[Photo from visitlisboa.com]

"Uma bica, se faz favor" (an expresso, please) is a phrase you hear all the time in the city's cafes and bakeries. This is just one of many different ways to order a coffee in Lisboa. A quick and almost automatic request that Lisboetas utter any time of day or night. That is anything but simple, depending on what type of coffee is served and how it is served.

Drunk in almost a single shot over the counter, or more casually at a table al fresco, but always of good quality and strong, coffee is the "fuel" of Lisboetas, who regard it as a veritable institution in their everyday habits.

Considered an essential start to the day, Lisboetas drink their coffee in the morning, after meals, sometimes in the afternoon or before a night out, to give themselves the energy to endure the intense pace of Lisboa's nightlife until dawn. There is always an excuse to drink coffee. It is also often the pretext for a meeting between friends, as a companion of social meetings at the terraces of "A Brasileira", in Chiado, Pastelaria Suiça in Rossio, Martinho da Arcada, in Terreiro do Paço and Pastelaria Mexicana, in Guerra Junqueiro, just to name a few of Lisboa's best known and most frequented cafés.

Follow the example of a true Lisboeta and learn the different forms of this ritual. It all starts with the cup: "fria" (cold) or "escaldada" (piping hot). You can then order a "bica", a small cup of strong black coffee, and this may also be served "cheia" (full) or "curta"(short). A "café cheio" is a "bica", but with a fuller cup. Alternatively the "curto" or "Italiana" coffee is even stronger than the "bica", the real coffee "shot". For those not accustomed to pure coffee there are many other options: the "galão", the so called latte that is usually drunk at breakfast or with a mid afternoon snack, and is normally served in a glass. The "meia de leite" is similar but served in a cup. There is also the "garoto", a small coffee with milk foam added, and "pingado" which is served with a drop of cold milk. Similarly the "Carioca" is a weaker coffee, since it is the liquid that is left in the machine after the first coffee has been served.

There is still the "café com cheirinho" (literally coffee with scent), and "cheirinho" means that a touch of brandy has been added, and can be drunk as a digestif.

For those who love their coffee long and strong, there is also the "duplo", which is two coffees in a larger cup than the "bica", and the famous "abatanado" in which a single dose of coffee is served in a larger cup. You may also soften the taste of the coffee by adding water.

Usually drunk hot, even on summer days, you needn't miss out on the pleasure of this drink. You can enjoy it in the middle of the afternoon as an iced coffee, made with fresh water, a slice of lemon, and a few ice cubes, in the shade of one of the city's kiosks. Try it and find out which way you prefer to drink your coffee in Lisboa. After so much choice you can also decide whether to drink it on its own or accompanied by a slice of toast, or a delicacy from the delicious Portuguese pastries, such as the famous "pastel de nata".