What's the Difference Between Dirty Coffee and Latte, Which Tastes Better? Why Should You Take a Big Sip of Dirty Coffee on the First Taste?

Every time you visit a coffee shop, you likely find yourself torn between whether to order Americano or pour-over coffee... or perhaps latte or Dirty coffee! Facing an array of coffee options with seemingly similar beverages, what are the actual differences? In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will help you understand the common types of coffee you'll find in cafés!

Common coffee types in cafés are divided into three categories: espresso-based coffee family, drip coffee family, and cold brew coffee family.

The Espresso-Based Coffee Family

Espresso, also known as Italian espresso, is a concentrated coffee extracted by forcing pressurized water through finely ground coffee powder. All related products in this family are made by adding other ingredients to espresso as a base. Different proportions of the same ingredients can create different products.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily espresso making uses "FrontStreet Sunflower Warm Sunshine Espresso Blend," which consists of 30% sun-processed Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans + 70% Honduras whiskey barrel-aged Sherry coffee beans. The extracted espresso features rich fermented wine aroma, berry sweetness and acidity, vanilla cream, and nutty caramel flavors.

The extraction parameters for double espresso are typically 19-20g of coffee grounds, extracting 35-40g of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of 28-35 seconds. Single espresso extraction parameters are generally 11-12g of coffee grounds, extracting 20g of coffee liquid, with an extraction time of 18-23 seconds. Of course, the performance of each espresso machine and grinder varies, so the above data is for reference only and should be adjusted according to actual conditions.

Common espresso types include: regular Espresso (the extraction parameters mentioned above are recommendations for Espresso), Ristretto, and Single Origin Espresso/SOE (using single-origin coffee beans to extract espresso). The difference between the three is that Ristretto is more concentrated than regular espresso (with a reduced extraction ratio), while Single Origin Espresso uses coffee beans from a single region/estate, whereas regular Espresso uses blended coffee beans from different regions.

Common family members include: Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White, Dirty coffee, and Mocha.

Americano (Water + Espresso)

FrontStreet Coffee's preparation method is two regular espressos, adding hot/ice water mixture in a 1:6-1:8 ratio.

Latte (Milk + Espresso)

FrontStreet Coffee's preparation method is two regular espressos, adding steamed milk/iced milk/iced milk with ice cubes in a 1:5-1:8 ratio after frothing.

Cappuccino (Normally only hot, dense thick foam + milk + espresso)

FrontStreet Coffee's cappuccino preparation method is two regular espressos, adding hot milk with thick froth in a 1:5-1:8 ratio.

Flat White (Normally only hot, thin foam + milk + ristretto)

FrontStreet Coffee's preparation method is two ristrettos, adding hot milk with thin froth in a 1:5-1:6 ratio. Unlike latte, it has higher coffee concentration and less milk proportion, making it taste richer.

Dirty Coffee (Only cold, chilled glass + iced milk supporting two espressos)

FrontStreet Coffee's preparation method uses a chilled glass with 160ml of iced milk, then places it directly close to the coffee outlet, allowing espresso to flow directly into the milk. Due to density differences, the espresso floats on the milk surface, creating a layered gradient effect. Unlike latte, Dirty coffee doesn't need to be stirred when drinking - you experience different layers, textures, and flavors as the coffee and milk gradually blend during consumption.

Mocha (Chocolate sauce + milk + espresso)

FrontStreet Coffee's preparation method is two regular espressos + chocolate sauce mixed evenly, then adding steamed milk/iced milk/iced milk with ice cubes in a 1:5-1:8 ratio after frothing.