Walk into any café and you'll always find a few classic espresso drinks on the menu. They look simple, but each has its own subtleties. This article introduces one by one the recipes, taste characteristics, and suitable crowds for six common drinks: espresso, Americano, latte, cappuccino, mocha, and macchiato, helping coffee lovers quickly find the cup that suits their taste. Whether you're a seasoned drinker pursuing pure coffee flavor or a beginner who prefers milk and sweetness, you'll find practical ordering references here.

Espresso

Espresso comes from Italian, referring to a strong coffee quickly extracted by a coffee machine in a very short time. It can be said to be the foundation of most fancy coffees and an indispensable category in every café worldwide. Espresso is very small, generally only around 30 milliliters, quite bitter on the palate, with a thick layer of crema on the surface. It is usually served with a glass of water, and guests can decide whether to add sugar. People who order Espresso in cafés are either true coffee enthusiasts hoping to taste the most original flavor of coffee, or those who are really exhausted and urgently need caffeine to wake up.

If you plan to leisurely spend an afternoon in a café, this drink is not quite suitable. Some cafés also offer Esprssso with a choice of "Single" or "Double"; note that double is not two cups, but extraction with twice the amount of coffee grounds, resulting in a stronger bitterness.

Americano

The "coffee of the day" served in many cafés is actually Americano, which is often the most affordable item on the menu. Simply put, Americano is made by mixing a small half-cup of Esprssso with a large half-cup of plain boiled water, though some cafés use a drip coffee maker. Its flavor is milder, lighter in color, with slight acidity and bitterness, and the shop usually provides milk and sugar. If the server brings creamer, feel free to ask them to switch it to fresh milk.

Caffé Latte

Latte is a classic combination of Espresso and milk: a small amount of Espresso is poured into the bottom of the cup, followed by a large amount of milk, with a thick layer of dense foam on top. A skilled barista can even draw various patterns on the foam surface. In France, there is a drink called "Café au lait," which is almost a national beverage. Its method is similar to latte, except that the milk and coffee are poured into the cup simultaneously. Latte is quite popular in domestic cafés, with moderate pricing and good value. A good-quality latte has full coffee and milk flavors; one that is not made well tastes like a cup of hot milk with a coffee flavor.

Cappuccino

Back then, Elva Hsiao's song "Cappuccino" was sung across the country, and the lyric "Love is like Cappuccino, thick foam of attachment" made the public remember the biggest feature of this coffee—rich foam. Cappuccino and latte have the same ingredients: Espresso plus milk plus milk foam. The only difference is that cappuccino has more milk foam than milk, while latte has more milk than milk foam. At the same price, cappuccino usually comes in a smaller cup but has a more prominent coffee flavor. The collision of dense milk foam and bitter coffee has also won it a large following, especially popular among women.

Caffé Mocha

Mocha's recipe is relatively more complex. In addition to Espresso and milk, chocolate sauce is also added. The top is not milk foam but whipped fresh cream, usually drizzled with chocolate sauce or sprinkled with cocoa powder or cinnamon powder, giving it a unique flavor. Because of its rich "contents," mocha is generally priced higher and comes in a larger cup. Both chocolate and cream are sweet, so mocha can be called a model of combining bitterness and sweetness.

Macchiato

Macchiato is also translated by many cafés as "玛奇雅朵." Simply put, it is a shot of Espresso with a few spoonfuls of milk foam added. The intensity of the coffee is still preserved, while you can also taste the delicate and dense milk foam. The "caramel macchiato" we often hear about is said to be Starbucks' original creation. The method is to first add vanilla syrup to milk, mix it with Espresso, and then cover the milk foam with a layer of caramel, resulting in a quite rich layering of taste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.