the departments (Colombia’s equivalent of states) in the coffee triangle are the best places to visit for coffee. If you’re looking to plan a trip that is exclusively centered around coffee, then you’ll surely want to visit the town of Salento in Quindío.

If you want a more touristy destination with plenty of things to do while still having a strong coffee scene, then you’ll want to visit Medellín. Though Medellín itself isn’t technically in the coffee triangle, its department–Antioquia–is. This means that you’ll be able to make a short trip into the heart of the coffee triangle to find the best beans in Colombia while still enjoying some of the best of one of Colombia’s most popular destinations.

Are there coffee fields in Bogota?

Although Bogota isn’t located in the coffee triangle, there are some spectacular coffee fields nearby. So, if you’re only visiting Bogota for work or can’t otherwise travel directly to the coffee triangle, rest assured that you’ll be able to visit a coffee field that is worth your while.

Coffee regions in other Spanish-speaking countries

Beyond Colombia, though, there are many other coffee powerhouses in Latin America. As mentioned in the introduction of this article, half of the world’s ten largest producers of coffee beans are located in Latin America.

Here is some more information about the coffee regions in other Spanish-speaking countries:

  • Mexico. Mexico is the 9th largest coffee producer in the world. Almost half of all coffee beans in Mexico are produced in the southern state of Chiapas, with the Eastern state of Veracruz a close second. Together, they produce about ⅔ of all of Mexico’s coffee.
  • Guatemala. While not in the top ten of coffee exporters, Guatemala is still an important coffee producer. And coffee is extremely important to Guatemala’s economy, as it’s the second-largest export of the country, standing at 8.2% of all exports.
  • Nicaragua. Like Guatemala, Nicaragua’s economy consists–in large part–of coffee exports. Just under 10% of Nicaragua’s exports are coffee beans, so if you visit Nicaragua, make sure to bring some fresh beans home!
  • Honduras. Honduras is a relatively small country, and yet is the 6th-largest coffee exporter in the world. Honduras specializes in producing Arabica coffee beans, which are generally considered superior to Robusta beans.
  • Peru. Peru is the 10th largest coffee bean exporter and–fittingly–has 10 coffee regions. The coffee beans from each region have their own flavor profiles, giving you a wide variety of Peruvian coffees to taste. Fancy a flight of coffee, anyone?

Make yourself a cuppa and keep it going

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just make yourself a nice cup of coffee and focus on the task ahead. If you’re learning Spanish, we salute you! You’re doing a wonderful job so far, and we don’t blame you for wanting to figure out how to get yourself a cup of coffee in Spanish as soon as possible.

While you’re at it, why not treat a new friend to a cup of coffee? After all, making friends is one of the fastest ways to become fluent in Spanish. It’s a win-win situation: you make new friends, and you learn Spanish!

For more awesome study tips and helpful vocabulary guides like this one, make sure to check out our Spanish blog. We publish new guides all the time, helping you push your Spanish knowledge juuust a bit further. And all of our guides are always free, so make sure to bookmark this page!

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