The Portuguese goes to his regular café several times a day to exchange news and of course to have a coffee.
The “normal” coffee is a Portuguese-style espresso. It is softer in flavor and is often referred to as bica, which actually means drain. Here it comes from
Beba Isto Com Açúcar (Drink it with sugar).
This goes back to the beginnings of the drink in Lisbon’s old town quarter Chiado. There, people did not like the bitter taste of the unknown coffee. The owner of the Café A Brasileira had the idea to offer it with sugar. This became so successful that the term Bica is still used today.
If nothing is said as “uma bica faz favor” (a bica please), the cup is half full and the coffee is very strong. If a café cheio (full cup) is ordered, the cup is completely filled up and the coffee watered down accordingly.
pingo (Bica with a milk dash)
meia de leite (half cup of milk)
Galão
A Galão is a Bica with hot milk and a topping of milk foam.
Tip: Coffee tastes best where Portuguese drink it. There, a Bica will cost 60 to 70 cents. In some tourist centers, the coffee is much more expensive, but not so tasty.
Of course, in many places there are also the internationally known coffee specialties such as Cappuccino or Latte Macchiato. There are also imported coffees and pads and capsules in the diverse supermarkets and malls.