Café Bombon

In our journey around the world to find the most delicious and delectable caffeinated beverages we travel from Italy to Spain.

For your consideration and possible approval we present the café bombon.

This drink was born in Valencia, Spain but then gradually migrated throughout the rest of the country and now, it seems the world.

A café bombon is a shot of espresso and then mixed in a ratio of 1:1 with sweetened condensed milk.

Not to be confused with evaporated or powdered milk, condensed milk is in fact cow’s milk which has had some of the water removed and usually sweetened.

It is a very thick and sweet liquid.

Usually it comes in cans and can last for years without refrigeration as long as it remains unopened, it is commonly used in many dessert dishes around the world.

For extra visual flare, this drink is usually served in a glass so that the mixing of the two colours is clearly visible.

The glass is tilted by the server and the milk is added to the hot shot of espresso slowly, on an angle.

The rich nature of the milk and the fat content makes it thicker and heavier than the espresso shot so the milk sinks below the coffee to rest.

This creates two equally sized, contrasting bands of colour.

Usually the drink is stirred and the two liquids are completely mixed before drinking.

It is a strong yet very sweet beverage.

In some establishments it is customary for the drink to be served as a shot in a glass with a side portion of condensed milk so that the customer can mix it themselves.

Apparently it is not unheard of to substitute the condensed milk for Irish cream, or Baileys for an alcoholic alternative.

Completely coincidentally this drink is also very  popular in many parts of Asia such as Thailand and Malaysia, both countries are fans of using condensed milk in both beverages and to sweeten spicy foods such as curries and soups.

The difference is that the café bombon uses an espresso shot and the Asian versions calls for ground coffee in the same ratio 1:1.

In Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore this beverage goes by the name of ‘Kopi Susu Panas’ it has been around for decades and is a very popular street vending beverage from stalls and markets.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACafe_bombon.jpg