You have a ‘latte’ to learn: a visual guide to 7 popular espresso drinks
On a coffee walk, a colleague revealed that they liked coffee, but didn’t actually know what to order beyond their usual iced latte. Because of the hustle and bustle at most coffee counters, it can be hard to pull your barista away to get a breakdown of all the brews. Here’s your handy guide to get caffeinated.
Brew something new
Espresso
This is the foundation of non-drip coffee. It’s the red Lego brick, from which all creativity stems, but is intrinsically whimsical by itself. At just a mere 30ml of pure, bold caffeinated flavor, it is still complex enough to be divided into three parts.
In order to enjoy the harmony of flavor those three layers build, you should partake quickly–this is not a sipping coffee, nor a drink you can leave sitting–but do take pleasure in each beguiling drop. There is no milk, but it does have a light foam from brewing. A ristretto is an even tinier shot (22ml) if you need a coffee bullet straight to your central nervous system.
Doppio
If you like espresso, you’ll love a doppio–because it’s just a double shot of espresso.
Macchiato
If you need to slightly take the edge off your espresso shot with some dairy, a macchiato is your go-to. It’s merely a shot or two of espresso, with a dollop of foamed milk. Think of it like a petite, reverse latte. (Now you realize that a Starbucks caramel macchiato is a lie.) Note: a cafe noisette is just a milkier version of this–it’s not very common written on a menu, but it features an espresso shot with another 15ml of hot, foamy milk.
Americano
OK, so maybe you need to take the edge off your espresso but don’t want to add any milk; or perhaps you still want the kick of espresso, but wouldn’t mind sipping it a little longer. The americano is your drink. With yet another standard espresso shot, this time you add double that amount (60ml) of water.
Cappuccino
A cappuccino is a beautiful, frothy marriage of equal parts espresso (usually a doppio), steamed milk, and milk froth. It’s your solution to craving a latte, but also wanting to tone it down on the milk a little bit. It is also the fastest way to grow a mustache.
Latte
A latte starts off as–you guessed it!–a shot of espresso. But instead of adding just a skosh of steamy, sudsy milk, you’re going to add a lot (300ml of steamed milk with a couple milliliters of foamed milk to top it off). This is where you start to see cutesy foam art and can throw in the option of getting it iced or hot.
Mocha
Alright, the Italians finally threw your chocolate craving a bone, and you can satisfy it with a mocha, which is a doppio, 60ml of hot chocolate, and 30ml of steamed milk. Mexican mocha? Add in some cayenne, cinnamon and maybe nutmeg if you’re really going for it.
Now I know you’re thinking but wait, that’s not even close all of them–and you’re right! I haven’t even told you what this* means yet:
Realistically, though, this is most of what you need to navigate most traditional espresso drinks and to impress the pants (or punky tie) off your barista. Now you can also start to enjoy coffee in a purer form or branch out from drip. If you love Venn diagrams and coffee, you can utilize this handy-dandy graphic to remind you.
*It means you want a café cortado (which is espresso cut with milk that isn’t frothed).
Follow @asanaculinary on Instagram to see delicious bites from the team. Want to work with us? Explore job openings at Asana.
