Espresso cuisine offers variety of options
By Dmitri Fridman
I’ve come to realize in the last few weeks that what I’ve been
taking for granted, is not necessarily common knowledge.
There is some confusion going on as to what various espresso
drinks are. I’d like to take this opportunity and try to clear some
of it.
Espresso cuisine offers variety of options
By Dmitri Fridman
I’ve come to realize in the last few weeks that what I’ve been taking for granted, is not necessarily common knowledge.
There is some confusion going on as to what various espresso drinks are. I’d like to take this opportunity and try to clear some of it.
All drinks start with espresso to which milk is added in various proportions and also steamed in slightly different ways. I’ll start with the smallest.
Espresso – a pure shot of espresso, no milk added. It is extremely concentrated and potent. When properly extracted it is a reddish brown with a quarter inch of crema on top. Characterized by a thick, almost chewy mouth feel, it comes in a 1.5 to 2oz volume.
Macchiato – This should not be confused with Starbuck’s caramel macchiato, which is a caramel-flavored latte. A traditional macchiato is an espresso marked with a half ounce of stiff, foamed milk. The end result is an intense, bittersweet drink, often with a hint of burned caramel (in a good way) and unsweetened cacao.
Cappuccino – Two ounces of espresso and four ounces of milk. As far as I am concerned, it is the perfect espresso drink, an ideal ratio of espresso to milk. It is strong, yet smooth and luscious. Properly made cappuccino might have notes of nuttiness and chocolate. The traditional cappuccino is a rather small, 6-ounce drink but what it lacks in size it more then makes up in flavor. There is no such thing as a 16- or even 12-ounce cappuccino. Yes, you can spot it on the menu in various places, but what ends up in your cup is a disappointingly weak, milky concoction with soap bubble-looking stiff foam.
There are variations of Cappuccino:
Cubano is a cappuccino prepared with brown sugar. The benefit of cubano, for those who like the sweeter drink, is that you don’t have to stir the sugar in and deflate the wonderful, luscious foam.
Breve is a cappuccino made with half and half which gives it the extra body and richness.
Use some orange rind when preparing breve and you have borgia, another delicious drink. The orange oils are a natural pairing with espresso, but let’s move on to the next drink.
Traditional latte – one part espresso to three parts milk served in a 10-ounce cup. The milk is foamed a bit thinner than for other espresso drinks. While latte is not as potent as cappuccino it still packs enough punch to get noticed.
Mocha of course is a latte blended with some chocolate and if your coffee shop does the latte correctly, it then becomes about the quality of the chocolate. The better the chocolate the tastier the mocha.
A couple of other drinks need to be mentioned.
Americano – it is a shot of espresso diluted with hot water. This drink was born in Italy during World War II. The American GIs didn’t get the espresso and longed for the large, American cup of Joe. So the Italian baristi started to dilute the espresso with hot water.
The second drink, in a way, is a complete opposite of an Americano. It is a cup of coffee to which a shot or more of espresso is added. Depending on geographical location and number of shots added, it will go by various names: red eye, fog buster, hammerhead, and depth charge, to name a few. That’s the drink you order if you need to drive across the country and you haven’t slept in two days.
Well, now you know the theory. Go out there and practice.
Dmitri Fridman is the founder of Vertigo Coffee, which he roasts and sells at his San Juan Bautista coffee shop . He can be reached at
Dm****@ve***********.com
or visit www.vertigocoffee.com.
