Enjoying A Cup of Coffee

It is actually pretty amazing how many different types of coffee drinks are available now. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that there is a coffee shop or coffee house on almost every street corner these days and all of them offer the standard drinks and their own special blends. For some it may even seem a bit daunting to walk into a coffee shop and see the long list of drinks that are offered.

For those of us who are not quite sure of the difference between a cafe au lait (French for coffee with milk) and a latte (which some consider to be a cappuccino with more milk), then perhaps we can help shed a little light on the different flavored coffees and other coffee drinks that are available at your local cafe bar.

The first one most people know is the cup of black coffee that is normally either made by using a French press, percolated or drip brewed, and served with no milk, or straight. The caffè latte has one shot of espresso that is put into the steamed milk making the ratio of milk compared to coffee approximately 3 to 1. Another type of coffee drink is the Americano; this actually came about as an insult to Americans who were not able to handle drinking full espressos. This is one shot of espresso put into about 7 ounces of hot water.

The cafe au lait is similar to a caffe latte, except the au lait is made with brewed coffee rather than espresso, and the ratio of milk compared to coffee is about 1 to 1. This gives it a much less intense taste. Your cafe bar may also offer a café Macchiato, which has one espresso shot added to steamed milk and it is normally a 4 (coffee) to 1 (milk) ratio. A frappe is a favorite in Europe and Latin America during the summer months. It was originally served as a cold espresso but lately it has been prepared by putting 2 teaspoons of instant coffee with sugar, water and ice. It is placed in a long glass and you can add milk if you so desire, so that it more like a coffee milkshake.

If you have spent any time at all in a coffee house then you have likely tried a cappuccino, which usually has equal parts of espresso, frothing milk and steamed milk. Many times this type of coffee drink will have flaked chocolate bits or cinnamon on top. The café Breva is a cappuccino that is made with half and half milk rather than whole milk. The theory is that the mix will give a richer and creamier flavor; however, half and half is much harder to foam so some places may not offer it.

Tags: cafe bar, coffee house, flavored coffees, of coffee