What are the main types of coffee you can order in a cafe?

There are many types of coffee drinks that you can buy in a cafe or coffee shop.

This post will show you the different types of coffee drinks that you can buy, how they taste, how they are made and the different ways to alter the way that they taste.

Name	What it is	How it tastes
Americano	Hot water added to espresso.	Sweeter and slightly more bitter than regular coffee.
Cortado	A double shot of espresso with foamed milk on top.	Rich, coffee-like, less bitter and acidic than plain espresso.
Espresso	The mixture resulting from pushing hot and pressurized water though finely ground coffee.	Sweet, very rich slightly bitter and acidic with a dense texture.
Ristretto	A regular espresso made with half the water.	Very rich, bitter, acidic, dense.
Caffe Latte	Steamed milk added to a double espresso with a little bit of milk foam.	Creamy with a small coffee like taste.
Macchiato	A small amount of milk foam added to a double shot of espresso.	Rich, coffee-like, Slightly less acidic than espresso.
Long Black	Espresso added to hot water.	Sweeter and slightly more bitter than coffee and more sweet than Americano.
Babyccino	Milk foam with cocoa or cinnamon powder.	Creamy and chocolatey
Breve	Double espresso with half and half mixture of cream and milk or semi-skimmed milk.	Creamy, sweet and with a coffee like taste.
Black Coffee	Brewed coffee without anything added to it.	Sweet, slightly watery.
Iced Coffee	Brewed coffee that has been chilled.	Light, acidic and sweet.
Lungo	An espresso made with more water.	Similar to espresso but less dense, rich, bitter and acidic.
Flat White	Espresso with steamed milk added to it.	Creamy with a coffee like taste. Similar to cappuccino but without the milk foam.
Cappuccino	Espresso with steamed milk and milk foam added to it.	Creamy, sweet and with a coffee like taste.
Irish Coffee	Regular coffee with Irish Whiskey added to it and with cream on the top.	Creamy, warm, with a taste of whiskey.
Short Macchiato	A small amount of milk foam added to a single espresso shot.	Sweet, bitter, rich and a bit less acidic than espresso.
Affogato	Ice cream with a shot of espresso poured on top of it.	Cold, sweet. rich.
Doppio (Double Espresso)	Two shots of espresso	Sweet, very rich a bit bitter and acidic with a dense texture.
Caffe Mocha	Espresso topped with chocolate syrup and steamed milk.	Chocolatey, rich, sweet.
Con Panna	A small amount of whipped cream added to a double shot of espresso.	Slightly less acidic and bitter than regular espresso and a bit creamier.
Cafe Con Leche	Scalded milk added to brewed coffee.	Like coffee but more creamy and smooth.
Regular coffee	Coffee made by adding hot water to ground coffee.	Sweet, slightly watery.

Espresso

Espresso is the mixture of water and coffee that results from hot pressurized water being pushed through finely ground coffee.

It is much denser, richer, sweeter, more acidic and bitter than regular brewed coffee.

Espresso also will have a foamy substance on the top known as a “crema.” The crema has a bitter taste and many people choose to remove it from the espresso.

How it’s made

Since it requires that pressurized water get pushed through the coffee it is necessary to use a specially designed machine to make espresso. There are two types of espresso machines that are popular which are traditional espresso machines and pod espresso machines.

Traditional style machines require that you get the coffee beans, grind them, put them into a portafilter which is a container for the ground coffee, put the portafilter into the machine and then to turn the machine on.

Traditional machines require more work on your part in the process of getting and preparing the coffee and in cleaning the machine and there can be quite a steep learning curve to getting it right.

However, it gives you full control over the way that the espresso tastes so after a lot of trial and error you should be able to make an espresso that you really like consistently.

The traditional style espresso machine that I would recommend the most would be the DeLonghi Combi Coffee & Espresso Maker. This is mainly because it allows you to make both espresso and regular coffee without sacrificing on quality on either of them.

On the other hand, to make espresso using a pod style machine it is just necessary for you to put the pod and water in the machine and then to press a button.

The advantage of using a pod style machine is that it is quicker and easier to make the espresso and the espresso will consistently come out tasting the way that it is supposed to.

You will not have as much control over the way that the espresso tastes since you won’t have as much control over the factors that go into making the espresso. However, there are many different pod flavors that you can choose from so it is likely that you will be able to find a flavor that you like.

The pod machine that I would recommend the most would be the Keurig K-Cafe.

What impacts its taste

There are many factors that will impact the way that the espresso tastes.

If the beans are from a single origin then it will often cause the espresso to have a more intense taste that is sometimes too sour. Whereas, if a blend of coffee beans from multiple origins are used then it will cause the espresso to have a more balanced taste.

If the beans are given a light roast then it will cause the espresso to taste slightly more sour and a dark roast will give it a more bitter taste.

If the coffee beans are ground very finely then it will cause the espresso to taste more bitter as it will cause the water to take longer to pass through it and to mix with more of the oil from the coffee. Whereas, a coarse grind will cause the espresso to taste more sour as the water will pass through the coffee grind more easily.

If a large amount of coffee grind is put into the portafilter then it will normally cause the espresso to taste more bitter and if a small amount is used it will cause it to taste more sour.

Americano

An Americano is where hot water is added to espresso.

Americano tastes very similar to coffee. However, it has a slightly richer and more bitter taste.

There are a number of things that can impact the way that the Americano tastes. Most of them evolve around how the espresso is made as discussed in the section above. If the espresso is made to taste more sour then so will the Americano and if it’s made to be more bitter then so will the Americano.

Another thing that will impact the taste of the Americano is the amount of hot water used. If a lot of hot water is used then it will reduce the sweetness and bitterness of the Americano but if too much is used then it will taste too watery.

Cortado

A cortado is where foamed milk is added to a double shot of espresso.

This gives the cortado a similar taste to espresso but it is more creamy but less bitter, sweet and acidic by a small amount.

The things that impact the way that the cortado tastes are the way that the espresso is made and the type of milk that is used. If whole milk is used then it will cause it to be slightly creamier and denser.

Ristretto

A ristretto is an espresso that has been made with half as much water.

This causes the ristretto to have a much more dense, sweet and bitter taste than with a regular espresso.

As discussed in the first section above about espresso, the type of beans used, their grind, their roast, their origin and the amount of coffee grind used to make the ristretto will all have an impact on the way that it tastes.

Caffe Latte

Caffe latte is where a lot of steamed milk and a little bit of milk foam is added to a double shot of espresso.

This gives the caffe latte a very creamy and milky taste with a slight coffee taste as well.

The caffe latte is very similar to the cappuccino. The difference is that cappuccino is made by adding an equal amount of steamed milk and milk foam to the espresso giving it a more coffee like taste than with caffe latte.

The things that will impact the taste of the caffe latte are the way that the espresso is made, the type of milk used and the amount of milk that is added to the espresso.

Macchiato

A macchiato is where a little bit of milk foam is added to a double shot of espresso.

This gives the macchiato a very espresso like taste that is slightly less bitter and acidic but a bit more creamy.

The things that will impact the way that it tastes are the way that the espresso is made and the type of milk that is used. If the milk used is whole milk then it will cause the macchiato to have a slightly more creamy taste.

Long Black

Long black is where espresso is added to hot water.

Doing this dilutes the taste of the espresso making it taste similar to a regular coffee but slightly sweeter and more bitter.

Long black is similar to Americano. The difference is that, with Americano, the hot water is added to the espresso. Whereas, a long black is the other way around where espresso is added to hot water.

By adding espresso to hot water it causes the espresso to keep its Crema. This causes the long black to have a slightly more bitter taste than with an Americano.

The things that will impact the way the long black tastes are the way that the espresso is made and the amount of water that is added to the espresso.

Babyccino

A babyccino is Milk foam with chocolate syrup or cinnamon.

It tastes creamy and chocolatey and it does not contain any coffee in it.

It is designed so that kids can have their own drink while their parents are drinking their coffees.

The type of cream and the type of flavorings that are added to it are what will impact the way that it tastes.

Breve

The breve is a double espresso with a half and half mixture of cream and whole milk or semi-skimmed milk added to it.

This gives the breve a strong creamy taste that is also sweet and coffee like.

It is similar to the cappuccino and latte which both also add steamed milk to the espresso. However, the breve has a creamier taste due to the higher fat content in the cream.

The way that the espresso is made, the type of cream used and the type of milk used will all have an impact on the way that it tastes.

Black Coffee

Black coffee is brewed coffee that hasn’t had anything added to it. So, it is just ground coffee that has been mixed with hot water.

It tastes slightly sweet and bitter but much less so than with espresso.

Two main ways to make black coffee are with a french press or by using a drip method.

A french press is a pot that has a plunger in it. To make black coffee using it you put ground coffee and water in it and then wait a few minutes then press the plunger down so that the undissolved coffee goes to the bottom leaving you with the black coffee.

The benefits of using a french press are that it is easy to use and it gives you control over the strength of the black coffee. If you want it to be weaker you can wait for a shorter time period and if you want it to be stronger then you can just wait slightly longer.

The french press that I would recommend using would be the Bodum 4-Cup Brazil French Press.

To make black coffee with the drip method you put ground coffee into a paper filter that is above a glass container then pour hot water into the filter, the hot water then mixes with the coffee and drips down into the container below it.

The things that will impact the way that the black coffee tastes are the types of beans used, how finely they are ground, how much grind is used and the type of roast that the beans have.

Iced Coffee

Iced coffee is just brewed coffee that has been chilled. It tastes similar to regular coffee except it is cold.

The things that impact the way that it tastes are the type of beans used, the strength of the coffee, the roast of the beans and the origin of the beans.

Iced coffee that you get in a coffee shop will also tend to be sweetened. So, it will likely also taste sweeter than regular coffee.

Lungo

A lungo is an espresso that has been made with more water.

This causes the lungo to have a less bitter, sweet and rich taste than a regular espresso. However, it is still a lot more sweet, dense and rich than a regular coffee.

The factors that impact the taste of a lungo are the same factors that will impact the taste of an espresso as mentioned in the first section above. Meaning that the origin, grind, amount and roast of the beans used will all have an impact on the taste of the lungo.

Flat White

A flat white is an espresso with steamed milk added to it.

This gives it a creamy and coffee-like taste that is also slightly sweet.

Flat white is very similar to cappuccino. The difference between them is that cappuccino also has milk foam on top whereas flat white does not.

The type of milk used and the way that the espresso is made will both have an impact on the way that the flat white tastes.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is an espresso with steamed milk and milk foam added to it.

This gives a cappuccino a creamy taste that is also coffee like.

Another similar drink is the caffe latte which is made by adding a lot of steamed milk to the espresso and a small amount of milk foam.

The caffe latte has a creamier taste to it that is less coffee-like.

The type of milk used and the way that the espresso is made will both have an impact on the way that the cappuccino tastes.

Irish Coffee

Irish coffee is regular coffee that also has Irish Whiskey and cream added to it.

This gives it a more creamy and whiskey like taste that reduces the bitterness of the coffee.

The way that the coffee is made, the amount of whiskey added and the type of cream used will all have an impact on the way that it tastes.

Short Macchiato

A short macchiato is where a small amount of milk foam is added to a single espresso shot.

It is different to a normal macchiato, which is also known as a long macchiato, because a normal macchiato has a small amount of milk foam added to two shots of espresso.

A short macchiato has a dense, rich, sweet and slightly bitter taste that is slightly reduced by the milk foam.

Affogato

Affogato is ice cream that has a shot or two of espresso poured over it.

This gives it a very rich and sweet taste.

The way that it tastes will largely depend on the type of ice cream used. Normally, it is vanilla ice cream that is used but any type of ice cream can be used.

Doppio (Double Espresso)

A doppio is just a double espresso meaning that it is an espresso that is twice the amount of a normal one.

It is equally rich, dense, bitter and sweet as a normal espresso.

The way that it tastes will be largely impacted by the way that the espresso is made. This means that the type, origin, grind, amount and roast of the coffee beans used will all have an impact on the way that the doppio tastes.

Caffe Mocha

Caffe mocha is an espresso that is topped up with chocolate syrup and steamed milk.

It has a chocolatey, sweat, creamy and coffee like taste to it.

The type of chocolate syrup and milk used will both impact the way that it tastes as well as the way that the espresso is made.

Con Panna

Con panna is where a small amount of whipped cream is added to a double shot of espresso.

This gives the espresso a more creamy and a less bitter, sweet and rich taste.

Any type of whipped cream can be used and the type used will have a small effect on the way that it tastes.

Cafe Con Leche

Cafe con leche is where milk is added to coffee.

This gives the coffee a more creamy and less watery taste. It also reduces its sweetness and bitterness.

Experiment with different types of coffee drinks

Everyone has different tastes. If you’re unsure of which type of coffee drink to get then consider experimenting with different types of coffee drinks when you can. By doing so you will be able to get a better idea of the sort of coffee drinks that you like and the type that you do not.