Espresso Based Coffee Drinks

There is a whole world of espresso based coffee drinks. Here we will present the most classic ones but remember that there are plenty of other ones to experiment with as well and only your imagination will put the limits.

In Italy, the birth land of the espresso, the caffè latte is mostly used as a breakfast drink. The name simply means coffee with milk. In Italy it is normally brewed with a moka maker and then mixed with warm milk. During the rest of the day, the latte is mainly served to children.

A caffè latte is a bit differently made in the rest of the world. Usually it consists of a double espresso (6-8 cl) topped up with amply 20 cl of steamed milk, trying to hold back the froth until reaching the very top. There are different opinions on which are the best proportions for a latte, but totally the drink should be approximately 25-30 cl, more for a lighter coffee and less for a stronger one. The best way to skim the milk is to use the milk skimmer attached to the espresso machine, but other, simpler alternatives are also fine. The latte should not have too much froth, but some velvety foam should cover the top.

The cappuccino is the best known coffee drink of all, but also the trickiest to make successfully. In Italy you usually drink it for breakfast as it is friendlier to the stomach than straight espresso. The base is a single espresso and the middle layer is heated milk. The top layer should be frothed milk with a smooth and velvety surface, surrounded by a circle of crema. Many make the mistake of skimming the milk too much, leaving a hard and unpleasant lid on top of the cappuccino.

Macchiato means «stain» in Italian and an espresso macchiato is exactly that, an espresso «stained» with a spoonful of skimmed milk.

A caffè americano is an espresso diluted with hot water. Many people who want their espresso to be milder or to last longer prefer the caffè americano. There are no rules about the proportions for an americano, it is up to you how you want it.