Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau's coffee culture is heavily influenced by its West African neighbors, particularly Senegal, and its historical ties to Portugal. Instant coffee is very common, but you'll also find a strong presence of spiced coffee and, increasingly, modern espresso drinks in urban areas.
Here are the different ways you might order coffee in Guinea-Bissau and what's in them:
Instant Coffee (Most Common):
How to order: Often just "café" or "café instantâneo" (instant coffee). You might also hear "Nescafé," which is a dominant brand.
What's in it: This is the most prevalent form of coffee. It's powdered or granulated coffee dissolved in hot water. It's typically served with sugar and milk (often powdered, evaporated, or condensed milk) on the side, allowing you to customize its sweetness and creaminess.
Café Touba (Spiced Coffee - Very Popular):
How to order: "Café Touba." This is a deeply ingrained and highly popular spiced coffee, especially due to its popularity in neighboring Senegal and shared cultural heritage.
What's in it: The key ingredient is Selim pepper (Xylopia aethiopica, locally known as djar), which is roasted directly with coffee beans (typically Robusta) and sometimes cloves. The mixture is then ground and brewed, often using a filter. It's known for its strong, distinctive spicy, and sometimes smoky flavor, and is almost always served very sweet. You'll frequently see street vendors preparing and selling large batches of Café Touba.
Espresso-based Drinks (in Urban Cafes and Hotels):
In cities like Bissau, you'll find modern cafes and hotels that cater to a more international palate, offering drinks prepared with espresso machines. The influence here is often Portuguese.
Expresso (Espresso):
How to order: "Um expresso" (the Portuguese spelling). You might also hear "curto" (short) for a single shot.
What's in it: A small, concentrated shot of coffee, made by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. This is the base for other espresso beverages.
Café Cheio:
How to order: "Um café cheio."
What's in it: A "full" espresso cup of traditional espresso coffee, typically slightly longer than a "curto."
Abatanado:
How to order: "Um abatanado."
What's in it: Essentially a double espresso served in a larger cup, designed for those who want more than a single shot.
Pingado:
How to order: "Um pingado."
What's in it: An espresso with just a "drop" of cold milk.
Garoto:
How to order: "Um garoto."
What's in it: An espresso in a small cup, half coffee and half milk (less intense and more milky than a pingado). The name literally means "young child."
Meia de Leite:
How to order: "Uma meia de leite."
What's in it: Coffee with milk in roughly equal proportions, served in a larger cup. It's a common breakfast coffee.
Galão:
How to order: "Um galão."
What's in it: Coffee with plenty of milk, served in a characteristic tall glass. It's very milky, similar to a latte, and often enjoyed with toast.
Americano/Café Americano:
How to order: "Um Americano" or "um café Americano."
What's in it: Espresso diluted with hot water.
Cappuccino:
How to order: "Um cappuccino."
What's in it: Espresso with steamed milk and a significant layer of frothed milk.
Iced Coffee ("Café Gelado"):
How to order: "Um café gelado."
What's in it: Typically brewed coffee or espresso served over ice, often with milk and/or sugar.
Filter Coffee / Brewed Coffee:
While not as ubiquitous as instant or Café Touba, some establishments might offer standard brewed coffee.
How to order: "Um café filtro" or "um café coado" (filtered coffee).
What's in it: Coffee prepared by pouring hot water over ground coffee in a filter.
Local Considerations:
Sweetness: As in many West African countries, coffee in Guinea-Bissau is often consumed quite sweet. Sugar will be provided, and many prefer to add a generous amount.
Milk: Condensed milk and powdered milk are very common and popular for adding to coffee, especially instant coffee.
Hospitality: Accepting an invitation for coffee or tea is a significant part of Bissau-Guinean hospitality.
"Chá" (Tea): note that chá (tea, often strong green tea with mint and sugar) is also incredibly popular and culturally significant in Guinea-Bissau, often served during social gatherings.
When ordering coffee in Guinea-Bissau, especially outside of a formal cafe, it's helpful to specify if you're looking for instant coffee or a specific espresso-based drink from the Portuguese-influenced menu. If you see street vendors, they are almost certainly selling Café Touba.
*The content in this document was generated using artificial intelligence, drawing from various online sources, and subsequently refined for accuracy and conciseness in 2025. Users are advised to consult multiple sources to corroborate information and should not rely solely on this document for comprehensive research.