Can You Make a Caramel Macchiato With a Torch?

A caramel macchiato can be made with a crisp caramel shell on top instead of drizzled syrup. The method comes from crème brûlée: sprinkle white sugar over the milk foam and torch it until it forms a golden crust. Espresso extraction, milk frothing, sugar sprinkling and torching each have specific parameters, and the result is crisp outside and tender inside.

The word macchiato is Italian for marked or stained: baristas dotted milk foam on an espresso to show milk had been added, so the drink would not be confused with a plain shot. As bean quality improved, espresso became mellower, and the drink evolved into today's caramel macchiato. When asking are you supposed to mix a macchiato, the answer depends on whether the topping is syrup or a torched crust, since is granulated sugar for coffee works fine here.

The thin, crisp caramel shell on top of crème brûlée leaves a deep impression, and the coffee world actually has a drink with caramel as its soul—the caramel macchiato. However, the common method is simply drizzling caramel syrup over the milk foam, lacking that crispy texture. This article will walk you through the evolution from macchiato to caramel macchiato, and share in detail a creative method using a torch to freshly caramelize white sugar, forming a golden caramel crust on the surface of the milk foam. From espresso extraction and milk frothing to sprinkling sugar and torching, every step has specific parameters and key operational points. If you prefer sweet coffee and enjoy a rich, layered taste experience, this crispy-outside, tender-inside caramel macchiato is well worth trying.

I believe many of you have tried crème brûlée, right? The top is a thin, crispy caramel shell, while beneath it is a delicate, silky custard. Two completely different textures intertwine in your mouth, creating a delightful taste collision.

But you may not have noticed that various sugar elements often appear in coffee drinks as well, and caramel is one of them—the most iconic example being the "caramel macchiato." However, the caramel macchiato commonly found on the market uses syrup drizzled on the surface, which doesn't form that thin, crispy caramel shell. So today, we're going to transplant that crispy texture onto the caramel macchiato, giving it an extra layer of crunchy caramel and a richer overall layering.

The Evolution of the Caramel Macchiato

The word macchiato comes from Italian, originally meaning "marked" or "stained." In the era when espresso reigned supreme, some people—including yours truly—simply couldn't stand that "bitterness of life" that espresso delivers, so they would ask the barista to add a small amount of milk to the espresso to reduce its intensity.

But a small amount of milk poured into espresso quickly blends into it, making it almost indistinguishable from a regular espresso in appearance. To avoid confusion and delivering the wrong coffee, baristas would dot a mark of milk foam on the surface of the milk-added espresso for easy identification—this is the origin of the traditional macchiato.

Later, as coffee bean quality continuously improved, espresso was no longer as bitter, harsh, and aggressive as before, instead presenting a mellow, smooth, and aromatic flavor. Since there was no longer a need to dilute the bitterness with milk, the macchiato gradually faded from people's view.

It wasn't until the 1990s that the "caramel macchiato" was born. It is not a replacement for the traditional macchiato, but an entirely new product. The caramel macchiato was given a new meaning: "sweet mark." The most common method is to mix vanilla syrup with espresso, then add steamed milk and milk foam, and finally drizzle caramel syrup on the surface of the milk foam to draw a pattern—and it's done.

Getting to the point—how to make a "slightly different" caramel macchiato!

Actually, this caramel macchiato isn't very different from the conventional method. The only change is replacing the final caramel syrup drizzle with caramel torched from white sugar. For this, you'll need to prepare: a small packet of fine white sugar (about 5g), a torch, vanilla syrup (10ml), one shot of espresso, and one portion of milk with thick milk foam.

1. Take 20g of coffee grounds, extract about 40ml of espresso, pour it into the vanilla syrup, and set aside. (Adjust sweetness to your preference!)

2. Next, froth a medium-thick milk foam (about 0.5–1cm in height) and pour it into the cup. (Make sure the cup is made of heat-resistant material.)

3. Then pour the espresso in from the center. (This keeps the surface cleaner; of course, you can also pour the espresso first and then the milk, which will blend more evenly.)

4. Place a cloth underneath the cup to prevent white sugar from scattering everywhere. Then it's time for the sugar packet to make its entrance! Sprinkle the white sugar evenly over the surface of the milk foam—only the areas covered with granulated sugar will develop a caramel color when torched.

5. Start torching the white sugar into caramel! Keep the torch flame about three fingers' width away from the liquid surface—this distance makes it less likely to burn the surface. Torch until the milk foam turns golden and a fragrance rises—that's when it's done! (The golden-brown color indicates that the white sugar has undergone the Maillard reaction and caramelization, becoming crispy while releasing a distinct caramel aroma.)

6. When drinking, be careful of the hot rim of the cup. The first sip delivers that crispy caramel shell, accompanied by vanilla-flavored coffee—rich in layers, mellow and intense! Crispy outside, tender inside—that romantic sweetness makes it hard to stop. Highly recommended for friends who love sweet coffee!

This method has actually existed for a long time, but the process is rather cumbersome and time-consuming, which doesn't quite align with the "speed" that espresso culture emphasizes. That's why it's rarely seen in current coffee shops.

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