COFFEE!
I’d have written just that word and this article would’ve skyrocketed. Because we all love coffee! In all shapes, sizes, temperatures, looks, flavours, and places. Coffee isn’t just a beverage, it is a way of life. But have you ever wondered how so many of your favourite drinks at your local Starbucks are made? If you could, how would you gather the ingredients and prepare the delicious kinds caffeine nirvana at home?
We debug the best for you.
To get to the bottom of this, we need to clear some concepts and words so that you know exactly what we’re talking about.
Espresso – Espresso is the crux of literally any coffee over the world. It mostly means ‘pressed out,’ according to some Anglo-American dictionaries, owing to the fact that it is made by passing nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans.
French press coffee – This is different from Espresso with regards to preparation. A french press is a device in which finely ground coffee is added and hot water is poured on top. After staying still for 2-4 minutes, a plunger is pressed hard, so that the ground coffee’s essence is more released as it seeps into the water, and the brew is poured out.
Right, so now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the real stuff.
1. Espresso
Espresso as a standalone coffee is served everywhere. It contains literally the basic essence. Coffee and water. No strings attached.
Ideal serving: 30ml Espresso in a 90ml cup.
2. Doppio
Doppio in Italian literally means ‘double.’ It is a double shot of Espresso coffee.
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso in a 90ml cup.
3. Macchiato
Macchiato in Italian means ‘stained.’ This is because a serving of Macchiato is a normal Espresso shot with a little-foamed milk on the top.
Ideal serving: 30ml Espresso + Foamed milk on top in a 90ml cup.
4. Cappuccino
Everyone’s favourite and the most well-known and standard coffee drink, cappuccino contains more milk-to-coffee ratio.
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso + 60ml steamed milk + 60ml foamed milk (in that order) in a 200ml cup.
5. Flat White
A slight variation of the more generalised Cappucino, a Flat White is a no-nonsense Cappuccino with double the amount of milk as compared to coffee.
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso + 120ml steamed milk in a 200ml cup.
6. Café au Lait
Café au Lait literally means ‘coffee with milk.’ It is a French press coffee preparation with equal amounts coffee brew and scalded milk. Scalded milk is milk that is heated to 82° C to kill off bacteria and remove many proteins.
Ideal serving: 90ml French press coffee + 90ml scalded milk in a 200ml cup.
7. Turkish
The Turkish like their coffee light and sweet. Hence, a majority of this coffee is sugar water.
Ideal serving: 10g (or 2 tsp.) ground coffee + 180ml sugar water + köpük (foam) (in that order) in a 200ml cup.
8. Irish
The Irish sure know to stir things up and making literally any dish or drink interesting. Ever heard whiskey in coffee? Yep! This is the one.
Ideal serving: 5g (or 1 tsp.) brown sugar + 120ml French press coffee + 60ml Irish whiskey + 75ml heavy cream (in that order) in a 250ml glass.
9. Americano
Those who say they like their coffee black talk about Café Americano. If you might have seen in Western media, Americans like to drink their coffee straight out of the pot.
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso + 120ml hot water in a 200ml cup.
10. Long Black
In essence, Long Black and Café Americano are the same thing, but it makes a world of difference to coffee connoisseurs.
Ideal serving: 120ml hot water + 60ml Espresso (yes, in that order) in a 200ml cup.
11. Vienna Mocha
Or simply known as Vienna Coffee, this coffee is a fun-loving twist to your regular Espresso shot. What’s the twist, you ask? WHIPPED CREAM!
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso + Whipped cream on the top in a 150ml cup.
12. Latte
Caffé Latte can be seen as the more mainstream brother of Café au Lait. The name literally means, yes, you guessed it right, ‘milk coffee.’
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso + 180-300ml steamed milk (depending on container)
13. Frappé
One of the fanciest coffee drinks out there, and the one that contains the least amount of coffee in comparison to other items. This Starbucks favourite has to be served cold to be enjoyed.
Ideal serving: 10g (or 2 tsp.) instant coffee + 15ml sugar water + 90ml cold water with 3-5 ice cubes + 90ml coffee foam (in that order) in a 250ml glass.
14. Mocha
Ah, coffee and chocolate! The holy grail of all beverages. Nothing can go wrong with Mocha, nothing!
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso + 120ml hot chocolate + Whipped cream on the top in a 250ml cup.
Now that we’ve taken care of the regulars, let’s try some whacky and out-of-the-box stuff, shall we?
15. Borgia
There’s really not much difference in between Mocha and Borgia. What does set them apart, is what goes in the whipped cream on the top.
Ideal serving: 60ml Espresso + 120ml hot chocolate + Whipped cream on the top, sprinkled with cinnamon and orange peel in a 250ml cup.
16. Mazagran
Fancy a zingy touch to your everyday coffee? Add lemon. WHAT!? Yeah, lemon juice. Brooooo!
Ideal serving: 5g (or 1 tsp.) brown sugar + 90ml French press coffee + 45ml lemon juice + Topped with ice cubes (in that order) in a 250ml glass.
17. Dirty chai latte
Ideal serving: 30ml Espresso + 60ml spiced black tea + 90ml steamed milk + topped with milk foam (in that order) in a 200ml cup.
18. Café del Tiempo
Café de Tiempo literally means ‘weather coffee.’ Meant to enjoy in the hot summers, this is espresso served with an offering of a lemon slice and some ice.
Ideal serving: 30ml Espresso in a 150ml cup + Side serving of lemon slice and ice cubes.
19. Piccolo latte
Before we get to this coffee variant (no manga or musical references), let me tell you about Ristretto. Ristretto, broadly defined, is Espresso on hard mode. It is produced using the same process, but with half the amount of water. The result: Stronger and darker coffee.
Ideal serving: 20ml Ristretto + 60ml steamed milk + topped with milk foam in a 90ml glass.
20. Café con Hielo
This exciting Spanish offering literally means ‘coffee with ice.’ Also known by bar-fanatics as coffee on the rocks.
Ideal serving: Ice cubes + 30ml Espresso poured on the top in a 150 ml cup.
21. Affogato
Okay, maybe I was wrong. Coffee and ice cream is better. Is it? You decide!
Ideal serving: 1 scoop vanilla ice cream + 30ml Espresso poured on the top in a 150 ml cup.
22. The Eyes
These are four types of coffees for power drinkers. Straight up coffee and then some more coffee. It involves Espresso mixed with dripped or filter coffee, that is water poured over roasted and ground coffee beans and dripped through a filter.
Ideal servings:
Lazy eye: 60ml Espresso + 120ml decaffeinated dripped coffee in a 200ml cup.
Red eye: 30ml Espresso + 120ml decaffeinated dripped coffee in a 200ml cup.
Black eye: 60ml Espresso + 120ml decaffeinated dripped coffee in a 200ml cup (same as lazy eye, except dripped coffee, is not decaffeinated).
Deadeye: 90ml Espresso + 120ml decaffeinated dripped coffee in a 200ml cup.
So there you have it. I have sorted your mornings, afternoons, and evenings for probably the entire year. Keep experimenting and for the love of coffee…
Cheers!
Fact sources: Wikipedia and Visually.
Cover image sources: 1 & 2