Coffee Drink Basics

When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like latté, cappuccino, straight shot and caffé mocha just to name a few.

Sometimes knowing what to order can be overwhelming unless you know what you are getting. After all, who wants to pay an outrageous amount of money for a mystery drink that you may not even like?

So PerfectCoffees.Com has come to the rescue, and after you read this, you'll have a basic understanding of how the most popular coffee drinks are made and what they are made of.

Most coffee drinks start with espresso and espresso is just coffee that is brewed a certain way. It is finely ground to almost a powder then very hot water is forced through the grounds under intense pressure.

The brewing process is timed so that the flavorful and aromatic oils are extracted from the coffee and not the bitter components. This produces a strong flavored, but not bitter, concentrated shot of coffee.

Straight Shot

The straight shot refers to espresso coffee and the secret to good espresso is the extraction time, volume, and golden crema which is a thick light brown layer of frothed coffee oils that float on top of a properly extracted espresso.

The short shot or ristretto is extracted to a volume of three-quarters of an ounce. The shorter restricted pour magnifies the essence of the coffee and the chance of any bitter elements being extracted is minimized. If you have ever ordered an espresso shot in Europe they usually serve the ristretto.

The long shot or lungo is extracted to a volume of one and one-half ounces.

The double shot is a 2 ounce shot using twice as much coffee in the portafilter.

The correct way to serve a straight shot is to extract it directly into a warmed demitasse cup. The warm demitasse cup will keep the straight shot warm and prolong the crema. A straight shot is best enjoyed immediately after brewing.

It is rare to see people drinking straight shots of espresso in the US. Most people here drink variations using steamed milk mixed with the shots to make the different coffee drinks listed here.

Espresso Macchiato

The Espresso Macchiato starts with a shot of espresso and then a small amount of foamed milk is spooned over the shot. Macchiato in Italian means "marked," as the espresso is marked with foam.

Espresso Con Panna

This is an Espresso Macchiato using whipped cream in place of the foamed milk. The drink gets its name Con Panna which means "with cream."

Caffé Americano

The Caffé Americano is a drink similar to American brewed coffee. It is made with a single or double shot of espresso combined with 6 to 8 ounces of hot water out of an espresso machine. The result is a very smooth cup of coffee that is much hotter than brewed coffee.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is made with a fluffy, wet foam, mixed with espresso coffee upon the pour to create a blend of the two flavors. Cold milk is essential, as is expertise in the foaming process. Cappuccino has a large volume of foam making it a light weight drink and less filling.

Caffé Latté

Caffé Latté is similar to the cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed milk. A latté is made by holding back the foam with a spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the steaming pitcher. The caffé latté is completed by being topped with a small amount of the held back foam.

Caffé latté gets its name from the addition of coffee to milk. For an iced latté, cold milk is combined with the espresso and then the ice is added.

Caffé Mocha

A caffé mocha is made by adding powdered or chocolate syrup to a hot shot of espresso and blended. Steamed milk is then be added to the espresso-chocolate mixture and usually it is topped with whipped cream.

Iced mochas are made with cold milk and the ice added after the coffee and chocolate have been blended.

Flavored Coffee Drinks

Some popular coffee flavors are: vanilla, Irish creme, almond, hazelnut, caramel and fruit flavors such as orange and raspberry. These drinks usually start with a flavored syrup that is mixed with hot espresso and stirred. Then steamed milk is stirred in like in a latté.

An iced version of these flavored coffees made with cold milk instead of steamed makes a delicious cold drink in the summer months.

So now that you know what's in the basic coffee drinks, try one you haven't tasted yet. Who knows, you might find a new favorite.

Copyright © 2004 PerfectCoffees.com - All Rights Reserved.

This article may be re-published "as is" (unedited) as long as the author's bio paragraph (resource box) and copyright information is included. The URLs in the resource box should be set as hyperlinks if used on a web page.

About The Author

Gary Gresham is the webmaster for www.perfectcoffees.com where you can purchase quality coffee, tea, cups & mugs, coffee gifts and delicious desserts online. He offers a free monthly coffee newsletter at www.perfectcoffees.com/newsletter.html.

Gary@perfectcoffees.com

---

Powered by Feedzilla

Contact Us Today For Ad Information...

Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Cheap Domain Names

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Coffee Consumption

Coffee is heavily studied, but study results contradict one another.... Read More

3 Simple Tips For Making Perfect Coffee

Want to brew the perfect cup of coffee?Here are 3... Read More

Coffee is a commodity

At Starbucks they obviously need coffee. To insure that they... Read More

Choosing A Coffee Maker - Tips On Finding The Right Features

Choosing a good coffee maker is not a decision to... Read More

The Best Cup of Drip Coffee Possible

With a "good" cup of coffee costing almost as much... Read More

Coffee For Your Health

Many of us rely on coffee to get us going... Read More

Italian Coffee - Something For Everyone

Espresso, caffè latte, cappuccino; there would seem to be as... Read More

Who is Juan Valdez?

Juan Valdez is a fictitious character who was created in... Read More

Coffee Is A Historic Beverage, And It Makes For A Great Gift

Ahhhhh, coffee... a fantastic dark beverage that wakes us up... Read More

Are Coffee Enemas The Real Thing?

Coffee enemas detoxify the liver, as well as cleans the... Read More

How Is Kona Coffee Different?

Like much of Hawaii, Kona offers ideal climate conditions for... Read More

Home Coffee Roasting

Home Coffee Roasting ? Makes all the differenceAs I sit... Read More

Live the Life of a Civil War Soldier When you Drink your Mornin Coffee

Civil War soldiers, Confederate and Union, used to... Read More

Creating the Perfect Foam

Most places that serve cappuccinos in the United States have... Read More

Extracting the Coffee Flavor

The beverage called coffee is the result of mixing dry... Read More

Coffee ?Nectar of the gods

About 850 A.D it is said that a lone shepherd... Read More

Coffee and Health

From the year dot, my mother taught all her children... Read More

The Coffee Culture in the USA

It wasn't until I moved to the US that I... Read More

History of the Coffee and Espresso Machine

A large percentage of the population loves to drink both... Read More

Tips For Choosing The Perfect Travel Mug

A good travel mug is a must when you need... Read More

English Coffee

With English Tea being a very familiar term, English coffee... Read More

Coffee Bean Roaster

The coffee bean roaster is fast becoming a "must have"... Read More

Woman Dies from Caffeine Overdose and Expert Calls for Action in New Book and FDA Petition

An autopsy released this week has found caffeine to be... Read More

Those Elusive Coffee Beans!

With the spread of various coffee beans into our lives,... Read More

Coffee, Caffeine & Fitness

One look at a line at the local Starbucks in... Read More