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When you enter a coffee house,
you have a multitude of drink choices like latté,
cappuccino, straight shot and caffé mocha just to name a
few.
Sometimes knowing what to
order can be overwhelming unless you know what you are
getting. After all, who wants to pay an outrageous amount
of money for a mystery drink that you may not even like?
So PerfectCoffees.Com
has come to the rescue, and after you read this, you'll
have a basic understanding of how the most popular coffee
drinks are made and what they are made of.
Most coffee drinks start
with espresso and espresso is just coffee that is brewed a
certain way. It is finely ground to almost a powder then
very hot water is forced through the grounds under intense
pressure.
The brewing process is
timed so that the flavorful and aromatic oils are
extracted from the coffee and not the bitter components.
This produces a strong flavored, but not bitter,
concentrated shot of coffee.
Straight Shot
The straight shot refers to
espresso coffee and the secret to good espresso is the
extraction time, volume, and golden crema which is a thick
light brown layer of frothed coffee oils that float on top
of a properly extracted espresso.
The short shot or ristretto
is extracted to a volume of three-quarters of an ounce.
The shorter restricted pour magnifies the essence of the
coffee and the chance of any bitter elements being
extracted is minimized. If you have ever ordered an
espresso shot in Europe they usually serve the ristretto.
The long shot or lungo is
extracted to a volume of one and one-half ounces.
The double shot is a 2
ounce shot using twice as much coffee in the portafilter.
The correct way to serve a
straight shot is to extract it directly into a warmed
demitasse cup. The warm demitasse cup will keep the
straight shot warm and prolong the crema. A straight shot
is best enjoyed immediately after brewing.
It is rare to see people
drinking straight shots of espresso in the US. Most people
here drink variations using steamed milk mixed with the
shots to make the different coffee drinks listed here.
Espresso Macchiato
The Espresso Macchiato
starts with a shot of espresso and then a small amount of
foamed milk is spooned over the shot. Macchiato in Italian
means "marked," as the espresso is marked with
foam.
Espresso Con Panna
This is an Espresso
Macchiato using whipped cream in place of the foamed milk.
The drink gets its name Con Panna which means "with
cream."
Caffé Americano
The Caffé Americano is a
drink similar to American brewed coffee. It is made with a
single or double shot of espresso combined with 6 to 8
ounces of hot water out of an espresso machine. The result
is a very smooth cup of coffee that is much hotter than
brewed coffee.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is made with a
fluffy, wet foam, mixed with espresso coffee upon the pour
to create a blend of the two flavors. Cold milk is
essential, as is expertise in the foaming process.
Cappuccino has a large volume of foam making it a light
weight drink and less filling.
Caffé Latté
Caffé Latté is similar to
the cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed
milk. A latté is made by holding back the foam with a
spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the steaming
pitcher. The caffé latté is completed by being topped
with a small amount of the held back foam.
Caffé latté gets its name
from the addition of coffee to milk. For an iced latté,
cold milk is combined with the espresso and then the ice
is added.
Caffé Mocha
A caffé mocha is made by
adding powdered or chocolate syrup to a hot shot of
espresso and blended. Steamed milk is then be added to the
espresso-chocolate mixture and usually it is topped with
whipped cream.
Iced mochas are made with
cold milk and the ice added after the coffee and chocolate
have been blended.
Flavored Coffee Drinks
Some popular coffee flavors
are: vanilla, Irish creme, almond, hazelnut, caramel and
fruit flavors such as orange and raspberry. These drinks
usually start with a flavored syrup that is mixed with hot
espresso and stirred. Then steamed milk is stirred in like
in a latté.
An iced version of these
flavored coffees made with cold milk instead of steamed
makes a delicious cold drink in the summer months.
So now that you know what's
in the basic coffee drinks, try one you haven't tasted
yet. Who knows, you might find a new favorite.
Copyright © 2004 PerfectCoffees.com.
All Rights Reserved.
This article may be
re-published "as is" (unedited) as long as the
author's bio paragraph (resource box) and copyright
information is included. The URLs in the resource box
should be set as hyperlinks if used on a web page.
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