Can nouns about liquids be both countable and uncountable like in English?

Question

In English we can use phrases like "a beer" or "a coffee" (ref). For example, in the English dictionary, it says "coffee" can be defined as "a cup of coffee" which then becomes countable.

coffee [mass noun]

1 a hot drink made from the roasted and ground seeds (coffee beans) of a tropical shrub

• [count noun] a cup of coffee: she'll buy you a coffee.

• ...

In Spanish, I have also seen usages like "un café" and "un té".

• Are nouns like "café" and "té" countable or uncountable (and does it matter)?
• Are these usages the same as the usages in English (i.e., shortened forms of "una taza de café" and "Una taza de té")? Are there any notable exceptions?
• Can we use "dos cafés" and "tres tés" to refer to "two cups of coffee" and "three cups of tea"?
• Can we use "unos cafés" and "unos tés" to refer to "some coffees" and "some teas"?
• Can these be generalized to other nouns about liquids?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Are nouns like "café" and "té" countable or uncountable (and does it matter)?

They can be either countable or uncountable, just like in English.

Are these usages the same as the usages in English (i.e., shortened forms of "una taza de café" and "Una taza de té")? Are there any notable exceptions?

Yes, they are. You can absolutely say "un café" or "un té". I can't think of any exceptions.

Can we use "dos cafés" and "tres tés" to refer to "two cups of coffee" and "three cups of tea"?

Yes, of course.

By the way, I just learned the plural form of "té" is "tés" rather than "tes" (even though the tilde has no discernible purpose).

Can we use "unos cafés" and "unos tés" to refer to "some coffees" and "some teas"?

Yep. "Ponnos unos cafés".

Can these be generalized to other nouns about liquids?

Yes, they can: "dos cervezas", "un agua", "unas cocacolas". I think we tend to avoid it in cases where it's ambiguous whether we refer to glasses or bottles: "Ponme dos vinos".