Coffee culture is a staple in Tenerife. It’s important to know what to expect when ordering.
Canarian coffee is known for its smooth, balanced flavor and medium body. It has a distinct nutty, chocolatey flavor with hints of caramel and fruit. The coffee is generally medium-roasted, which helps to bring out the subtle flavors and aromas of the beans.
On the island of Tenerife, in La Matanza de Acentejo, Finca Sanssouci has the distinction of being the northernmost coffee grown in the world. Because of the island’s isolated location and lack of pests, this coffee is grown without any pesticides or fungicides.
Which Coffee to Order?
Cortado
Correctly know as the ‘cortadito’ , it consists of a shot of espresso with a dash of hot milk. It comes in a small coffee cup or glass with a saucer.
Cortado Largo
A cortado served with extra milk. The cortado largo is served in a tall glass to differentiate it from the café con leche.
Café Solo
Order a ‘cafĂ©’ in a Canarian bar and you get you a cafĂ© solo. The solo is strong and may disagree with your stomach.
Café con Leche
Café con leche is served in a white cup and saucer often with excess of sugar. Often frothy and rarely made with anything other than full-fat milk.
Cappuccino
This is as fancy as coffee gets in Tenerife. Cappuccino is just a café con leche with chocolate powder on top.
Leche y Leche
A cortado or cortado largo served in a tall glass with a hefty dollop of condensed milk at the bottom. The leche leche always comes with oft-unused sachets of sugar.
Barraquito
Barraquito is a sweet coffee – very popular in Tenerife. In the north of the island, it is also known as zaperoco or saperoco.
The Barraquito is layered by density of ingredients, bottom to top: Condensed milk, Licor 43, espresso and foamed milk. It´s served in a medium or tall glass , and is decorated with ground cinnamon and lemon or lime peel.
Descafeinado
The descafeinado comes, unless you specify otherwise, as a cup of hot milk with an instant sachet on the side.