Espresso Guide!

Often times walking into a coffee shop and glancing at the menu can be pretty daunting. All the fancy names are enough to scare someone into sticking with one safe choice for all of eternity. Fear no longer, here is a handy-dandy cheat sheet so that you can stand up to the snobbiest of baristas.


Espresso: A concentrated coffee beverage brewed with finely ground coffee beans. They are poured and served in shots. You typically order espresso in increments: a single shot (solo), a double shot (doppio), a triple shot (trippio), four shots (quad), etc.


Espresso Con Panna: Shots of espresso topped with whipped cream. Order like so, “I’d like a doppio con panna.”


Espresso Machiatto: Espresso shots with a scoop of foamed milk. If you want to get fancy, a wet macchiato includes some steamed milk with your foam, and a no foam macchiato has just a splash of steamed milk. To order this one, “I’d like a solo wet macchiato.”


In the drinks below the number of espresso shots depends on the size of the beverage you order; 


Caffé Americano: Espresso shots with hot water. Fans of regular brewed coffee may especially enjoy these.
Caffé Latte: Espresso shots with steamed milk and a thin layer of foam.
Caffé Mocha: Espresso shots with mocha, steamed milk, and oftentimes whipped cream.
Cappuccino: Espresso shots with steamed milk and a great deal of thick foam. Try getting specific with this drink too! A wet cappuccino has more milk and less foam. A dry cappuccino has less milk and more foam, and a bone-dry (or extra dry) cappuccino has no milk and only foam.


Caramel Machiatto: Steamed milk sweetened with vanilla and a thin layer of foam. Espresso shots are poured on top followed by caramel sauce. This drink is similar to a vanilla caffé latte, the main difference being that the espresso shots sit on top rather than mixing uniformly throughout the drink.


As you try all of these different drinks feel free to specify what type of milk you’d like. Nonfat? Soy? Add additional shots if you’d like your drink stronger or ask for extra or no foam if you prefer. Baristas can also make your drinks decaffeinated or half-caffeinated and in most cases flavor any of these drinks with sugar based or sugar-free sweeteners. Chain coffee joints keep their drink recipes uniform but don’t be shy to ask questions at your local coffee shop. How many shots are in your medium Americano? What sugar-free syrups do you have? Etc.


Try something new this month, and order with confidence!


"Remember the most econommical way to buy your coffee is to 
order it fresh roasted on-line and prepare it yourself." 
"Anytime Is Coffee Time!"