The Right Way to Drink Italian Coffee! How Should You Drink Coffee for the Best Experience? Must Dirty Coffee Be Drunk in Large Gulps?

Although how you drink coffee can be entirely based on personal preference, this approach might cause us to miss out on some of coffee's distinctive flavors. Coffee's uniqueness lies not only in its taste but also in the experience it brings, just like a Dirty - if stirred before drinking, it becomes virtually indistinguishable from an iced latte.

We can certainly decide how to drink based on our preferences, but if you want to more fully experience the characteristics of a cup of coffee, FrontStreet Coffee suggests trying its recommended drinking method - it might bring you a completely different new experience, just like Dirty.

Coffees That Need Stirring Before Drinking

Many coffees are suitable for drinking after stirring, such as espresso, iced latte, or various iced flavored coffees. Due to their respective characteristics or preparation methods, these drinks develop obvious layered states after being made. If consumed without stirring, not only will the experience be significantly diminished, but it might even result in a completely negative experience.

Take espresso for example - because it uses pressure extraction, espresso comes with a thick, dense layer of crema. This crema enhances the coffee's mouthfeel, making it taste richer and smoother. However, since the crema is lighter in weight, after brief resting, it separates from the coffee liquid. The lighter crema floats on top while the heavier coffee liquid sinks below, creating a layered state.

When espresso and crema are separated, the crema cannot enhance the coffee's mouthfeel, making the coffee taste less rich, while the crema becomes less smooth without the moisture from the coffee liquid. In such cases, we need to stir to remix the coffee liquid and crema, restoring their excellent texture. This is also why many people stir espresso with a spoon before tasting - to make the coffee taste more delicious.

Additionally, iced coffees like iced lattes, iced flavored coffees (flavored lattes, mochas, caramel macchiatos...), and some specialty coffees also need stirring before tasting. The reason is simple - these are products meant to be enjoyed after coffee has been fused with milk and other ingredients. However, for better presentation, baristas deliberately create a gradient effect with separated espresso and milk layers.

Typically, iced coffees are served with straws. If not stirred, you'll first taste the milk or other ingredients at the bottom, only getting to the espresso floating on top at the end.

Of course, if some friends like to drink it this way, that's fine, but most people cannot accept it. This is especially true for lattes with flavored syrups - the syrup, due to its high density, sinks to the bottom. If you "storm inhale" without stirring, the result is predictable - your entire mouth will be filled with overly sweet syrup, which is simply terrible. FrontStreet Coffee has witnessed such cases in many coffee shops, so before tasting iced lattes, flavored coffees, or specialty coffees, it's best to stir first before drinking.

Coffees That Need to Be Drunk in Large Gulps

However, we should also know that some drinks are specifically layered for a more unique tasting experience. For example, the "Dirty" mentioned earlier by FrontStreet Coffee - its layering isn't just for visual effect but also to create a more distinctive drinking experience! In the article "Why You Should Drink Dirty in Big Gulps First," FrontStreet Coffee explained the reasons for Dirty's layering. Compared to other milk coffees that pursue "perfect fusion," Dirty focuses more on the "independent existence" of milk and coffee.

Through layering, one gulp allows us to taste the dual contrast in flavor and temperature between milk and espresso. The caramel aroma of espresso versus the light sweetness of milk, the warmth of coffee versus the coldness of milk - full of contrast! This contrast makes both flavors more pronounced and prominent.

For such beverages that require tasting both components simultaneously to experience their charm, there are certain drinking limitations - that is, no stirring, drinking directly in large gulps. Only by drinking directly in large gulps without stirring can we simultaneously consume the "independent" espresso and milk, experiencing the contrast between both. If you just take a small sip, you'll likely only taste the espresso floating on the surface and be overwhelmed by its concentrated flavor, showing a pained expression. If you stir, it becomes a regular iced latte without ice.

Besides Dirty, there are many other coffees that need to be drunk in large gulps, such as Con Panna that FrontStreet Coffee has been sharing. Con Panna is made by adding a layer of cream on top of espresso. If you only take small sips, you'll only taste the sweet cream on the surface and miss the espresso at the bottom. The cream mainly exists to balance the bitterness of coffee, so when tasting Con Panna, it's best to take larger gulps, drinking the cream along with the espresso at the bottom.

Also, hot coffees with milk foam like hot lattes and hot cappuccinos also need to be tasted in large gulps. Because the milk foam layer in these milk coffees is not thin, if you only take small sips, you'll only taste the foam on the surface.

Coffee foam is mostly bitter in most cases (unless it's flavored coffee with added syrup), so if you don't want to be overwhelmed by the bitterness of the foam floating on the surface, you should try to take larger gulps, consuming the coffee liquid underneath along with the foam.

Of course, the espresso mentioned earlier is also a type that can be enjoyed in large gulps. Not just espresso, but also small-volume specialty drinks derived from espresso like macchiato, Cuban coffee, and Romano coffee are all suitable for drinking in large gulps.

Although initially your taste buds might be stimulated by the extremely high concentration of espresso when drinking in large gulps, when you swallow and immediately close your mouth to breathe, the bitterness will dissipate, replaced by the rich aroma rising from your mouth and a pleasant, long sweet aftertaste. The larger the gulp you take, the richer and more intense the experience after swallowing will be. The prerequisite is that you can accept the bitterness of espresso; otherwise, FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend trying it lightly.

(Finally, FrontStreet Coffee wants to add a disclaimer: there are many ways to drink coffee, and you don't need to stick to just one method. FrontStreet Coffee is just sharing that coffee can be drunk this way. Ultimately, how you should drink it depends on your preferences - however you like it, that's how you should drink it.)

Important Notice :

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