Bica (coffee) facts for kids
A Bica coffee from Faro, Portugal
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| Type | Beverage |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Portugal |
| Main ingredients | Light roast coffee beans, water |
Bica is a special kind of coffee that is very popular in some parts of Portugal. It's a lot like an espresso, but it's usually a bit smoother and you get a little more of it in your cup. This is because the coffee beans used in Portugal are roasted a bit lighter than those used for Italian espresso.
In most places across Portugal, people simply call this drink 'um café', which means 'a coffee'. It's always served in a small cup called a Demitasse cup.
The name bica comes from how the coffee looks when it pours out of the espresso machine into your cup. It flows like water from a spring or a fountain, and those can also be called 'bica' in Portuguese.
The Story of Bica
The famous Café A Brasileira coffee shop opened in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 19, 1905. A man named Adriano Telles started it. He wanted to sell "real Brazilian coffee" from the Minas Gerais region of Brazil. At that time, many people in Lisbon didn't really like Brazilian coffee.
To help people try his coffee, Telles had a clever idea. If you bought a kilogram of ground coffee, he would give you a free cup of coffee to drink right there. This was the first place to sell the "bica." It was a small cup of strong coffee, often served with fresh goat milk from nearby farms.
Many people in Lisbon have a fun belief about the name "Bica." They say it's actually a secret message! They think "Bica" stands for "Beba isso com açúcar," which means "Drink this with sugar."
See also
In Spanish: Bica (café) para niños
