Coffees in general.

[Thipu1]

The thread asking for Australian coffee help brought this to mind.

What constitutes a 'regular' coffee varies greatly from region to region, even in the USA.  In some places, a regular coffee contains both milk and sugar.  In others, a regular coffee is black.  When we're eating out we always order our coffee as, 'black, no sugar'.

When we were in Rome and wanted a plain, black coffee we always ordered an Americano. 

What's a regular coffee where you live?

[Giggity]

If I order coffee in Houston, it comes black. Anything else, you gotta specify.

[kckgirl]

If I order coffee in Houston, it comes black. Anything else, you gotta specify.

That's the way it is here in Maryland. You order it the way you want it...cream & sugar, etc. It doesn't have a name for a type.

[marcel]

regular coffee is drip coffee in The Netherlands.

regular says nothing about milk or sugar

[Outdoor Girl]

At Tim Horton's in my area, a regular is one cream, one sugar.

[buvezdevin]

This was a topic of discussion at a Thanksgiving dinner in Florida, with several folks originally from Rhode Island.  One former Rhode Islander was describing his initial consternation at ordering a "regular" coffee in Florida and the confusing (to him) conversation that ensued.

He was used to ordering a "regular coffee" and getting a coffee with cream and sugar.  When the coffee counter person in Florida gave him a black coffee without sugar, he thought he had someone else's order.

Him "oh, I ordered a regular coffee."
Counter:  "right, this is yours."
Him:  "um, it's black"
Counter:  "right"
Him: "I wanted a regular."
Counter:  "right"
Him:  "could I have cream and sugar?"
Counter:  "sure, here you go"

I think both parties left the conversation confused, based on what "regular coffee" meant to them.

[BabylonSister]

In my corner of the Midwest, a regular coffee is brewed coffee, black and unsweetened.


In France, a regular coffee is an espresso (and to set everybody's teeth on edge: it's called "expresso" over there.) I don't think I have ever seen brewed coffee in a café or restaurant.

[mrs_deb]

I know I've mentioned before that here in NH a "large regular" at Dunkin' Donuts is a large coffee with 4 pumps of cream and 4 spoons of sugar.  Mr_Deb was VERY confused in Maryland when he asked for a large regular and got a black coffee. 

I've only been to Starbucks once, with my sister, and she ordered my coffee for me so I'm not really familiar with the vente/tall/half-caf/skinny/no foam stuff people always joke about.

We visited Australia recently and were befuddled by the menu board at the coffee stand in the Sydney airport.  Short Black - Flat White - Americano - Ristretto?  I had no idea, it was 6am and we'd just flown for 20 hours...I just wanted a coffee with cream!  The barista took pity on me and suggested a flat white; it was awesome, and we confidently asked for flat whites the entire visit. 

[Avi]

I am Australian.

You dont really see drip coffee much in resturants here (at least where I am). McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts and a few places along those lines have drip machines.

We dont have Starbucks in my state at all. We do have Gloria Jeans which is kind of similar I think.

A normal coffee that I make at home is instant granuals and I take it with sugar and milk. Aussies dont tend to use creamer. I do have a coffee press which I use sometimes on the weekend.

Every morning on the way into work I stop at a cafe and get a large Cappuchino with skim milk. This is ordered as a Large Skinny Cap, with 2 sugars.

Most of the time if you buy a coffee at a coffee shop, resturant, or cafe it will be an espresso and you would order a Cappuchino, flat white, short black etc.

[MariaE]

regular coffee is drip coffee in The Netherlands.

regular says nothing about milk or sugar

Same goes for Denmark.

However, if you don't specify, it is assumed you want it black.

[Ereine]

Finland seems similar to Denmark or Netherlands, regular coffee is drip coffee. Usually at cafes there's a carafe out with milk (or cream) and sugar nearby and you pour it yourself the way you want. I don't drink coffee so I'm not sure but I can't really remember any cafes (apart from fast food places probably, but I've never been in them with someone who had coffee) where  you order coffee and it's given to you, unless it's espresso or something. I think that they'll ask if they should leave room for milk, at least they tend to do in restaurants but the default is just plain coffee. Finns are among biggest coffee drinkers in the world but I think that coffee here is supposed to weaker than in some other places, though in recent years people have become more interested in the quality of it.

[cicero]

it is funny actually when you go from one place to another (even within the US, for example) and you have to specify what you mean. (I seem to recall a thread from a few years ago about "what consitutes a hamburger where you live" where in some places you have to ask for the cheese and in some place it is the default order).

anyway, in israel - you don't just order "coffee", you have to specify:
"hafuch" (=means "upsided down") is what is called latte in the US - espresso, hot milk, foam.
Espresso = espresso. can come in different strengths like in europe.
these two things are what people usually order.
sugar, sweetener, or syrup (sugar water) are brought to the table.

Black coffee - usually means Turkish coffee - very strong, coarse coffee which is normally drunk without milk. traditionally boiled in a tiny pot but nowadays people just put the powder in a cup, add boiling water, and wait till the water settles. there is a thick layer of coffee grounds left at the end - hence the name "mud" ("botz" in hebrew) for this type of coffee.

Instant coffee - i think most people drink with milk. in homes/offices - it is usually instant/freeze dried, but more and more people are buying espresso machines or french presses

[Kikki]

regular coffee is drip coffee in The Netherlands.

regular says nothing about milk or sugar

Same goes for Denmark.

However, if you don't specify, it is assumed you want it black.

This goes for Sweden as well.
In many places you pour your own coffee if you just want a regular drip kind of coffee and there's a jug of milk/cream and different kinds of sugars (white, brown, sweetener) placed beside it.
If the barista pours the coffee they often ask if you want milk in it and if you say yes they don't fill the cup all the way up with coffee. You still have to pour the milk yourself.

[veryfluffy]

I don't think there is such a thing as "regular" coffee here (UK). I would have said that the term "regular" might have referred to the size, if there was a choice between regular and large. Back before the ubiquity of espresso machines, coffee (usually filter, but possibly instant) would either just come black and you would put in your own milk and sugar, or you might possibly in some places (particularly if they sold instant) order a "black coffee" or a "white coffee".

(Note that in the UK, you almost always use milk as a whitener, never cream.)

[mmswm]

It can vary between neighborhoods here, as this is an immigrant rich town, at least in the locally owned "mom and pop"  kind of places. 

In the national chain type places "coffee" is drip coffee served black with creamers and sugars provided for you to add according to your own taste.

There are, however, a large number of "Coffee Counters", which are small places that really consist of nothing more than a counter and enough space in the back to brew Cuban Coffees, a press to toast Cuban bread and display a few pre-made Cuban/South American type pastries.  A "Coffee" there, would likely be a Cafe Colada, which is similar to espresso, but brewed slightly differently. Also, as coffee drinking in the Cuban tradition is very much a social event, a Colada is served in a rather large cup and the customer is provided with "shot cups" with which to share.  If you want just a single shot, you really need to ask for a Cafe Cubano, or cafecito.  Since these coffees are very sweet and very strong, many people prefer cafe con leches instead.  This drink is most similar to a latte, except made with Cuban style espresso instead of the traditional European style.

If you're a serious caffeine addict like myself, you order a colada, ditch the shot cups, and drink the whole dang thing yourself.