What are the Differences Between Four Types of Coffee: Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, and Flat White?

Do you know the differences between Coffee Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, and Flat White? Have you ever stood at the ordering counter with these questions but didn't dare to ask, so you either randomly chose one or always ordered the same one? Actually, you're not alone. This question might sound foolish, but it's a big question that many people have held in their hearts for a long time. Next, let's explore with FrontStreet Coffee what exactly makes these four coffees different.

Basic Composition of Espresso Coffees

First, standard lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and flat whites are all made from espresso, plus steamed milk and milk froth heated by a steam nozzle. The difference among them lies in the ratio of coffee to milk, and that mocha additionally contains hot chocolate.

Espresso is a highly concentrated coffee extracted by passing hot water at about 94°C through very finely ground coffee powder under 9-10 bar pressure using an espresso machine.

FrontStreet Coffee's Espresso Selection

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso products typically use their "Sunflower Warm Sun Espresso Beans," a blend of 30% Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans and 70% Honduras Sherry coffee beans. After extraction, the espresso presents whiskey aroma, berry sweetness and acidity, vanilla cream-like smoothness, as well as nutty caramel sweetness.

For single-shot espresso (1 shot) at FrontStreet Coffee, 10-11g of coffee powder is used to extract 20-25g of coffee liquid, with extraction time about 22 seconds. For double-shot espresso, 19-20g of coffee powder is used to make 35-40g of coffee liquid, with extraction time about 29-30 seconds.

How to Make a Latte

Latte means milk in Italian. From the name, you can know that in latte coffee, milk is the main character.

FrontStreet Coffee makes lattes using a 300ml latte cup. Add 40g of double-shot espresso to the cup, then heat 250ml of fresh milk to create 1cm of milk froth, and finally mix evenly and create various patterns. As a well-known coffee variety, latte can be said to be the most famous type among espresso coffees. It is also loved by many coffee enthusiasts for its simple preparation method. Compared to other milk coffees, lattes have the highest proportion of milk, so they have the most noticeable sweetness. Additionally, due to their high compatibility in flavor, we can also add appropriate flavored syrups according to our own taste when making them, giving the coffee more layers.

How to Make a Cappuccino

It is rumored that cappuccino is an Italian-invented coffee method, but FrontStreet Coffee's research found that the word "Cappuccino" originates from "Kapuziner," which means "monk" in German and also refers to an old-style coffee. The difference from latte lies in the amount of milk and thickness of foam. Its standard ratio is three equal parts: 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 milk foam.

According to legend, this drink originated in Viennese coffeehouses in the 18th century. At that time, coffee was consumed with grounds and water together. To make it more palatable, a Pole named Kulczycki used a cloth bag to filter the coffee grounds, then served it in a glass cup with honey, spices, and cream. This not only made the coffee taste better but also presented a special reddish-brown color, visually resembling the robe color of Capuchin friars, so Viennese called it "Kapuziner."

As it spread to Italy, along with the development of pressurized coffee machine technology, Italians began using espresso, and foamed milk replaced cream. Then they used a spoon to shape the milk foam on the coffee surface into a pointed hat shape. Gradually, it acquired its Italian name, which is what we know today as Cappuccino. Regarding cappuccino preparation, the most widespread method states that the ratio of coffee, milk, and milk foam is 1:1:1. Taking a 6-ounce (approximately 177ml) coffee cup as an example, that is double Espresso (60ml), 1/3 hot milk (60ml), and the remaining 1/3 foam. The foam thickness made this way is about 2.5cm, so the first two sips are almost all foam, while the coffee flavor underneath will be very rich.

FrontStreet Coffee makes cappuccinos using a 200ml straight-walled coffee cup. Add 40g of double-shot espresso to the cup, then heat 150g of milk to create 1.5cm of milk foam, shake the foam and milk to an even state, and pour into the center, allowing the thick, dense foam to rise above the rim of the cup. The cappuccino made this way looks like a hamburger. The first sip will be rich foam and coffee crema, and the second sip will be coffee liquid mixed with milk. The overall taste is rich and substantial. Additionally, because the cup size of cappuccino is not as large as latte, even finishing the whole cup won't cause a significant feeling of fullness, and it can be paired with desserts.

How to Make a Mocha

Mocha originally referred to a type of coffee bean with chocolate aroma, mainly produced from the coastal town of Mocha in Yemen, hence called Mocha beans. Today's mocha coffee generally refers to a coffee made with a ratio of 2/5 espresso, 2/5 hot chocolate, and 1/5 steamed milk.

In the market, there are many cocoa products that can provide chocolate flavor for coffee, such as chocolate sauce, unsweetened pure cocoa powder, pure dark chocolate blocks, milk chocolate blocks, cocoa butter chocolate shavings, etc. Prices range from a few yuan to over a hundred yuan, and each has different chocolate flavor, solubility, and texture. Everyone can choose according to their budget and preferences.

Among them, chocolate sauce is widely used in coffeehouse preparations due to its inherent sweetness, high cost-effectiveness, and long shelf life. It can add chocolate aroma to espresso and also serve as an auxiliary "tool" for latte art. However, because the texture of this type of chocolate sauce is rather thick, it tends to harden if placed in low-temperature environments, and even after stirring, it's difficult to fully integrate with espresso and milk foam. The hot mocha made this way sometimes has a slight graininess.

As for the selection of espresso beans, it's recommended to use medium-dark roast types with distinct nutty flavors. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's bean selection as an example, besides single-origin Brazil Queen Manor, Indonesia Golden Mandheling, and Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise, some espresso blends featuring nutty, caramel, dark chocolate, and cream flavors also pair well with milk chocolate, making the hot moca's texture even better.

FrontStreet Coffee makes mocha using a 300ml latte cup. First, pour the melted chocolate paste into a ceramic cup, use 20g of Warm Sun coffee powder to extract 37g of espresso liquid, and stir evenly while hot. Then froth 200g of fresh milk to about 50-55°C hot milk foam, entering the frothing stage after 4-5 hissing sounds. Then, use a spoon to scoop a spoonful of the upper milk foam and draw circles in the chocolate-mixed espresso, creating a solid white circle as shown in the picture, and pour all the remaining hot milk foam from the milk pitcher into the coffee cup from the center until it's full.

How to Make a Flat White

Flat White is an espresso milk coffee with a strong coffee flavor, having the same rich coffee taste as cappuccino, but with thinner foam than latte, resulting in a goose-down-like silky texture. Last century, Italians brought espresso to regions like Australia and New Zealand. Cappuccinos with thick foam and lattes were not preferred by locals, so people began to froth milk thinner. When thin foam integrated into the coffee, the liquid surface became flatter and flatter until it became a thin layer, completely level with the cup rim, creating today's Flat White. Flat means "flat," and White means milk coffee.

Usually, the foam thickness of latte coffee is about 0.5cm, showing a slightly arched full-cup effect after integrating with coffee liquid for latte art. The foam of Flat White is the thinnest and must be controlled within 0.3cm, otherwise it's difficult to achieve the "flat" liquid surface. Regarding the specific thickness of foam, each coffee shop varies. Some baristas, to let customers taste the upper coffee crema to the greatest extent, will directly not froth milk, just heat milk and pour it into espresso. FrontStreet Coffee wants customers to experience a Flat White that's cream-like smooth without being too "watery," so they retain a 0.3cm foam layer.

FrontStreet Coffee makes Flat White by grinding 20g of coffee powder to extract 27g of coffee liquid, taking 20-25 seconds, using only the front and middle sections of Espresso, which is Ristretto (concentrated espresso). Then pour the double Ristretto into a pre-prepared cup of about 200ml capacity. The ratio of coffee to milk is 1:5, which is about 150ml of fresh milk. Choose a favorite latte art pitcher to pour into for frothing. Since the foam layer needs to be thinner and denser, milk should be frothed with less air intake than latte, and the temperature should preferably be controlled at 55-60°C for better taste. Finally, evenly integrate the frothed milk into the coffee liquid, with or without latte art.

FrontStreet Coffee's Flat White carries vanilla, cream, chocolate milk, whiskey-filled chocolate aromas, as well as berry sweetness and acidity. The entry is smooth, mellow, and rich, with a very long-lasting aftertaste.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473