For hundreds of years, coffee has helped push human race forward. From mathematicians to painters, almost every popular name in the history of humanity has relied on coffee to wake up the creative powers that lie dormant in us.
If you’re a caffeine fanatic like me then you’re at the right place. Here I’ve compiled the ultimate list of all the different types of coffee that are available to keep your creative energies awake.
Espresso
We all are familiar with the ol’ Espresso. Pure coffee in liquid form.
Espresso is made by forcing a very small amount of very hot water through finely ground coffee beans and what we get is a rich concentration of coffee in liquid form.
The caffeine content in the average serving of an espresso shot ranges from 120 to 170 milligrams.
Caffè Americano
Caffè Americano is for you if you like to savour the flavours of a good coffee.
An Americano is made by adding hot water to one or more shots of espresso and thus how concentration of caffeine depends on the number of espresso shots you add.
The caffeine content in an average serving of an Americano is around 150 mg.
Café Cubano
Café Cubano, which is also known as cuban coffee, is a variation of the origianl espresso which is known to have originated from Cuba.
Essentially, it is an sweet espresso shot which is made by adding demerara sugar while brewing.
Caffè crema
Caffè crema is basically an espresso shot but with foam on top. The foam is generated due to long pull brewing that lasts anywhere between 20 to 30 seconds.
The coffee used is coarse grounded coffee. It ensures that that coffee is not over-extracted.
Cafe Zorro
Cafe Zorro is a double espresso shot with hot water added to it in a 1:1 ratio.
Doppio
Doppio is basically a double shot that is extracted simultaneously using double coffee filters. This is how coffee is prepared in modern coffee houses like Costa.
Espresso Romano
An Espresso Romano is a shot of espresso served with a slice of lemon. While that is an interesting combination, a really interesting fact about this drink is that despite the name, the drink has no evident links to the Romans.
Guillermo
Guillermo is a variation of Espresso Romano and you make it by pouring a shot of espresso over slices of lime.
Ristretto
Ristretto is one of the most popular variations of an espresso that you’ve probably heard of.
A ristretto is a more concentrated version of the traditional espresso. To make an espresso, you pass half the amount of water through the same amount of ground coffee.
Cappuccino
Aah…The king of coffee-based beverages.
Cappuccino, which is a , is one of my favourite coffee based drinks.
To make a cappuccino, we add hot milk to a shot or two of espresso and top it with foamed milk.
What I love about the cappuccino is that we get both the rich flavour of coffee and the smooth texture that comes with milk froth.
Antoccino
A variation of the traditional cappuccino, an Antoccino is a 1:1 composition of a single shot of espresso and hot milk.
Breve
A breve is a combination of espresso, milk and cream. While half of the composition comes from one espresso shot, the other half has varying amounts of milk and cream.
Café bombón
With its origins in Spain, Café bombón is made by adding sweetened condensed milk to a shot of espresso in a 1:1 ratio.
Café bombón has a visual signature to it and it is generally served in a glass. The milk is added gradually so that it settles on the bottom which creates an aesthetically pleasing separation bands.
Cortado
Cortado is the spanish verb for cutting and it effectively captures the essence of this drink, which is to stain or cut the espresso with a small amount of milk.
Thus, a Cortado is made from espresso and a little amount of steamed milk. There might be a little amount of froth at the top but that is not essential to the core drink.
Espressino
An Espressino is bascially espresso and steamed milk along with cocoa powder.
Flat white
A flat white is made with microfoam, which is basically steamed milk with a very small amount of foam over espresso.
The number of shots and the amount of milk used can vary and there isn’t a specific ratio to it. However, the coffee content is always more than the milk content.
What differentiates this beverage from the cappuccino or the latte is the variation in texture.
Caffe Latte
Caffe Latte is Italian for milk coffee. It is a composition of an espresso shot and steamed milk in a 1:3 ratio.
Just like cappuccino, Caffe latte also features milk foam at the top.Caffe Latte is popular among people who love the mild flavours of coffee.
Galão
Galão is a hot portugese drink that is espresso with foamed milk and the ratio is around 1:3. The proportions are very similar to Caffe latte.
Café au lait
Café au lait is french for “Coffee with milk” and that’s exactly what it is : an espresso shot with hot milk.
Mochaccino
A Mochaccino is basically Cappuccino with chocolate flavouring.
Macchiato
Macchiato is basically an espresso shot with a very small amount of foamed milk. Macchiato offers both a very strong aroma and intense flavours of coffee.
Interestly, the milk is foamed directly into the cup and then later espresso is added to it. A pinch of cocoa powder can be added as per choice.
