Which coffee is the most famous in Vienna, Austria? What does Wiener Melange mean?

In the article published yesterday, a friend left a message in the comments section about a drink also related to Vienna, called Melanie Coffee, or Melange in English. No matter which name sounds strange, it immediately attracted the attention of Qianjie. Such being the case, it is better to choose a day than to hit the next day. Today's topic is up to you.

What is Merancy Coffee?

Melanie, transliterated from Melange, is a French word meaning "mix". Because this cup of coffee is mainly popular in Vienna, it is also known as Wiener Melange, or "Viennese blended coffee", which emphasizes the perfect fusion of Italian concentrate, hot milk and thick milk bubbles. PS: another classic drink, Viennese Coffee Viennese Coffee, is mainly creamy. )

Qianjie can't find much about the origin of Melange online, but what is certain is that its history is inseparable from the traditional culture of the Vienna Caf é.

Wenn ich nicht im Caf é Central bin, bin ich am Weg dorthin.

If I'm not at the Central Cafe, I'm on my way there.

Before World War I, there were nearly 600 cafes in Vienna. Many Austrian scholars like to gather here to drink coffee to exchange ideas, write, conceive or appreciate art. The coffee culture of Vienna (Wiener Kaffeehauskultur) reached its peak at that time and formed a unique tradition that continues to this day. Melange was born at this time.

As a famous cultural old city in Europe, the cafes in Vienna not only have a long history and large scale, but also are full of antique, elegant music, retro decoration, traditional coffee and desserts, creating a unique humanistic feelings and romantic style. Vienna coffee culture is Austria's proudest gold-lettered signboard, and the most common local milk coffee is Melange, which is a classic product that can appear in time-honored brands anytime and anywhere.

The difference between Melange and Cappuccino

When it comes to being famous all over the world, Melange is a passerby compared to the "big star" of cappuccino. In Europe, you can have a cappuccino in any cafe, but if you are in a country other than Austria and tell the barista that you want to order a Melange, the other person may look confused because he has never heard of it.

But if we only look at the combination elements, Qianjie thinks that Melange is actually no different from the cappuccino we come into contact with every day, and it looks like a cup of hot milk coffee with a small portion and rich taste.

In fact, the practice is very similar, the most popular version is to use a slightly larger ceramic cup, and then a single concentrated and steamed milk (usually no flower), and leave a white foam on the top, a cup of Viennese Melange is ready.

Through comparison in the front street, it is found that the biggest difference between the two should be in the details of cup volume, concentration, and whether the milk foam is bulging: Melange pursues a sense of balance between coffee and milk, baristas are accustomed to using a single concentrated product, the cup will be one size smaller than Cabo's, 120~180ml has it, the coffee is usually not too full, showing eight to nine points full, and some established cafes will squeeze a lump of cream on the top.

The cappuccino, which we are more familiar with, usually uses a double standard espresso with a 6-ounce coffee cup device and an iconic "drum bag" that is about to spill, and some cafes end up sprinkled with cinnamon or cocoa powder because they pay more attention to the richness and foam in the taste.

Try making a cup of Melange

Qianjie wants to present a more traditional flavor of Melange coffee, so a retro bone porcelain cup is specially found. The coffee beans use the warm sun produced by the store every day, and the recipe follows the classic version above.

The first step is to use 20g coffee powder to extract 40g coffee liquid for 30 seconds, half of which is poured into a cup and set aside.

Then add 100ml milk to the jar, beat the thick foam and keep the temperature at 55-60 ℃. Then mix the milk with the coffee and let the white foam fall in the center and be wrapped in the coffee liquid.

The concentration of the Melange coffee made in this way is closer to that of a hot latte, perhaps because the front street does not add fusion and flower drawing steps to keep the oil more complete. In addition, the thick milk foam makes the first few mouthfuls of coffee very full-bodied, showing a slightly bitter nutty flavor, and after drinking with white foam in the middle, the taste slowly becomes soft, with a lot of sweet milk flavor.

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