How to make a hot vanilla latte and other classic espresso drinks

Cafes build most of their menu on ten espresso drinks: Espresso, Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White, Mocha, Dirty, Macchiato, Affogato, and Caramel Macchiato. A standard double shot uses about 20 grams of grounds to yield roughly 40 grams of liquid with a fine crema layer. Espresso quality decides how the milk-based drinks taste.

Ratios differ by drink: Americano adds hot water, a latte uses more steamed milk, and a cappuccino keeps a thicker foam cap, which is what a wet cappuccino refers to. Knowing how to make a hot vanilla latte means pulling a good shot, steaming milk to a glossy microfoam, and adding vanilla syrup before the milk. Mocha adds chocolate, and Affogato pours espresso over ice cream.

Walk into any café, and espresso is the absolute star of the menu. But espresso drinks are far more than just Americano and Latte. This article, compiled by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), systematically introduces the ten most common espresso drinks found in cafés, including Espresso, Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White, Mocha, Dirty, Macchiato, Affogato, and Caramel Macchiato. Each comes with specific preparation ratios, ingredient compositions, and flavor characteristics, helping coffee lovers understand the differences and connections between them. Whether you want to recreate them at home or be more knowledgeable when ordering, this guide offers practical reference.

To learn more about specialty coffee, welcome to follow Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee).

Espresso drinks are a standard offering in almost every café, and their variety goes far beyond just Americano and Latte. In this article, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will introduce the 10 most common espresso drinks found in cafés one by one, including their preparation methods and flavor characteristics.

①Espresso Espresso means quickly extracted concentrated coffee. Under approximately 9 atmospheres of high-pressure steam, hot water rapidly passes through the coffee grounds, fully extracting the essence of the coffee, ultimately producing a cup that is rich, aromatic, full-bodied, and bitter with caramel notes.

Here, Front Street's classic espresso blend is used. This recipe combines coffee beans from three origins—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—and uses a dark roast, which maximizes the coffee's rich aroma and allows everyone to easily extract a rich and dense crema. It works well for both Americano diluted with water and Latte paired with milk. It can be purchased at Front Street's Taobao store or Front Street's Tmall flagship store.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) typically uses a double shot of espresso (20 grams of coffee grounds) as the base, producing a cup of about 40 grams of espresso, topped with a very fine and rich layer of crema, commonly known as "Crema."

Espresso is the foundation of many espresso drinks. It can be said that if the espresso is not extracted properly, it is difficult for other espresso drinks to taste good.

②Americano Diluting Italian espresso with hot water gives you Americano. It originated during World War II when American soldiers landed in Europe. Because they were not accustomed to Italian espresso, they diluted it with water, and it gradually evolved into Americano. Although Americano has a lot of water added and its flavor is milder than regular espresso, the aroma and flavor are not diminished. Compared with American-style coffee brewed by the filter method, the flavor is completely different. It pairs very well with sweet foods like cookies and muffins, and is suitable for people who do not like the intensity of straight espresso.

Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) hot Americano ratio is 40 grams of espresso mixed with 180 milliliters of hot water, yielding a 220-milliliter cup of Americano, with an espresso-to-water ratio of 1:4.5.

③Latte Latte is a common milk coffee among espresso drinks. The word "Latte" in Italian simply means "milk." When making Latte, Front Street uses a double shot of 40g espresso, paired with 260g of milk and milk foam, with a foam thickness of 1cm. Of course, Latte can also be made with beautiful latte art patterns. The milk and coffee blend perfectly, highlighting the sweet milk aroma while also expressing the mellow charm of the coffee.

④Cappuccino Cappuccino is transliterated from "Cappuccino," with its name originating from the Capuchin order and the Italian word for hood (Cappucio). Cappuccino is similar to Latte and belongs to the category of milk coffee. It is also made from espresso and steamed milk, but unlike Latte, Cappuccino has thicker, denser milk foam, a smaller volume, and a stronger coffee taste.

Traditional Cappuccino blends espresso, milk, and milk foam in a 1:1:1 ratio, which reduces the bitterness of the espresso and adds the richness of the milk foam, making it easier to accept. Among espresso drinks, Cappuccino has the thickest milk foam, and the dense, fine foam adds a pleasant texture.

When making Cappuccino, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chooses to use a 180ml tulip cup, adding one freshly extracted shot of espresso to the cup, then adding milk steamed with dense, thick foam.

⑤Flat White Flat White can be understood as Australia's localized version of "Latte," and therefore differs slightly from the Latte we commonly know. Flat White originated in Australia and New Zealand, evolving as a coffee product developed by Oceanian residents according to their own needs. It consists of espresso, milk, and a thin layer of milk foam. Generally, Flat White has a smaller cup size than Latte, with less milk and stronger coffee highlighting the rich coffee flavor. It is worth noting that Flat White is only served hot.

Front Street's Flat White standard: using a 220ml glass cup, 30g of ristretto espresso, and 190ml of milk plus milk foam. The foam thickness is approximately 0.5cm. (Foam steaming degree: steam milk at 5/10 full to 5.5-6/10 full foam.)

⑥Mocha In Italian, "Mo" means chocolate, so Mocha coffee means chocolate coffee, blending rich coffee, creamy milk, and sweet chocolate together. There is a variation of Mocha called white café mocha, which uses white chocolate instead of milk and dark chocolate. In addition to white café mocha, there is another variation that mixes two kinds of chocolate syrup, called zebras, sometimes referred to as tuxedo mocha.

Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) Mocha recipe is 40g espresso + 20g chocolate sauce + 260g hot milk.

⑦Dirty Coffee Many people think Dirty Coffee is not very different from iced Latte? Indeed, from ingredients to recipe to appearance, the two have too many similarities. But if you look closely, you will find that Dirty is essentially a more refined iced Latte. The biggest difference lies in the choice of container and the details of the operation.

The container chosen for Dirty Coffee is often a glass cup that can showcase the beautiful liquid, and no ice is added. What matters is the espresso flowing into the pure white milk, slowly penetrating and slowly blending, forming a beautiful layered effect. As time passes, the pure white milk is gradually "polluted" by the rich espresso, and looking through the glass, the drink appears dirty. Besides the visual dirtiness, it also involves the collision between cold milk and hot espresso, allowing one to feel the transition from hot to cold in a single cup of coffee.

Front Street's Dirty ratio is 150g of milk and 40g of espresso. First, take out a pre-chilled glass cup, making sure there is no water in the glass, and pour in cold milk. Then lock in the tamped portafilter and place the glass with cold milk directly below the spout (for a bottomless portafilter, place it directly below the outlet). The spout should not be too far from the liquid surface; if it is too far, the coffee's own gravity will give it stronger penetrating force and it will easily blend. A distance of about 1cm is recommended. A qualified espresso will flow evenly and slowly onto the surface of the milk, floating on the surface and slowly sinking, creating that dirty effect.

When drinking Dirty, there is no need to stir, and you should drink it quickly. You will find that the hot espresso on top has not yet been cooled by the ice, and the milk below has not yet been "polluted." That transformation from a rich, chocolate-flavored hot coffee to a milky, light iced coffee is simply wonderful.

⑧Macchiato Macchiato is an Italian word meaning "marked." Macchiato coffee originated in Italy in the 1980s, when some customers were accustomed to adding a small amount of milk to their espresso, but the milk would quickly disappear into the crema. So baristas wanted to distinguish a plain espresso from an espresso containing a small amount of milk by using milk foam to "mark" a white dot on top of the crema.

Later, people discovered that in the gradual blending of milk foam and espresso, one could taste the rich mellowness of the espresso while also enjoying the dense sweetness of the milk, interweaving in the mouth in a wonderful way. Thus, the traditional Macchiato was born.

Front Street Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) Macchiato recipe: 40g espresso + 1 spoonful of fine milk foam.

⑨Affogato This is a very special coffee drink. The standard method is to place a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cup, then pour a shot of espresso over it, and an Affogato is complete. When you taste it, you will experience the cold sweetness of vanilla ice cream combined with the aroma of coffee—perfect for summer.

⑩Caramel Macchiato This is Starbucks' star espresso drink (having nothing to do with Macchiato). A medium 355ml cup contains 1 shot (about 30ml) of espresso, with the other 300-plus milliliters consisting of milk with milk foam, vanilla syrup, and caramel. It has a sweet flavor.

Caramel Macchiato: When making it, a large amount of milk and milk foam is used, not very different from a wet Cappuccino or a thicker Latte. Vanilla syrup and smooth hot fresh milk, topped with soft, fine milk foam, blended with rich espresso, plus smooth caramel sauce, makes the sweet and rich Caramel Macchiato a great choice for coffee lovers to enjoy espresso.

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