A Visual Guide to Understanding the Differences and Preparation Methods of Various Espresso-Based Coffees! Introduction to Ratios, Taste Characteristics, and Features of Different Espresso Drinks

For those new to espresso coffee, facing a pile of coffee terminology can be quite confusing—terms like Espresso, Ristretto, Lungo, Latte, Flat White, and so on. All of these belong to the category of espresso coffee. FrontStreet Coffee will help you understand the various types of espresso coffee with a single guide.

Espresso Coffee

Espresso is fast concentrated coffee. Under steam pressure (about 9 atmospheres), when hot water quickly passes through coffee grounds, the essence of the coffee is fully extracted, producing a cup of rich, aromatic, highly full-bodied coffee with a caramel-like bitterness. FrontStreet Coffee typically uses a double shot of espresso (20 grams of coffee grounds) to make about 40 grams of espresso, with a very fine and rich layer of coffee crema on the surface, also known as Crema.

Espresso coffee is the foundation of many espresso-based drinks. It can be said that if the espresso extraction is poor, other espresso drinks will not taste good either.

Americano Coffee

Americano coffee is made by diluting Italian espresso with hot water. It originated during World War II when American soldiers landed in Europe. Because they couldn't get used to Italian concentrated espresso, they diluted it with water, which evolved into Americano coffee. Although Americano is diluted with a lot of water and has a milder flavor than regular espresso, its flavor and aroma are not diminished. Compared to Americano coffee made with filter brewing methods, the flavor is completely different. It pairs very well with sweet treats like cookies and muffins, making it suitable for those who don't like overly strong espresso.

FrontStreet Coffee's hot Americano ratio is 40 grams of espresso mixed with 180 milliliters of hot water, resulting in a 220-milliliter Americano, with an espresso-to-water ratio of 1:4.5.

Flat White Coffee

Flat white coffee can be understood as the Australian localized version of latte coffee. Therefore, it differs slightly from our standard latte coffee. Flat white coffee originated in Australia and New Zealand. It's a coffee product that evolved based on the needs of Oceanic residents. It consists of espresso, milk, and a thin layer of milk foam. Generally, flat white coffee servings are smaller than lattes, with less milk and more concentrated coffee to highlight the rich coffee flavor. It's worth noting that flat white coffee is only served hot.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily flat white coffee ratio is 30g of espresso ristretto plus 190ml of milk and foam, with a foam thickness of 0.5cm.

For the base, FrontStreet Coffee uses espresso ristretto, extracting 30g of espresso liquid from 20g of coffee grounds in 20 seconds.

Coffee Latte

Latte coffee is a common milk coffee in espresso drinks. The word "Latte" in Italian means "milk." FrontStreet Coffee uses double espresso (40g) to make latte coffee, paired with 260 grams of milk and foam, with a foam thickness of 1cm. Of course, latte coffee can be made with beautiful latte art patterns. With the perfect fusion of milk and coffee, it highlights the sweetness of milk while also expressing the mellow charm of coffee.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino coffee was originally the breakfast drink of Italians and is a variation of Italian coffee. Steam-frothed milk is poured over relatively strong coffee. Because the milk foam cap on cappuccino coffee resembles the hat on the cloak of Catholic Capuchin monks, it got its name. Traditional cappuccino mixes espresso, milk, and foam in a 1:1:1 ratio, making cappuccino coffee less bitter than espresso and adding the fragrance of foam, making it more acceptable. Among espresso drinks, cappuccino has the thickest foam, and the dense, fine foam also adds excellent texture.

Espresso con Panna

Espresso con Panna is made by adding an appropriate amount of fresh cream to Italian espresso, letting the white, bubbly fresh cream float on the surface of the coffee. When drinking, you don't need to stir—just drink directly. The sweet fresh cream can resolve the bitterness of the espresso.

Cafe Mocha

In Italian, "Mo" means chocolate, so cafe mocha means chocolate coffee. It's a fusion of aromatic coffee, rich milk, and sweet chocolate. There's a variation of mocha called white cafe mocha, which uses white chocolate instead of milk and dark chocolate. Besides white cafe mocha, there's another variation that mixes two types of chocolate syrup, called zebra, sometimes referred to as tuxedo mocha.

FrontStreet Coffee's mocha coffee recipe is 40g espresso + 20g chocolate syrup + 260g hot milk.

Viennese Coffee

This is Austria's most famous coffee, invented by a coachman named Einshu Berna, also known as "Single-Head Carriage." The method is to add fresh cream and chocolate syrup to espresso.

Macchiato Coffee

Macchiato is an Italian word meaning "marked." Macchiato coffee originated in 1980s Italy when some customers had the habit of adding a small amount of milk to their espresso, but the milk would quickly disappear in the coffee crema. So baristas wanted to distinguish between pure espresso and espresso containing a small amount of milk, using foam to "mark" a white dot on top of the coffee crema.

Later, people discovered that in the gradual fusion of foam and espresso, one could taste the rich and mellow flavor of espresso while also experiencing the dense sweetness of milk, intertwining and melting in the mouth—an indescribable wonderful sensation. Thus, traditional macchiato coffee was born.

FrontStreet Coffee's macchiato recipe: 40g espresso + 1 spoon of fine milk foam

Caramel Macchiato

This is Starbucks' signature espresso drink (which has nothing to do with macchiato). A 355ml medium cup contains 1 shot (about 30ml) of espresso, with the other 300+ milliliters being milk with foam, vanilla syrup, and caramel, with a sweet flavor.

Caramel Macchiato: When making it, a large amount of milk and foam are used, not much different from a wet cappuccino or a thicker latte. Vanilla syrup and smooth hot fresh milk, topped with a layer of fine, smooth foam, mixed with rich espresso, plus soft caramel sauce, the sweet and mellow caramel macchiato becomes a great choice for coffee lovers to taste ristretto coffee.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473