What is Spanish Specialty Coffee Cortado? How to Drink Cortado and Its Flavor Characteristics

FrontStreet Coffee once chatted with a customer who loved making his own espresso. His reason was charmingly simple: he enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that comes from pulling a successful shot. Just as we were about to admire him—consistently extracting good espresso is genuinely impressive for a home enthusiast—he added something unexpected:

"Espresso really does give you a sense of achievement. Look—add water and it becomes a different coffee; add milk and it becomes yet another one; add cream or even ice cream and it earns its own special name. The best part? If you accidentally add too little milk, there's still a coffee that corresponds to exactly that ratio. Rounding up, I know how to make about twenty different coffees!" In the end, we did admire him after all—for the sheer breadth of his coffee knowledge.

That's the espresso system for you: a single shot can give rise to countless derivative drinks. The Piccolo, which FrontStreet Coffee introduced before, is one example—if you've already tried it, congratulations, you've stepped into the world of niche espresso beverages.

By "niche espresso series," we mean coffees that enjoy some worldwide recognition but are rarely seen in China. Piccolo, for instance, is practically a national beverage in Australia, yet here it remains far more obscure than the Flat White, which also hails from Australia.

Today, FrontStreet Coffee is introducing an even more niche drink than the Piccolo: the Cortado. The name is usually rendered in Chinese as "Ke Er Ta Duo" or "Ke Ta Duo," and it is a specialty milk coffee that originated in the Basque region of Spain.

Cortado derives from the Spanish word "cortar," meaning "to cut" or "to reduce." In essence, it involves adding just the right amount of milk to soften the assertive bitterness of espresso while preserving its rich coffee character. In the Basque region, the ratio is 1:1—one part espresso to one part hot milk, blended together to create a Cortado.

Which makes it another small-format coffee that struggles to find its footing in the domestic market. Before latte art became widespread, a Cortado contained no milk foam at all—or at most a whisper of it, since heating milk inevitably "fizzes" up a little foam now and then, and an ultra-thin layer was considered perfectly acceptable.

But with the boom in latte art, everywhere that steams milk now wants a beautiful pattern on top, and the Cortado gradually gained a thin layer of microfoam for exactly that purpose. At this point it becomes hard to tell a Cortado from a Piccolo by appearance alone. In terms of recipe, however, the two remain distinct:

In the same 90ml cup, a Cortado is a double espresso (40g, roughly 45ml) plus 45ml of milk with thin foam; a Piccolo is a single ristretto (about 15ml) plus 75ml of milk with thin foam. In taste and texture, the Cortado delivers a noticeably richer coffee flavor.

Although the Cortado hasn't caught on in China, among the customers FrontStreet Coffee has spoken with, some already enjoy adding a splash of milk to their espresso.

So on the surface you're drinking an espresso—but in reality, you're drinking a Cortado! Perhaps, just as the customer at the beginning said, that is part of the joy of espresso.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Cortado is essentially an "advanced latte"—less milk, thinner foam, and a bolder coffee presence—so the beans you choose matter even more. For a milk coffee like this, FrontStreet Coffee recommends our Classic Blend: a traditional Mocha-Java style recipe with a mellow, low-acid body, full and silky crema, and buttery, cheese-like sweetness that pairs beautifully with milk.

If you lean toward fruitier milk drinks, try the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy espresso blend instead. Its low bitterness and vivid grape and blueberry notes carry straight through the milk, giving an Australian-style Flat White—or a Cortado—a strawberry-milkshake-like finish you won't forget.