How to Order Coffee With A Shot Of Local Flavor
When your travels take you to these five cities, start—or end—your day like the locals
Instead of your standard order, try a local coffee or specialty drink while traveling.
One of the best ways to explore a new place is through its food, and that doesn’t stop short of coffee. From Louisville’s bourbon-scented beans to New Orleans’ chicory cafe au lait, coffee is good for more than just a caffeine jolt—each cup delivers a taste of local flavor. So if you want to learn how to order coffee like a local, here’s what to try in five of our favorite coffee cities.
Make chicory your first choice in New Orleans, Louisiana
The popularity of New Orleans’ signature java drink, chicory-infused coffee, can be traced all the way back to 1808. That’s when, during the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon enacted the Continental Blockade, a large-scale embargo against British trade. The embargo limited France’s access to coffee, so the French used chicory, a plant native to the Mediterranean, as a coffee substitute or additive. French Americans turned to chicory once again in 1861 when, during the Civil War, the Union Blockade interrupted coffee trade from the port of New Orleans.
Fast forward to the present, and chicory coffee is an essential part of the New Orleans experience. For the most classic cup, head to Cafe du Monde (est. 1862), a French Quarter coffee stand that serves cafe au lait alongside their equally famous beignets, fried fritters dusted with powdered sugar.
Try the Americola two ways in Atlanta, Georgia
At Octane, a coffee house-restaurant-bar with four locations in Atlanta, the menu draws inspiration from the city. Case in point: the Americola. A nod to Coca-Cola’s Atlanta roots (which trace back to 1886), this refreshing concoction combines Mexican Coke, a double shot of espresso, vanilla syrup and ice to create a drink that’s uniquely ATL. Caffeine kick by day, the Americola takes on a boozy new persona at night when it’s dressed up with bourbon and becomes Rocket Fuel, one of Octane’s artisanal cocktail offerings.
Taste espresso at its best in Seattle, Washington
While Seattle is known as the birthplace of Starbucks—and coffee shop culture as we know it—the Emerald City’s resident java enthusiasts don’t all flock to the Green Mermaid for their morning pick-me-up. Instead, you’ll find them at any of the hundreds of third-wave coffee shops that have popped up since Starbucks’s 1971 debut in Pike Place Market. Heavyweights include Espresso Vivace, Victrola Coffee Roasters, and Caffe Vita, each of which places an emphasis on espresso drinks, artfully roasted beans, or both—just like Starbucks pioneer Howard Schultz when he reinvented the company in the mid-80s. Pro tip: Don’t miss Vivace’s crowd favorite Caffe Nico, a frothy blend of espresso, steamed milk and orange and vanilla syrups.
Get your kick from a Draft Latte can in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The City of Brotherly Love is no stranger to pour-overs or the occasional AeroPress brew, but Philly’s most unique coffee drink is also its most innovative. It’s the Draft Latte, a blend of cold-pressed espresso and milk that relies on nitrous oxide to create its creamy, frothy finish—in a can. Created by La Colombe, the pioneering brand of Philly’s craft coffee scene, the Draft Latte quickly became the city’s most buzzworthy (pun intended) coffee order after its 2016 debut. Locals drink theirs over ice, an experience offered at any of La Colombe’s four Philly coffeehouses—and 22 more nationwide.
Ask for barrel-aged beans in Louisville, Kentucky
Coffee shops in Louisville are proving that there’s more than one way to enjoy bourbon. In this city—part of the famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail—bourbon frequently makes its way onto the coffee shop menu, whether through whiskey barrel-aged beans or the occasional dollop of bourbon-infused whipped cream. At Quills Coffee, for instance, locals rave about the Salted Bourbon Caramel Latte, while at the bakery-coffeehouse Please & Thank You, which serves locally roasted Good Folks coffee. If it’s barrel-aged beans you’re after, buy them by the bag at Kentucky Knows in Frankfort or Common Grounds in Lexington.
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