With all the different drinks out there, it's tough sometimes to know the difference between a soy latte and a caffe latte. Besides, who really cares, as it couldn't be that different, right? Wrong. The differences are huge between types of coffee beverages. Here's a cheat sheet for the next time you don't know what to order, or don't quite understand how something is made.
First, though, it's important for understanding styles of coffee to recognize some key names for when you're ordering a coffee the next time you're in Italy, or at a great restaurant in your own town. You've probably said at least one of these names before, but maybe you don't know what really goes into the drink. Well, now you're going to:
Caffe Latte Also referred to as Cafe au Lait, this is probably the pinnacle, besides the cappucino, of coffee-related drinks. Definitely the most popular styles of coffee around the world are usually variations on this, with some flavors thrown in here and there (a mocha, after all, is just this plus chocolate). The foam on top? Steamed milk, which is also what's mixed into the drink along with the espresso. Basically, you're just drinking espresso with milk.
Americano You know how when you use your drip coffee machine at home, how the product tastes more like coffee-flavored water if you don't put the right amount of grounds in? Well, the Americano is named, jokingly, after the sort of taste it is that Americans prefer when drinking their coffee. Basically, eight ounces of hot water is added to a shot of espresso, giving you a--you guessed it--watered down version of a stronger espresso drink.
Americano An Americano is just a shot of espresso, usually a single shot, with about a cup of hot water added to diffuse the taste. This is a very popular way to serve a high-octane drink, and one of the more popular styles of coffee in the States (hence the name).
But half of what makes coffee is actually the style in which it's brewed, not the ingredients added for it to be served to you. Here are a couple of the processes that you might also not know what the heck their names mean:
The French Press This is the device you're most likely to break if you're having breakfast at a posh girlfriend's house the morning after. A wire part and plunger combine in a glass cylinder, where water is poured in, brought to a full boil, and then the coarsely-ground beans are pressed down to make a filtered cup of coffee that tastes a whole lot better than a drip. Be careful not to force the device, especially if it's your first time making coffee in one, or else you're going to have a bad cup of coffee (and probably an angry girlfriend, too).
The Fully Automatic Espresso Machine This is what makes the drinks that you pay the money to buy in a cafe. Machines in some spots in Italy are over a hundred years old, and they're worth every penny because here you have something that grinds the beans, places the right amount of ground beans into the brewer, and then highly compressed water is pumped through. Amazing, and incredibly tasty. Much better than drip coffee, any day.
For the at-home folks, there's also a stovetop version of an espresso machine, which is a cross between a coffee pot and a percolator. Of course, the Americans amongst us are used to a different style of coffee entirely, with the Mr. Coffee drip system, which unfortunately is accurately known for producing slightly sub-par tasting cups of coffee, even when great beans are used.
Now that you understand the difference between espresso and drip coffee, you're ready to get out there and start trying some drinks. Remember your word roots, and don't be surprised if you forget to say "cafe" at the beginning of "cafe latte," that a gigantic cup of milk might show up. If so, just take it in stride and do better next time.
First, though, it's important for understanding styles of coffee to recognize some key names for when you're ordering a coffee the next time you're in Italy, or at a great restaurant in your own town. You've probably said at least one of these names before, but maybe you don't know what really goes into the drink. Well, now you're going to:
Caffe Latte Also referred to as Cafe au Lait, this is probably the pinnacle, besides the cappucino, of coffee-related drinks. Definitely the most popular styles of coffee around the world are usually variations on this, with some flavors thrown in here and there (a mocha, after all, is just this plus chocolate). The foam on top? Steamed milk, which is also what's mixed into the drink along with the espresso. Basically, you're just drinking espresso with milk.
Americano You know how when you use your drip coffee machine at home, how the product tastes more like coffee-flavored water if you don't put the right amount of grounds in? Well, the Americano is named, jokingly, after the sort of taste it is that Americans prefer when drinking their coffee. Basically, eight ounces of hot water is added to a shot of espresso, giving you a--you guessed it--watered down version of a stronger espresso drink.
Americano An Americano is just a shot of espresso, usually a single shot, with about a cup of hot water added to diffuse the taste. This is a very popular way to serve a high-octane drink, and one of the more popular styles of coffee in the States (hence the name).
But half of what makes coffee is actually the style in which it's brewed, not the ingredients added for it to be served to you. Here are a couple of the processes that you might also not know what the heck their names mean:
The French Press This is the device you're most likely to break if you're having breakfast at a posh girlfriend's house the morning after. A wire part and plunger combine in a glass cylinder, where water is poured in, brought to a full boil, and then the coarsely-ground beans are pressed down to make a filtered cup of coffee that tastes a whole lot better than a drip. Be careful not to force the device, especially if it's your first time making coffee in one, or else you're going to have a bad cup of coffee (and probably an angry girlfriend, too).
The Fully Automatic Espresso Machine This is what makes the drinks that you pay the money to buy in a cafe. Machines in some spots in Italy are over a hundred years old, and they're worth every penny because here you have something that grinds the beans, places the right amount of ground beans into the brewer, and then highly compressed water is pumped through. Amazing, and incredibly tasty. Much better than drip coffee, any day.
For the at-home folks, there's also a stovetop version of an espresso machine, which is a cross between a coffee pot and a percolator. Of course, the Americans amongst us are used to a different style of coffee entirely, with the Mr. Coffee drip system, which unfortunately is accurately known for producing slightly sub-par tasting cups of coffee, even when great beans are used.
Now that you understand the difference between espresso and drip coffee, you're ready to get out there and start trying some drinks. Remember your word roots, and don't be surprised if you forget to say "cafe" at the beginning of "cafe latte," that a gigantic cup of milk might show up. If so, just take it in stride and do better next time.
About the Author:
Damian Papworth recently bought a new 2 cup coffee maker, he reviewed it at the One Cup Coffee Makers website.
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