There are many types of coffee: cappuccino, espresso, cappuccino, latte – it’s all there! This guide will help you understand the differences between espresso-based drinks and how they are made. Don’t get lost in the shuffle at your local café.

What are Espresso-Based Drinks?

Espresso-based drinks are coffees made using a coffee machine with three common ingredients: espresso and steamed Milk.

They differ in the amount of espresso, steamed Milk and foam.

Certain coffees may have additional toppings to enhance the drink, such as chocolate in a cappuccino. Essentially, every espresso-based drink has the same three ingredients.

Below is a guide that will help you understand the differences between espresso drinks.

Espresso (Short Black)

Espresso (or “short black”) is the base and most important component of any espresso-based drink. We’ve created a guide to help you make the perfect espresso shot. We’re keeping it simple for this post.

Instructions:

  • One shot of espresso in an espresso cup.

Double Espresso (Doppio)

Double espresso, also known as “Doppio”, is exactly that: two espresso shots in one.

Instructions:

  • 2 shots of espresso in an espresso mug

Short Macchiato

A macchiato short is similar to espresso, but it has steamed Milk and foam that soften the bitter taste. Baristas from different countries will make short macchiatos in their ways. The traditional method of making a macchiato short is the following.

Instructions:

  • One shot of espresso in a small glass or espresso cup.
  • Add a dollop of steamed Milk or foam to the top of your espresso.

Long Macchiato

A long macchiato can be described as a shorter macchiato, but it is made with twice the espresso. In the traditional long macchiato, the same rule applies.

Instructions:

  • 2 shots of espresso in a tumbler or cup
  • Add a dollop of steamed Milk or foam to the top of your espresso

Ristretto

A ristretto espresso shot uses the same coffee but with half the water. This results in darker and more concentrated espresso extraction.

Instructions:

  • Take a standard espresso shot and add half the water.
  • Alternatively, you can turn off normal espresso extraction before the espresso begins to blonde.

Long Black (Americano).

A long black, also known as “americano”, is hot water with an espresso shot added on top.

Instructions:

  • A cup should be filled with 2/3rds of hot water.
  • Take 1 shot of espresso and add it to the hot water.

Café Latte

A cafe or “latte” is an espresso-based beverage with steamed Milk and microfoam. Due to the steamed Milk, this coffee is sweeter than an espresso.

Instructions:

  • Extract 1 shot of espresso into a tumbler glass.
  • Add steamed Milk.
  • 1 cm of micro-foam is added to the top of the steam milk.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino tastes similar to a latte. However, the key difference between a latte and a cappuccino is that a cappuccino contains more foam and chocolate on top. A cappuccino should be served in a cup, not a tumbler. These steps are necessary to make a good cappuccino.

Instructions:

  • Extract 1 shot of espresso into a cup.
  • Add steamed Milk.
  • Sprinkle 2-3 cm of micro-foam over the steamed Milk.
  • Sprinkle some chocolate over the coffee

Flat White

Flat white coffee is made primarily from Australian and New Zealand coffee machines. Flat white is the same as a cappuccino, except that it doesn’t have any chocolate or foam on top.

Instructions:

  • One shot of espresso into a cup.
  • You can add steamed Milk to the cup, but not micro-foam.

Piccolo Latte

Piccolo latte refers to an espresso cup or small tumbler made with a cafe latte. It has a strong but mildly mellowed espresso flavor due to the microfoam and steamed Milk. Piccolo latte can be made with an espresso shot or a shot of ristretto.

Instructions:

  • One shot of espresso or 1 ristretto shot of espresso in an espresso cup.
  • Add some micro-foam and steamed Milk.

Mocha

Mocha is a combination of a cappuccino with hot chocolate. This is achieved by adding the chocolate powder to an espresso shot, then adding steamed Milk or micro-foam to the beverage.

Instructions:

  • Extract 1 shot of espresso into a cup.
  • Mix one teaspoon of chocolate powder with the espresso shot.
  • Add steamed Milk.
  • Micro-foam should be added to 2-3 cm.
  • Sprinkle some chocolate powder on top.

Affogato

An affogato, a delicious and simple coffee great for summer desserts, is called. You can make it by adding a large amount of vanilla ice cream to a single or two shots of espresso.

Instructions:

  • In a glass, add one scoop of vanilla ice cream.
  • Add a single or two shots of espresso to the vanilla ice cream.