I will be travelling to Paris in June, and as I love my coffee, was excited to be able to experience ordering a cafe au lait in a Parisian cafe! Well last week I met a couple from Paris (born and bred) and they both looked at me very strangely when I mentioned the words %26quot;cafe au lait%26quot;. They said they had never heard of coffee being ordered that way and that you just ask for cafe, then add cream if you want it. Is this true or are they just out of touch?
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L%26#39;ve been ordering %26quot;cafe au lait%26quot; in Paris for more years than I%26#39;d care to admit.
Perhaps your friends are more familiar with the term %26quot;cafe creme%26quot; or more specifically %26quot;un grand creme%26quot; which is what I usually ask for.
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Here%26#39;s the deal at the bar next door to our apt::
---Café - Also known as an %26quot;express%26quot;, a single shot of French roast espresso.
---Café allongé (sp) (pronounced all-on-jay) - more like a Starbucks %26quot;Americano%26quot;. One part espresso to 2 parts hot water.
___Café Noisette - a single shot of French roast espresso with either a small pitcher of hot milk on the side or a larger cup of espresso and milk already mixed.
___Café Creme (cah-feh-krem), a single shot of French roast espresso in a small cup filled with steamed milk (un petit creme), or a larger cup with more milk (un grand creme).
---Un double carmel machiato, extra hot - will get you a blank stare and immediately demand your best French language skills :-}.
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A café crème is the usual term. We in Montréal use %26quot;café au lait%26quot; to describe a bowl of strong coffe mixed with lots of warm milk (that is what is drunk with breakfast). What you guys in the States call a %26quot;latte%26quot; at Starbucks
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Cafe au Lait is more commonly used in the South of France.
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Thank you all. I feel confident I will be able to order my coffee now!
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When i hear café au lait i imagine a large bowl of coffee with a lot of hot milk, that people drink at thome for breakfast
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I noticed the last time I was in Paris (last month!) that when I ordered a Cafe Creme, the waiter called back %26quot;cafe au lait%26quot;! So, next time I just ordered a Cafe au lait and that waiter called back %26quot;cafe creme%26quot;. I just couldn%26#39;t win that day...
They%26#39;ll know what you mean if you order cafe au lait.
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RedSavage, I have had the same experience, going back and forth between cafe au lait and un creme or un grand creme. The same with ordering a beer -- un demi or un pint or whatever. No matter how I order it, the waiter usually corrects me.
I mentioned this to someone who used to live in Paris, and he said he would order something one way, and the waiter would correct him. So the next time, he ordered it the other way, and the same waiter corrected him back to the original! Go figure...
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You may find this thread interesting to read:
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187147-i14-k53430…
Anyway, café au lait is truly a breakfast beverage. Ways too heavy after a meal.
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