With all the different names for coffee drinks out there, it's no wonder that people get a little overwhelmed when they're ordering. Fortunately, with all the different styles of coffee, there's actually usually just a simple variation on a classic drink happening. We'll prep you for a world where hazelnut and pumpkin lattes are confusing you from what's really going on behind the counter.
First, three of the most popular coffee-style beverages you're likely to find, whether in Rome or in Starbucks:
Caffe Latte Also referred to as Cafe au Lait, depending on where you're ordering your drink, this is one of the most popular styles of coffee worldwide, and is really just a fancy way of saying espresso with milk. A single shot of espresso is made with steamed milk, and then served with an extra inch of frothed milk (foam) on top.
Americano You know how when you use your drip coffee machine at home, how the product tastes more like coffee-flavored water if you don't put the right amount of grounds in? Well, the Americano is named, jokingly, after the sort of taste it is that Americans prefer when drinking their coffee. Basically, eight ounces of hot water is added to a shot of espresso, giving you a--you guessed it--watered down version of a stronger espresso drink.
Caffe Creme A number of different styles of coffee just involve a couple of variations to change the end result. Here, your coffee is brewed right from the beans, resulting in a non-milk layer of foam, referred to as crema, on top of the drink itself. No dairy is involved, but the taste is surprisingly smooth, considering.
But half of what makes coffee is actually the style in which it's brewed, not the ingredients added for it to be served to you. Here are a couple of the processes that you might also not know what the heck their names mean:
The French Press This is also known as bodum, cafetiere, and the press pot. Sound confusing? It's a bunch of different names, not styles of coffee. Here, a glass container has a plunger attached, where you add near-boiling water, coffee, and then press the coffee, which is ground coarsely, down with the plunger after a few moments sitting in the boiling water. The system works to filter the coffee and leave a superior-tasting product.
The Fully Automatic Espresso Machine From semi-affordable versions given as wedding gifts to machines that literally cost the same amount as sports cars, Italy definitely perfected yet another mechanical device when the guys up in Milan invented this. For over a hundred years, these have made the best coffee you could get your hands on, and families are known for bringing over specific machines for their restaurants to do well. It basically grinds, measures, heats, and makes shots of espresso automatically. Amazing!
For the at-home folks, there's also a stovetop version of an espresso machine, which is a cross between a coffee pot and a percolator. Of course, the Americans amongst us are used to a different style of coffee entirely, with the Mr. Coffee drip system, which unfortunately is accurately known for producing slightly sub-par tasting cups of coffee, even when great beans are used.
So now that you're equipped with the names of a couple of drinks, as well as some at-home processes to getting a solid cup of coffee, there's no reason to freeze up the next time you're out at a fancy restaurant and everyone else is ordering coffee-related drinks that you don't quite understand. Once you get the basic vocabulary down, learning the styles of coffee and how to order them and make them at home is a simple undertaking. Bottoms up! - 30414
First, three of the most popular coffee-style beverages you're likely to find, whether in Rome or in Starbucks:
Caffe Latte Also referred to as Cafe au Lait, depending on where you're ordering your drink, this is one of the most popular styles of coffee worldwide, and is really just a fancy way of saying espresso with milk. A single shot of espresso is made with steamed milk, and then served with an extra inch of frothed milk (foam) on top.
Americano You know how when you use your drip coffee machine at home, how the product tastes more like coffee-flavored water if you don't put the right amount of grounds in? Well, the Americano is named, jokingly, after the sort of taste it is that Americans prefer when drinking their coffee. Basically, eight ounces of hot water is added to a shot of espresso, giving you a--you guessed it--watered down version of a stronger espresso drink.
Caffe Creme A number of different styles of coffee just involve a couple of variations to change the end result. Here, your coffee is brewed right from the beans, resulting in a non-milk layer of foam, referred to as crema, on top of the drink itself. No dairy is involved, but the taste is surprisingly smooth, considering.
But half of what makes coffee is actually the style in which it's brewed, not the ingredients added for it to be served to you. Here are a couple of the processes that you might also not know what the heck their names mean:
The French Press This is also known as bodum, cafetiere, and the press pot. Sound confusing? It's a bunch of different names, not styles of coffee. Here, a glass container has a plunger attached, where you add near-boiling water, coffee, and then press the coffee, which is ground coarsely, down with the plunger after a few moments sitting in the boiling water. The system works to filter the coffee and leave a superior-tasting product.
The Fully Automatic Espresso Machine From semi-affordable versions given as wedding gifts to machines that literally cost the same amount as sports cars, Italy definitely perfected yet another mechanical device when the guys up in Milan invented this. For over a hundred years, these have made the best coffee you could get your hands on, and families are known for bringing over specific machines for their restaurants to do well. It basically grinds, measures, heats, and makes shots of espresso automatically. Amazing!
For the at-home folks, there's also a stovetop version of an espresso machine, which is a cross between a coffee pot and a percolator. Of course, the Americans amongst us are used to a different style of coffee entirely, with the Mr. Coffee drip system, which unfortunately is accurately known for producing slightly sub-par tasting cups of coffee, even when great beans are used.
So now that you're equipped with the names of a couple of drinks, as well as some at-home processes to getting a solid cup of coffee, there's no reason to freeze up the next time you're out at a fancy restaurant and everyone else is ordering coffee-related drinks that you don't quite understand. Once you get the basic vocabulary down, learning the styles of coffee and how to order them and make them at home is a simple undertaking. Bottoms up! - 30414
About the Author:
Damian Papworth just bought a new 2 cup coffee maker, he reviewed it at the One Cup Coffee Makers website.
