How many of you are like me?
You are in Starbucks …It’s your turn and you have no clue what these names even mean… You were bored out of your mind at work and needed a coffee break, you decide to chill and swing by the nearest Starbucks only to get more confused and embarrassed.
But you are smart, you are not going to let anyone notice your sticky situation so you order one tall Cinnamon Dolce latte, cuz that’s the only thing you have been ordering for last 10 years. Why?
because some jerk was bragging about how much he likes Starbucks and especially this drink!!!!
You finally decide to take matters in your hands and be “Coffee Smart”, so what do you do???
You Google … Only to get more confused about coffee and brands and roasts and French press and GOD knows what… So now what? Nothing… you gulp down the latte and forget… only to follow the same vicious cycle again.
My dear friend, this ends now…
I am providing you very basic details of what will help you to be coffee smart.
Why should you listen to me cuz, I am no Coffee connoisseur? I know the verrrrry basic information about coffee, enough to order depending on my mood, whether I need double espresso or just plain simple latte… Oops…
Did I just do it ??? outsmarted myself ??…
Let’s explore ….
I will skip all the details, about when and how coffee was invented … Yada.. yada yada…
Straight to the point:
Freshly Brewed coffee (light, medium, dark roast) - Hot water is poured over ground coffee beans, it seeps through a filter and into your coffee pot. You can drink it black (without any added ingredients), or enjoy it with milk or sugar.
Light, medium or dark roast - The degree to which coffee beans are roasted determines the taste of the coffee.
Espresso – Espresso is made by forcing very hot water under high pressure through finely ground, compacted coffee resulting in a slightly thicker, more bitter, smaller cup of concentrated coffee.
Espresso macchiato - It is simply a shot of espresso with a layer of foamed milk.
Espresso Con Panna - It is shot of espresso with a layer of whipped cream.
Café Latte – It is very milky. It contains milk, espresso, and foam on top.
Cappuccino – It has equal parts of espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk.
Café Americano – It is made up of espresso and double amount of water.
Flat White – It is made with espresso and steamed milk. It has no foam.Café Mocha – It has espresso, steamed milk, and chocolate milk.
In addition, you can add extra espresso by mentioning double shot or flavor your coffee by adding any syrup (vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, cinnamon or peppermint).
You can add fun to your flavored coffee with whipping cream.
I was very curious about these two trendy names Frappuccino and Frappe…
Frappuccino is a trademarked brand of the Starbucks Corporation for a line of blended coffee beverages that are served cold. It consists of coffee or other base ingredient (e.g. strawberries, bananas, cream), blended with ice and other various ingredients, usually topped with whipped cream and sauces.
Frappe on the other hand is from McDonalds – It is made with chocolate flavor and a hint of coffee, blended and topped with whipped cream.
Clearly, above two are more of desserts and in line of ice-cream than coffee.
I avoid adding any flavors or whipped cream to my coffee, as I prefer the taste of coffee over a dessert.
This is my best attempt to summarize the basic types of coffee, which has made my life bit simpler while ordering coffee at a coffee shop. As you know I am not a coffee connoisseur, don’t hesitate to correct me, I would like to hear from you and update my knowledge.
Also, I would like to hear about your blooper at coffee place. Make sure you live it in comment below .