How to Prepare Your CoffeePortuguese Café com Cheirinho
Café com cheirinho — 'coffee with a little scent' — is the Portuguese way of ending a long lunch: a bica, the small, dark espresso the country drinks all day, given a measure of aguardente. The spirit is most traditionally bagaceira or bagaço, the clear grape-pomace brandy distilled after the wine harvest, though medronho and other local firewaters stand in from region to region. It is a digestif, not a cocktail: a small, hot, almost medicinal glass that is sipped slowly at the counter while the table finishes talking. In some cafés the aguardente is poured straight into the coffee; in others it arrives in its own tiny glass beside it, for the drinker to tip in.
Ratio breakdown
Ingredients run from the top of the cup to the bottom; the last item is the bottom layer. Values are normalized to a true 100% stack.
What you need
- 15 ml aguardente bagaceira (Portuguese grape brandy)Brandy
- 1 espresso (bica, ~30 ml)Coffee
Method notes
- Grind
- Fine — espresso grind
- Water temperature
- Hot — espresso 90–94°C
- Total time
- 3 min
Steps
Pull a bica
The base is a real Portuguese espresso — a small, dark, hazelnut-crema shot from a slow-roasted Arabica and Robusta blend. A thin or long shot would be overwhelmed the moment the spirit goes in.
Measure a small pour of aguardente
A little goes a long way: the point is the scent and the warming lift, not a cocktail. Around half the coffee's volume is the generous end of the tradition; many drinkers take far less.
Add the spirit to the coffee, or serve it alongside
Both serves are traditional, and the choice is part of the order. Poured in, the spirit marries with the crema and softens the shot; on the side, the drinker cuts each sip to taste and the coffee stays black in between.
Serve hot in a small cup or glass
The cheirinho is a short, hot after-meal measure, so the vessel stays small enough to keep it that way. It is drunk slowly and never iced.
Tips
- Bagaceira or bagaço is the classic, but any Portuguese aguardente works — medronho brings a fruitier, softer edge, and a local liqueur or even wine stands in around the country.
- In Portugal the cheirinho is poured by eye, not measured — ask for 'um cheirinho' or 'uma pinguinha' and the barman adds a splash; treat the measure below as a generous starting point rather than a standard.
- Leave the milk in the fridge: a café com cheirinho is black coffee and spirit, with no cream and usually no sugar.
- Ask for it in a place that keeps its aguardente behind the counter — the drink is a habit of the Portuguese tasca, not a cocktail-bar order.
Common mistakes
- Pouring with a heavy hand — too much spirit and the coffee disappears, and the drink stops being a digestif and becomes a shot with a coffee note.
- Serving it cold or over ice — the cheirinho is a warm after-meal measure; the iced, lemon-cut coffee of the Portuguese summer is a mazagran, a different drink.
- Using a thin, stale espresso — with so little else in the glass there is nowhere to hide a poor shot.
FAQ
What exactly is a café com cheirinho?
It is a Portuguese espresso with a measure of aguardente — 'coffee with a little scent.' It is drunk after a meal as a digestif, usually straight and unsweetened, and the spirit is either added to the coffee or served in a small glass alongside so the drinker can tip it in.
Is it the same drink as a Spanish carajillo?
They are close cousins from neighbouring traditions, and some Portuguese sources even translate the cheirinho as a carajillo. Both are espresso cut with a spirit, but the Portuguese version leans on aguardente bagaceira rather than brandy or rum, is usually unsweetened and un-flambéed, and is often served with the spirit on the side. The strength below mirrors the closest documented relative, Spanish carajillo; measured local quantities should override it where they differ.
Which spirit should I use?
Aguardente bagaceira or bagaço — the pomace brandy made from grape skins, stems, and seeds after pressing — is the traditional choice. Aguardente de medronho, made from the strawberry tree, is a common regional alternative, and a local liqueur or wine appears in some houses.
Does it contain milk or sugar?
Ordinarily no. The cheirinho is a small black coffee and a spirit, sometimes taken without sugar, taken as a digestif rather than a sweet drink.
The Atlas
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