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When we think of Spanish coffee we tend to think of a steaming mug of coffee with
rum or other alcohol and topped with whipped cream, but the Spanish influence on
the coffee industry reaches much further than the bar in a ski lodge.

Spanish ships carried coffee plants and seeds to many remote areas of the world
where coffee was not native but soon became central growing hubs. Descendants
of Spanish conquistadors settled in Central and South America where they
created huge plantations for growing Spanish coffee.

Coffee originally came to Spain with Turkish immigrants. Not much, if any, coffee
was actually grown in Spain but they developed a method for roasting that
produces very dark, almost black oily beans that make very strong coffee that is
known as Spanish Roast, or Dark French Roast.

Spanish coffee growers in Latin America accounted for nearly half of all the coffee
exported; however, most Spanish coffee served in Spain comes from Angola and
Mozambique and is roasted dark to bring out the full flavor.

Coffeehouses in Spain are usually elaborate, elegant gathering places with high
ceilings, ornate furniture and waiters in white shirts and black ties. The customers
are appropriately dressed and the atmosphere is somewhat reserved. Spanish
coffee houses are quite different from other regions of the world where a casual,
informal environment would be expected.

Early Arabic coffee traders tended to gouge the Spanish coffee merchants on
pricing and the result was the highest priced cup of coffee in Europe. Portugal,
Spain's neighbor, had colonies in several coffee growing regions in Africa and sold
coffee to Spain at more reasonable prices, however the quality was not as good
and some importers chose to pay the higher prices for the Arabian coffee.

Whether the Spaniards were the first to add alcohol to coffee is unknown, but this
practice is very common in Spanish coffee houses even in the morning hours so it
is possible. The familiar drink on cold afternoons does have its origin in the rich
and elegant coffeehouses of Spain.



' Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

About the Author
Randy works with his son on http://www.ultimate-coffees-info.com
History of Spanish Coffee