This one will be brief. Think of this as a rapid shot of info that you can take in, enjoy, digest and then move on. This is the espresso of coffee articles.
Black Coffees
--Espresso (single/double)
Strong coffee, served in a small cup. Usually around 20-30ml for a single, or 40-50ml for a double espresso. It has a very intense, rich taste, and forms the base of many of the other drinks in this list.
--Americano
This is basically a diluted espresso. This helps reduce the intensity of the drink, but keeps a lot of the rich flavours. It is a larger drink of around 100-120ml.
--Lungo
This is a longer espresso (30-40ml), sometimes served with extra hot water on the side for you to dilute to taste.
--Filter
This doesn't have an espresso base. It is brewed by filtering hot water through a bed of ground coffee. This is great for someone who would like a large cup of black coffee. Far less intense than espresso, but the flavour can be more delicate and develops as the temperature drops
Milk Coffees
--Macchiato
This is like a small Cappuccino (see below). It is a single espresso mixed with a small amount of foamed milk - typically around equal volume milk to espresso.
--Cortado
Sometimes called Piccolo, this is a single espresso mixed with foamed milk in a ratio of 1:4. Around the same size as a Cappuccino, but often served in a glass.
--Flat White
This is a double espresso mixed with foamed milk in a 1:4 ratio and is around the same size as Cappuccino (possibly smaller). This gives you more of a coffee flavour due to the double espresso.
--Cappuccino
This is probably the most popular coffee drink in the world. It is made from a single espresso and steamed/foamed milk. The ratio of these two ingredients will vary from cafe to cafe, but it s typically around 1:6: some are milkier, some are smaller. It all depends, but they are typically around 120-200ml in size.
--Caffe Latte (Latte)
This is the drink for those who prefer more milk. Served in a larger cup, this mixes a single espresso with more foamed milk in a ratio of around 1:14.
Other coffee terms you might hear
--Portafilter
The handle on an espresso machine that holds the coffee. Ground coffee is loaded into the ‘basket’ at the end of the portafitler. This is then locked into the espresso machine and high-pressure water is passed through the coffee.
--Crema
The creamy-looking layer on the top of an espresso. This is formed from the carbon-dioxide bubbles released from the coffee into the hot water. Freshly roasted coffee will give more crema than older stale coffee.
--Grind
This refers to the size of the ground up coffee particles. Different coffees require different sizes of grind. Pour over or filter coffee uses a larger grind than espresso. Even different beans, and different roasting levels may need different grind sizes to be at their best, even when they are all to be brewed by the same method (espresso, for example). The size of grind can really impact the flavour.
--Puck
The compressed disk of coffee in the portafilter of an espresso machine. Used pucks can still be useful: they can make a great additive for the garden, so don't be too quick to knock them into the bin.
--Tamper
The tool used to compress the ground coffee into a puck when loaded in the portafilter of an espresso machine.
--Pour Over
A brewing method of coffee where hot water is poured over a collection of grounds in a filter cone. Coffee drips from underneath and is collected.
--Moka Pot
Nothing to do with chocolate (unfortunately). This is a metal pot containing cold water, underneath a separate bed of ground coffee. The Moka Pot is placed on a stove top to heat the water, which bubbles through the coffee grounds and is collected in the top of the pot. This can then be poured out and drunk. This is a very simple, and very intense coffee.
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