Russian Reflections

Contrary to my expectations Moscow has a vibrant coffee shop scene. There are many small cafes dotted around the city. Some are chains and some are independent. Some have a cosy old wooden vibe and others an ultra modern space age feel. They sell a variety of particularly delicious cakes and pastries as well as a few savoury croissants and quiches. As anywhere the quality of the coffee can vary but generally it is very good. They all have the usual range of espressos, lattes and cappuccinos with iced versions in the summer but I have come across two new favourite coffees here.

The first is a Raf coffee, a hot coffee served all year round. It is made by adding cream and vanilla sugar to a shot of espresso and then frothing up the whole thing. The result is silky, smooth and sweet. I love it but it is not great for those on a diet! It was invented in Russia in the late 1990s when Raphael (Raf), a regular customer at the Coffee Bean coffee shop, asked for something different. Nowadays you can get other flavours including citrus or lavender! But I prefer classic vanilla.

My second discovery is Bumble (or Bumblebee) Coffee. This is a summer drink and contains espresso, orange juice and usually caramel syrup but sometimes agave syrup on ice. The coffee floats on top of the orange juice so that it looks like a bumble bee. It tastes a lot better than you might think and is quite refreshing in hot weather but I prefer to stick to more conventional coffees!

And finally I should mention lemonade! Yes I know it is not a coffee but most cafes and restaurants sell a bewildering variety of homemade lemonades. The choice of flavours is enormous and varies from place to place. Some flavours work better than others. These lemonades are nothing like the clear fizzy stuff that we in the UK call lemonade but are, perhaps, a little closer in style to what we would call “old fashioned lemonade”. My favourite flavours tend to contain mint – mint with kiwi, mint with lime or lemon, mint with mango to name a few, but you can get ones with ginger, with a whole variety of red berries, with cowberry – the list goes on.

Let me know which you would prefer!