Blogging by Art B.

Believe it or not espresso machines are one of the best parts about waking up in the morning, even though sometimes it seems like coffee lovers are speaking a different language when they order an espresso at the local cafe. Never mind the frustration of having to order your cup of coffee in a bunch of different languages all translating to “big”, the very names of the drinks themselves can be a heck of a mouthful for anyone not fluent in French or Italian, and knowing what those crazy jumbles of syllables actually refers to is no easier. For all too many people it would be a whole lot easier if they produced a road map to ordering coffee available at every counter and on every table.

Well, sadly many coffee shops don’t offer such a handy guide, but luckily for you there’s the internet! The following is a brief list of some of the most popular espresso variants that you will find in American cafes to help simplify your ordering experience and hopefully introduce you to some new drinks and experiences. Enjoy!

Espresso: also called “espresso”, this is the very basis for all of the following drinks. An espresso is simply a highly concentrated coffee using special beans brewed in special espresso machines that force pressurized water through the coffee grains to produce small, dark “shots”.

Cappuccino: one of the top espressos, a cappuccino is a single shot of espresso topped with steamed milk and froth. Like most coffee and espresso drinks this is usually sweetened with sugar.

Cafe Latte: similar to a cappuccino, a latte differs by adding much more milk. This is a much more mild espresso experience, good for beginners.

Espresso con Panna: a shot of espresso topped with whipped cream and a bit of chocolate powder. This is a less common variant, but very delicious.

Cafe Mocha: a sweeter cousin to the espresso con panna, the mocha is prepared by either topping espresso with hot chocolate or basically preparing a latte and adding chocolate syrup, depending on the cafe. A very popular drink, and particularly suited for the holiday season.

Latte Macchiato: this is almost the exact reverse of the cappuccino. This drink starts with hot frothed milk and the espresso is slowly dribbled on top to create a layered drink, rather than adding the milk to the espresso as with a cappuccino.