Top 5 Tips for Deciphering a Coffee Menu by Marion Hodges
Marion Hodges, KCRW DJ.
Since I first took my place as a contributor to the American work force roughly eight years ago, approximately 83% of my time has been spent as a barista. Here are what I’ve determined to be the five most often inquired about coffee related drinks.
1. Americano – Simply espresso shots, and hot water combined together to produce a drink that is similar in taste to a standard cup of regular or decaf coffee. If you’re like me and greatly enjoy the distinct flavor of espresso but find the flavor too concentrated in espresso shots, an Americano is the way to go.
A useful tip — if you like iced coffee, order an iced Americano instead since there is probably a 50% chance that you’ll get hot coffee poured over ice otherwise and that’s just a watered down mess.
2. Latte – Caffe Latte translates to coffee and milk in Italian, which is precisely what it is. Go for this drink if you enjoy the flavor of espresso, but prefer to have it accompanied by a lot of creamy, delicious milk. Soy or non-fat milk are great options if you prefer to avoid dairy for any reason, or want to make the drink healthier for everyday consumption. However, if you only drink lattes sporadically and you have no qualms with dairy, go for whole milk. In my (very humble) opinion, it really does make all the difference.
3. Cappuccino - The most common source of confusion about what constitutes a latte is what makes it different from a cappuccino. It’s easy to understand as the premise is quite similar, especially when you are dealing with drinks in to-go cups, which we so often are these days. Simply put, a cappuccino contains mostly foamed milk and a very small amount of liquid. About 90% of the time when people ask what the difference is between a latte and a cappuccino, they end up choosing the latte. However, if you do enjoy the texture of foam and you’ve never tried a cappuccino, you should give one a try some time. It really is a lovely drink.
4. Frappucino – Probably the second most common source of confusion about the cappuccino is the fact its name is very similar to this very popular, very sweet, blended beverage offered by a very popular chain of coffee shops. It’s not often anymore that I find someone who expects a cappuccino to be cold and/or sweet, but once in awhile when I worked for said chain, I would hear a question about whether or not a cappuccino was supposed to be sweet. If sweet and cold was what they were after, I would always direct them to this beverage instead.
5. Macchiato – On a similar note, the same chain of coffee shops offers a sweet beverage with the word macchiato in its title. In general, a macchiato is simply an espresso shot, a trace amount of steamed milk (if any at all), and a very small amount of foam. It is similar in effect to a cappuccino, except with more emphasis on the espresso than the foam.
No matter what anyone say, a french press is absolutely tastier than any other brew of coffee I’ve ever tried. If you have a bit of time, take a visit over to the french press guide we’ve put together at frenchpresshowto.com. Thanks a lot for the post!