It is called Asian coffee, but it is actually an all-Spanish way of brewing coffee. More precisely, it is in the municipality of Cartagena, in the Murcia region, that Asian coffee was born and is served.

Asian coffee preparation

Its preparation is very simple, so much so that it can also be replicated in Italian bars and kitchens:

In a cone-shaped glass cup, condensed milk is poured first in an amount equal to one-third of the entire drink.

Cognac and Licor 43 are added in an amount equal to one-sixth of the entire drink or in the amount you like best. The recipe has evolved over time, and some prefer to add brandy in place of cognac and Licor 43. By the way, according to some versions, the origin of Asian coffee seems to be the alcohol originally used.

A cup of creamy espresso coffee is poured in an amount equal to one-third of the entire drink.

Finally, it is topped with milk foam, cinnamon powder or sticks, lemon zest, and two or three roasted coffee beans for garnish.

It is served with or without a straw.

As for its taste, there are those who prefer to previously mix all the ingredients, including the lemon zest, to form a unique mixture with an unmistakable flavor. Or there are those who like to sip, with the help of a straw, the ingredients, leaving them well separated and starting from the bottom up. It comes down to personal taste.

The gastronomic symbol of Cartagena

Asian coffee is, for all intents and purposes, an iconic product of the municipality of Cartagena; so much so that the typical breakfast in the area consists of Asian coffee, wheat bread, crostone and ham.

As for the origins of Asian coffee, there are two diametrically opposed legendary stories:

• according to some, the origin of this particular preparation originated in the bars of the Calle Mayor port area, as Asian merchants arriving there ordered coffee with the addition of condensed milk and brandy;
• according to others, the drink was invented by Spaniard Pedro Conesa Ortega in his own establishment, Bar Pedron, located in a hamlet of Cartagena called El Abujiòn.

It seems, again according to legend, that it was because of the coffee machine that Asian coffee was born. Ortega's wife-once she ascertained that the now worn-out machine, which is not at all destined to be replaced, was returning coffees with the bitter taste typical of coffee grounds-suggested adding condensed milk and liqueur to camouflage the bitter and unpleasant taste.

What is the true origin of Asian coffee? This is not easy to determine. It is certainly worth trying because it is a beverage made of ingredients that go perfectly together, including lemon zest.

Italians also use lemon in their coffee, and more than a little zest:

• Both for matters of taste, as we have seen in the 30 + 2 coffees that Italians order at the bar, among which there is a version that adds a delicious lemon cream to the classic espresso, not at all at odds in flavor with the black drink.
• Both for health issues, as in coffee with lemon, a panacea for health thanks to its many benefits.