The Cafezinho Ritual

The little cup that runs the country

You will be offered coffee constantly in Brazil — at a shop counter, in an office, at the end of a meal, sometimes just because you walked in. It comes small, hot and sweet, in a cup barely bigger than a thimble. This is the cafezinho, the little coffee, and it's less a drink than a piece of social glue.

How it works

The classic cafezinho is brewed strong, often already sweetened, and drunk in a swallow or two, standing up. You don't linger over it the way you would a flat white; you have it, you feel it, you carry on. Offering one is a gesture of welcome, and accepting is good manners. Refusing the third of the day is entirely allowed.

A few words worth knowing at the counter:

• Cafezinho — the small, strong, sweet coffee.
• Pingado — coffee with a splash of hot milk, the classic morning cup.
• Café coado — coffee brewed through a cloth filter, the traditional method.
• Sem açúcar — without sugar, if you'd rather sweeten it yourself.

The cafezinho isn't about the caffeine, though the caffeine helps. It's about the small pause, and the fact that someone offered.

Where to have one near the Suite

You're in a coffee country's biggest city, so good cups are everywhere. Grab a fast cafezinho at a padaria (bakery) counter near the plaza, or sit down properly at one of the specialty bars covered in Coffee and Cafés. Either way, do it the local way at least once: standing at the counter, small cup, quick and sweet, then back out into the city. It's the most paulistano thing you can do before nine in the morning.