A Wiener Melange is a specialty coffee drink similar to a cappuccino. The difference is that the Melange is made with milder coffee. At Cafe Sperl in Vienna, the Melange is half a cup of brewed coffee with half a cup of steamed cream, topped with milk foam.[1] Nescafe, Mövenpick, Lufthansa Catering and Albert Heijn housebrand however serve Wiener Melange as coffee blended with cocoa – no matter whether foam topped or not.
The English term "Cafe Vienna" and the French café viennois usually refer to espresso con panna – topped with whipped cream instead of milk foam. Ordering a Wiener Melange may yield the arrival of an espresso con panna even in Vienna, though this is properly called a Franziskaner (Franciscan friar).[2] The reference to Franciscan friars parallels the term "cappuccino",[3] similar to the Austrian coffee preparation or "Kapuziner", which derives its name from the brown color of the robes worn by Capuchin friars.[4]