Café Bombon traces its roots from Valencia, Spain. And because of its popularity within the locals, it began to earn a name throughout the entire country.
Bombon derives its name from the Spanish term that means “confection.”
Because of its widespread familiarity, Café Bombon is now found in many variations from different parts of Europe, and even different continents.
One Drink, Many Variations
One example of such variation is the Kopi Susu Panas or Gafeh Rorn, translated as hot coffee, found in different parts of Asia including Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Traditionally, Café Bombon is a type of coffee drink that includes espresso mixed with sweetened condensed milk in a one-to-one proportion.
However, the modern versions, especially those found in Asia, utilize ground coffee and sweetened condensed milk, still in a-one-to one ratio.
This is very similar to a Vietnamese-style iced coffee, also made with sweetened condensed. Find our version here, made with tasty cold brew.
The condensed milk is the defining characteristic of the Café Bombon, as this sets it apart from other coffee beverages.
A Feast for the Eyes in Glass
To emphasize the visual appeal of the drink, a glass is used for serving, so the drinker may see the partition between the condensed milk and the coffee, with their two contrasting colors.
The beverage will be then stirred once in awhile, every time the drinker takes a sip. There are some cafes that provide a small pot of the milk separately, for customers who want to add it themselves.
The ingredients that you need to prepare in order to make your own version of Café Bombon include: espresso (the number of shots may vary according to the drinker’s preference) from a home espresso machine, and sweetened condensed milk in equal parts as the espresso.
If you like, you can even ditch the canned stuff and make your own sweetened condensed milk at home, with this recipe.
Once the ingredients are all set, it’s time to blend them together to create the perfect coffee drink.
Make Your Own at Home
To make your own super sippable beverage, here is what you need to do:
First, extract the espresso shots directly into a glass. As mentioned above, glassware is more favored compared to opaque cups for serving, because using glass allows you to see the visual spectacle of this coffee drink – the division between the milk and the coffee.
Next, fill the glass with the sweetened condensed milk carefully, to avoid ruining the layering effect.
The coffee drinker may also opt to perform this procedure in the reverse manner, initially filling the glass with condensed milk and pouring espresso shots on top.
Have you tried this drink in a cafe, or made it yourself at home? Which layer do you like to pour first? Tell us in the comments!
About Mike Quinn
Mike Quinn spent 20 years in the US Army and traveled extensively all over the world. As part of his military service, Mike sampled coffee and tea from all virtually every geographic region, from the beans from the plantation of an El Salvadorian Army Colonel to "Chi" in Iraq to Turkish Coffee in the Turkish Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He spent nearly a decade in the Republic of Korea where he was exposed to all forms of traditional teas. Mike formerly owned and operated Cup And Brew, an online espresso and coffee equipment retail operation.
Quite easy huh?!…I only hope when doing so I don’t end up blundering, this is a wonderful idea, when visitors show up unexpectedly…. because one doesn’t have to ‘slave’ away in the kitchen preparing this particular beverage 🙂
I have tried the Vietnamese coffee version before and love it. I never knew it had roots in Spain. Now that we have an espresso maker I’ll definitely have to try it with that instead of the drip coffee.
I was a student in Valencia in February 1975, staying with a family. I was not a coffee drinker at age 22, and the mother offered the “bonbom” as an alternative at breakfast. Milk was on the bottom, and I would stir before drinking. Fabulous. It was another 5 years before I developed a taste for coffee, always hot and black.