Even more coffee beverages!
As there’s an ever-expanding inventory of coffee beverages, we’re back on the same subject to talk about even more interesting coffee drinks and how they came about.
Last time, we wrote about the origins behind some commonly seen coffee drinks.Take a look!
Americano
The first on the list that is quite self-explanatory, the Americano is a simple mix of espresso and hot water, and came about post World War II when American soldiers found normal Italian espresso shot too strong for their tastes, and preferred instead to drink it after diluting with water. Whether or not it came about from soldiers stationed in Europe or America itself remains an unanswered mystery.
Macchiato
Perhaps the most exotic sounding on this list, the word “macchiato” is Italian for “stained”. This meaning is quite literal, as this drink is created by staining a shot of espresso with a dash of foamed milk. This brings to mind the recipe for cappuccinos we covered in our previous article, but the milk required for a macchiato is considerably less.
Another common variety to this drink is the Latte Macchiato. You might remember also that a latte is an espresso with hot and foamed milk. So shouldn’t the terms “latte” and “macchiato” cancel each other out? Not quite, because the base of a latte macchiato’s is the milk as opposed to the coffee. Instead, the single shot of espresso is poured into a large glass of warmed milk, creating a drink with the stain mark — a single brown dot — right in the middle.
Piccolo Latte
Meaning “small” in Italian, this drink — wait for it — is yet another variation of the coffee plus hot milk combination. The difference lies in the coffee base for this drink. Instead of an espresso shot, a piccolo latte makes use of a smaller dose of concentrated black coffee — a ristretto shot, meaning “restrict” in Italian, creating using by forcing a smaller amount of water through the same amount of ground coffee beans. While an espresso shot contains about 30 ml, a ristretto shot is around 15 to 25 ml. It is then mixed with hot milk to create this drink.
Spanish Latte
A Spanish latte is perhaps a more niche drink. It takes its name from its place of origin, Spain. In Spanish, this drink is known as “café con leche”, which, that’s right, means coffee with milk! Some interpret that name literally, however, a popular version of this drink that differentiates it from the rest is the use of condensed milk on top of the steamed milk and espresso shot.
Dutch Coffee
The Dutch coffee was brought by Dutch sailors to the Asian countries of Japan and Korea. That makes Asia the place of origin instead, and Dutch coffee is also sometimes known as Kyoto coffee, named after a city in Japan. What makes this drink so unique is its brewing method, a process involving dripping icy water over coffee grounds for 6 to 18 hours. Accordingly, this method prevents oxidization and therefore preserves greater aroma than ordinary hot-brewed coffee; the fats in coffee beans are insoluble in cold water, resulting in a calorie-free drink; and most importantly, as was the reason for the invention of this drink in the first place, Dutch coffee can be kept for a far longer period of time than hot coffee, making them the perfect choice for sailors travelling the seas in hot climates.
That’s it for our coverage of coffee beverages for now, until more interesting variations pop up! In the meantime, check out our list for Italian language classes that would help you develop the speaking skills to become a true coffee aficionado!