Coffee Menus Demystified
Maybe it’s at a hip-trendy coffee shop or maybe it’s at a Starbucks, but unless you’ve researched beforehand, you’ve probably glanced at a coffee menu and seen a few unpronounceable-unapproachable drink options (the “mocha-iato-chino-vino-sleemo”…something like that). Without wanting to hold up the line, you choose something familiar and go on your merry way. But what about those unfamiliar parts of the menu? In this blog, we’ll cover the basics of a specialty coffee menu and provide some insight into when you may enjoy branching out into those lesser familiar territories.
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Black Coffee
Coffee (Drip or Pour Over) – as classic as it gets, this is often a drip coffee option that’s made in the morning and kept hot and ready for a quick pour. If you’re new to specialty coffee, grabbing a black coffee plain or with a little cream and sugar at a specialty shop is a great way to test the waters. Black coffee could also take the form of a pour over, which takes a bit longer to brew than a ready-made drip coffee, but may accentuate different flavors compared to drip black coffee. If a cafe’s black coffee tastes moderately better than the instant coffee you make at home, take it as encouragement to venture into some of the shop’s espresso + milk based drinks.
Cold Brew – as the name suggests, this is a cold drink. It offers a smooth-refreshing method of enjoying coffee with less acidity than a hot-temperature brewing method. It may also have more caffeine (if that’s your thing), but depends on the concentration or dilution with milk or water. Unsure if you want to commit to a whole cold brew drink? Ask the barista for a small taste (they’ll often happily oblige) or ask for their personal view on the in-house cold brew.
Cafe de Olla – found at latinx-forward specialty coffee shops, this drink is basically black coffee infused with sugar and spices. It’s added sweetness provides a slightly-diluted, more approachable coffee option, unless you’re not a fan of baking spices like cinnamon and clove.
Espresso
Espresso – this is the heart of specialty coffee. Drunk straight, it’s a small amount (1-2 ounces) of concentrated caffeine and flavor that can be served hot or over ice. The difference between black coffee and espresso is the method by which coffee is extracted: with black coffee, temperature and time are the two primary extraction tools; espresso uses time, temperature, and pressure (9x the atmospheric pressure at sea level to be exact), resulting in a more concentrated, intense, and flavor-packed drink. To the uninitiated, straight espresso may be too overwhelming on the front-end to pick out the distinct-desireable flavors, so if you’re interested in exploring espresso, I recommend working down from more diluted, but approachable drinks to less diluted options: start with what you’re used to, maybe something Starbucks-y like a latte with a syrup of some kind, then halve the syrup, then ask for no syrup, then less milk (a cappuccino), then sub water for milk (an Americano), then straight espresso. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite way to enjoy your coffee as you journey down the aforementioned path, maybe you won’t enjoy espresso at all – that’s okay, all drinks are just various vehicles to enjoy coffee and get your caffeine fix. Side note: some cafes use a different beans for milk based drinks vs straight espresso, so it’s worth asking what the espresso options are as the shop may have at least one single-origin option that the barista can walk you through if interested; oversimplified, single origin means the beans are from a specific region/farm (vs a blend of beans from various places) and implies a higher quality product with traceability. Blends have their own merits, so it’s really a case of to each their own.
Americano – originated in WWII when U.S. servicemen, unable to get a cup of black coffee, added hot water to readily-available Italian espresso to dilute it into something palatable and akin to black coffee. The concentration can range from 1:1 shots of espresso to hot water to as much as 1:7+. If you don’t like or haven’t tried espresso, but want something close, an Americano is a good option to dilute past the initial intense punch that espresso carries, and get through to some of the “other” varietal flavors, beit sweet, fruity, or chocolatey, etc.; it can be served hot or over ice.
Espresso with Milk (con leche) Basics
Latte – this is probably what most folks are familiar with and the drink that popularized specialty coffee into what it is today. It’s composed of 1-2 shots of espresso, 6-10 ounces of steamed-textured milk, and a small layer of microfoam that may or may not have some latte art. Most coffee shops also offer add-ins like syrups or toppings to showcase the coffee’s delicious flavor pairings and shop’s creative flare. Offered iced or hot, this drink is an easily approachable order because it’s so smooth, rich, and satisfying.
Mocha Latte – basically a latte, but with chocolate syrup or a few squares or dark/milk chocolate infused into your drink. Think of it as a cross between hot chocolate and coffee, with much more flavor; unlike hot chocolate, a mocha latte should be drunk before bed.
Cappuccino – similar to a latte in composition (espresso, milk, foam), but with less milk and more foam, resulting in an overall smaller drink size (~6 ounce cup). A cappuccino will taste moderately more concentrated than a latte because there’s less milk to dilute the espresso, but enough milk to maintain some of the creamy-ness of drink, which makes it a logical next step if you’re trying to work toward espresso tasting. If a latte is say 1:4:0 parts espresso-milk-foam, a cappuccino is 1:1:1 parts milk to 1 part foam.
Espresso with Milk (con leche) Intermediates
Quite frankly, these are really just cappuccinos with slight variations, but fancier sounding names.
Flat White – Similar to a cappuccino, but no foam, so just espresso and steamed milk in equal parts. The lack of foam makes the espresso slightly more present, but overall taste is relatively similar.
Cortado – Similar to a flat white, but the primary difference will be the drink size, which is capped at 4 ounces. There’s arguably a difference in milk texture, but if you order a flat white and a cortado side by side, you’re probably going to get two similar tasting drinks.
Macchiato – Similar to a cappuccino, but no steamed milk, so just espresso and foam in equal parts. This drink is often the closest menu option to plain espresso, separated only by a whiff of milk foam. If you’ve made it this far up the concentration ladder, you may as well just try espresso straight.
