International coffee drinks come in many flavors. Depending where you happen to travel, your java may contain ice cream, whipped cream, milk, whiskey, lemon or even black pepper. Find out what to fill your cup with in these eight countries.

United States – Caffe Americano

If you’re looking for a brew-coffee sized drink from an espresso bar, order a Caffe Americano. A combo of hot water and espresso, the Americano is similar in strength to regular drip coffee but has a different flavor. The strength depends on how many shots of espresso and how much water you add.

An Americano generally combines a single or double shot of espresso with 1 to 16 ounces of hot water. Some espresso machines have a separate hot water spout, while others dispense hot water with a steam wand.

Italy – Caffe macchiato

Searching for a beautiful cup of coffee? Caffe macchiato is truly bello. In Italian, macchiato means “stained” or “spotted.” It’s an espresso coffee drink with a splash of milk that makes a lovely leaf-like design in the cup.

Israel – Kafe Turki

Israelis love their coffee, whether lingering over a cup with friends at a café or chatting on a cell phone while sipping. They prepare their hot caffeine beverage in two different ways: either a cooked version called kafe Turki or an uncooked version called kafe botz (or “mud coffee”). Cardamom spices up both versions.

Kafe Turki is drunk piping hot and often served with a glass of cold water to freshen the palate.

Kafe botz begins with about a teaspoon of Turkish coffee and sugar in a glass or mug, topped by boiling water and maybe a few drops of milk.

Spain – Cafe con miel

Spaniards prefer their coffee drinks sweet. For instance, cafe con miel (“coffee with honey”) marries espresso with honey, steamed milk and cinnamon. It’s a popular after-dinner drink that doubles as a light dessert.

Germany – Eiskaffee

Germans add a cool touch to their instant coffee: ice cream, whipped cream, and possibly a sprinkle of cocoa or chocolate chips. No surprise that their eiskaffee (ice coffee) is often served in ice-cream parlors. Who could resist such a treat?

Traditionally, the coffee was made with one shot of espresso, and a small amount of added milk created the stain. Later, foamed milk was put on top to show the beverage contained milk.

Austria – Kaffee mit Schlag

As the name promises, Kaffee mit Schlag is coffee topped with luscious whipped cream. Coffeehouses and Vienna go together like, well, coffee and whipped cream. Who knows how many creative ideas are born over a cup of brew? As the late Czechoslovakian writer and journalist Egon Erwin Kisch declared, “The coffeehouse might be described as the home that one does not have to have because one has the coffeehouse.”

Vietnam – Ca phe da

One of the world’s largest coffee exporters, Vietnam splashes java with sweetened condensed milk and ice. Ca phe da (“iced coffee”) is a traditional Vietnamese recipe.

Ca phe da features coarsely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee. Drinks are individually brewed with a small French drip filter containing sweetened condensed milk stirred and poured over ice.

Senegal – Cafe Touba

Like your coffee hot – and sweet? In Senegal it’s made with a healthy dose of African black pepper plus lots of sugar. As added perks, the cafe Touba is said to have both stomach-settling and aphrodisiac qualities.

[Published on From The  Grapevine, September 11, 2014]