Coffee in Paris
You don’t need to watch a romantic French movie to know that Paris and coffee are inseparable lovers. Albert-Louis Van Houtte, after all, is from France and it was his need for quality French foods and coffee that led him to open up a store in Montreal, Quebec. Montreal loved his French-influenced ‘French’ roast blend and it quickly became a staple coffee for many.
I was in Paris a while back, but I can still smell the aromas of the freshly roasted coffee. Coffee in Paris was typically darker and bolder in taste, which made the smell strong and inviting. They would roast their beans to be oilier, which leads to the darker taste. I typically drink my coffee black, but I like a lighter roast, hence my Coffee Profile; Velvety & Fruity. So I added a little bit of sugar to my coffee in Paris. I was on vacation, so it’s acceptable right?
I would wake up early in the morning and head down the street from my hotel to a nearby brasserie. The coffee in the hotel just didn’t give justice to the romantic notion of ‘coffee in Paris’. A brasserie is French for a bar or a coffeehouse and they always served freshly brewed coffee. Some of the brasseries in Paris are just gorgeous and really add to the romance of ooffee in Paris. If not for coffee, go for the beauty and charm of the cafés themselves. The small brasseries would also typically smell of sweet dessert and fresh coffee. I would never want to leave.
Getting any of the ‘American style’ coffee beverage was nearly impossible. I would never dare asking for an ‘extra coffee caramel blended beverage’, but that was fine, I’m not a fan of them anyway. Even though most would order and enjoy their “café” standing, I would still order mine to sit with, despite the extra cost. I just liked watching the people rush in, order, slip back and leave.
Sitting outside on the terrasse, I would often hear the orders being taken in French. The popular orders were “à l'express” (espresso), “un café” (which was dark and prepared like an espresso, but with more water), “un café au lait” (coffee and steamed milk), “café crème” (cream and coffee in a big bowl mug) and “café Américain” (brewed coffee as we know it here). Everything was darker and bitterer than you’d expect. In Paris they like to enjoy the tastes of coffee itself.
Different from coffee in Rome, coffee in Paris has an equal charm that is dreamed by coffee lovers all over the world. Sitting on the old pavé street sipping on a café in Paris tastes is like a dream, or a French romantic movie, where I’m the lead actor.
