What’s black coffee called in your country? Well, if you’re in India, you might hear the locals say ‘kaapi’. However, in Colombia, they call it Tinto! This South American country has 5,60,000 coffee farms and consumes way more coffee than the USA.
Colombian homes, small cafes, and the streets prepare the best Tinto. Naturally, it’s not an expensive affair. It’s prepared specially with low-quality Sello Rojo beans. Once the coffee is ready, it is filled in thermoses (flasks) and loaded onto carts that roam the country, selling refreshing hot Tinto.
To grab attention, street vendors enthusiastically say ‘Tinto, Tinto, Tintico…’ to sell a cup for about 500 Colombian pesos. Locals then surround those hundreds of Tinto carts and catch up on the latest news from the area with friends.
Another version of Tinto is Tinto Campesino. It’s black coffee blessed with panela – a yummier variant of brown sugar – and spices like cloves and cardamom.
We can already taste this strong black coffee just by talking about it!