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Easy Differentiation of Mocha, Latte, Macchiato and Cappuccino: Coffee Machine Preparation Methods and Flavor Profiles

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). Compare the differences between Latte, Cappuccino, and Mocha. Do you know the differences between these three types of coffee?

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat Official Account: cafe_style). For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: qjcoffeex.

Understanding Italian Coffee Varieties

When you stand before a coffee shop counter, looking at the dazzling array of coffee flavors like common lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, or macchiatos, do you feel a bit confused? This special guide from FrontStreet Coffee will not only help you distinguish between various espresso coffee tastes but also teach you the preparation ratios.

What we call Espresso is high-concentration coffee made using an espresso machine with pressure extraction. Due to Espresso's intense flavor and strong taste, many people find it difficult to drink. Therefore, after Italian espresso spread to different parts of the world, people from different countries added various ingredients, using espresso as a base to create many different coffee varieties.

Among these, Italian coffee products with added milk can be truly dazzling. Among them, latte, cappuccino, macchiato, and mocha have been widely promoted globally by Starbucks, so many domestic friends have deep impressions of these Italian milk coffees.

Preparation Requirements

Regardless of which Italian milk coffee you choose, we first need to prepare an espresso machine with a steam wand. Then select medium-dark roasted, full-bodied coffee beans specifically blended for Italian coffee. The coffee's flavor depends on the coffee beans themselves and their roast level.

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee offers four types of Italian blend coffee beans, all shipped as whole beans within 5 days of roasting to ensure customers receive 100% fresh-roasted coffee beans. After receiving the coffee beans, you can check the roast date on the back label and start using them 7 days after that date, allowing the coffee beans time to naturally release carbon dioxide, further ensuring extraction stability.

「Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans」 79/227g: Ethiopia natural red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans (70%), with rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweetness and acidity, and roasted nut flavor characteristics.

「Specialty Blend Coffee Beans」 75/454g: Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural process coffee beans (70%), with nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavor characteristics.

「Commercial Blend Coffee Beans」 60/454g: Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombia washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural process coffee (60%), with nut, cocoa, and caramel flavor characteristics.

「Basic Blend Coffee Beans」 50/454g: Yunnan washed small bean coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural process coffee beans (70%), with gentle fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavor characteristics.

Extraction Process

After receiving the coffee beans, we need to prepare an electric coffee grinder to grind the coffee beans into extremely fine particles, then place them evenly in the portafilter basket, press firmly with the included tamper, attach it to the coffee machine, and press the extraction button.

Since each grinder and coffee machine performs differently, generally extracting 20g of coffee liquid from 10g of coffee powder or 40g of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee powder should take between 25-30 seconds. After extracting the espresso, you can taste it and then decide whether to adjust to a coarser grind (weaker taste) or finer grind (stronger taste).

Coffee Variations and Ratios

After preparing the espresso, you can use the steam wand to heat and froth milk.

Latte preparation ratio: 20g espresso + 160ml milk + 1cm thick milk foam. After the milk and coffee are evenly mixed, the overall balance is smooth. Total capacity is about 200ml, so everyone needs to prepare a 200ml bowl-shaped latte cup for preparation.

Mocha, a chocolate-flavored Italian milk coffee. Preparation ratio: 20g espresso + 10g chocolate syrup + 150ml milk + 1cm thick milk foam. If possible, you can also add your favorite marshmallows on top to increase the sweet aroma. The preparation method is similar to latte, so everyone can prepare it using a 200-300ml bowl-shaped latte cup.

Cappuccino preparation ratio: 40g espresso + 120g milk + 1.5cm thick milk foam, total capacity about 200ml. Compared to latte, cappuccino is a milk coffee with a richer coffee flavor and denser, thicker milk foam, with a first sip feeling like cotton candy. The milk foam for cappuccino must be piled high, so we recommend using a 200ml straight/tulip-shaped coffee cup.

Macchiato preparation ratio: 20g espresso + add a small amount of milk foam. This coffee is essentially espresso with a small amount of milk foam on top, appearing very small in size, with overall rich and mellow taste, so FrontStreet Coffee recommends using an espresso cup to serve it.