Here’s a quick tidbit I always have in the back of my mind:
If it’s an Italian name, it’s espresso-based and if it’s a French name, it’s coffee-based.
Italian coffee, for example:
Americano - Espresso and water
Latte - Espresso and regular milk
Cappuccino - Espresso and steamed milk
Breve - Espresso and steamed half-and-half
French coffee, for example:
Café - Plain coffee, sometimes called Café Noir
Café au Lait - Coffee and regular milk
Café Cremé - Coffee and cream (or sometimes half-and-half)
Café Americano - Coffee and water, it’s the French version of the Italian style.
What’s the difference between coffee and espresso? Coffee is brewed and steeped. Espresso is created by forcing water through very, very densely-packed coffee grounds using high pressure. Coffee is typically enjoyed in cups and espresso is typically consumed in “shots” because of the strong flavor.
Is an Italian latte really with cold milk?
I used to work in coffee in Seattle and around there a latte is also steamed milk. The difference between a latte and a cappuccino is the amount of foam to milk ratio.
Latte is mostly milk with a topping of foam. Cappuccino is half foam half milk (and some people like even more foam in their cappuccinos).
Those terms are an American invention. As for Italy
- Latte = plain old milk. Can be cold or hot, it’s milk
- Caffelatte = probably the origin of the American “latte”, literally means coffee and milk, usually made and home with cold or hot milk and moka coffee
- Latte macchiato = big cup of milk, frothy on top, with a shot of espresso in it
- Caffè macchiato = espresso with a shot of milk, can be frothy
Interesting, thanks for the info! What is moka coffee? Mocha here means a latte with chocolate basically. Sometimes with whipped cream instead of foam.
It’s worth noting that most places without a “signature” style just use espresso as the base nowadays.
Because espresso is a much easier way to start (as it’s a small amount of coffee syrup, without the water).
And outside of speciality (pour-over/cold-brew), it’s the preferred extraction method.
Half-and-half is for cowards. Either cut the cream entirely or get full cream.
