I never really smelled the coffee!

An experience of coffee drinking on both sides of the pond

About 2/3 of French people drink coffee everyday. Over the age of 50, this ratio is close to 90%!

Well, I wasn’t the exception to the rule, that’s for sure. I started drinking coffee when I was 10. It wasn’t pure coffee but a beverage called Ricoré, a very flavorful mix of coffee and chicory. I may write about it another time.

At 14, as a student in a boarding school, I started to drink “real” coffee and quickly became an addict.

The way you drink coffee in France depends on the time of the day.

At breakfast, people usually have a big bowl of coffee, either black or with a little bit of cream/milk. We called the latter a “café au lait”.

This type of coffee is made by a classic drip coffee machine.

To the best of my knowledge, the use of a “French press” is not very common in France…

Now, when people are not home but at a bar, they will order a “grand café”, a coffee in a large cup (still less than 6 oz).

As a side note, I never drunk my coffee in a mug until I visited the States. It was either a bowl or a cup.

After lunch the French have what they simply call a “café”, usually in a small cup (called “tasse”), about 2 or 3 oz.

Then a lot of people have another coffee in the afternoon, or after dinner.

In bars, coffee is made by an espresso machine, with different calibrations, to produce either a long or a short beverage.

First experience in the US!

When I first visited the US, decades ago, I ended up in the DC area.

As I was walking by the Lincoln Memorial after lunch, I felt like having a cup of coffee. I was looking left and right, but had no idea where to get one. No bars in sight!

Then, as if by magic, I spotted a trailer on the side of the park, with the sign “Coffee” written on it. What a relief!

The lady asked me if I wanted a small or a large coffee.

Feeling the jet lag pretty bad, I opted for a large one. With a big smile she handed me a Styrofoam cup containing at least 24 oz of a boiling dark beverage!

I burnt my tongue, and really disliked the taste of this potion. It was as far from coffee as my Citroen 2CV was from a Buick Skylark!

I figured that the nice lady misunderstood my request (accent and all). A coffee couldn’t be possibly that big and that bad!

The following days proved me wrong. Finding a decent cup of coffee, at least in this area (the capital of the country!), was close to mission impossible.

But it wasn’t only DC. It was everywhere!

I actually had a near-death experience after drinking the worst possible coffee on earth. I am sure you know what I am taking about: the gas station coffee.

A black beverage that has been cooking for hours and looks and smells like molasses.

It amazes me that this type of coffee still is around today (and still smells terrible) .

In France, gas stations have vending machines that offer a large range of very decent coffee.

How difficult would it be to have the same machines in US gas stations?

A very special kind of “café”!

When I was in my twenties, I went on a trip to Ireland with two friends of mine. At that time there was no ferry from Brittany (where I lived) to Ireland.

We hoped on the Citroen 2CV and headed for Le Havre, Normandy to catch a boat to Cork, Ireland.

On our first night in Normandy, being on a shoestring budget (and young), we decided to sleep in the car.

In the morning, we were craving for a large and strong coffee!

We went to the nearest bar ( no problem to find one here) and ordered our coffees. We found out that they had a very specific flavor that I had never experienced before. Very tasty!

The coffee was so good that we ordered another round (pun intended). We also felt very relaxed and ready for the day!

When the waitress brought our cups, I asked her about the very particular flavor.

She looked at me like I was from another planet (I guess I was), and what she told then me is stuck in my memory. She said only one word: Calvados!

My friends and I looked at each others and burst out laughing. Calvados is a spirit, akin to cognac or whiskey!

The waitress then added that if we wanted a non spiked coffee we should have mentioned it. By default, the early morning coffee at this place is always…spiked!

Calvados ( better known as “Calva” in France”) is an apple brandy. It is to Normandy what cheesesteak is to Philly!

If you haven’t tried Calva, I highly recommend it. It’s priced like a regular whiskey, even cheaper. Available at places like Total Wine.

A few years later, a physician, native of Normandy, told me that in the old days, mothers used to add a little bit of Calva in the baby’s bottle. The purpose was to boost their child’s immunity and health!

Next time you feel under the weather, you know what to do!

Has the coffee experience improved?

A long time ago, I was flying some domestic company in the US along with an old (French) friend of mine. We both asked the flight attendant for a cup of coffee. It tasted awful.

As the attendant was picking up the cups, my friend told her: “I don’t understand. You guys sent people to the moon, but still can’t make a decent cup of coffee!” The joke was lost on her.

Has the situation improved?

Well, it’s without a doubt easier to find decent coffee in the US these days.

Yet, the only option, most of the time, is Starbucks, which in my opinion doesn’t make great coffee.

Moreover, I don't care for their lattes, frappuccinos, macchiatos and other snobby specialties, let alone their overall atmosphere.

Some independent coffee shops can brew a good cup of joe, but there aren’t that many around anyway.

There is still some work to do….

What about you. What’s you own coffee experience?