Ultimate Coffee Guide for Beginners | Know Your Drink

One out of five of us would have been in a fix while browsing through the coffee menu at a Cafe. Mispronouncing Espresso as Expresso and staring at the service staff in vain hoping he would help you with what a Machhiato is, yes, Coffee is definitely more than a Cappucino and our humble but potent Filter Kaaapi.

So here are 7  popular variants of coffee explained, hope this will make you feel like a caffeine master! We wouldn’t be dealing with types of coffee beans in this article.

1. Espresso: ‘ES’ presso, do not express it. This is not for the faint-hearted. Espresso is full of flavour and is a highly concentrated coffee made by pressing hot water through ground coffee beans. Espresso is served in a shot glass, the quantity is enough to give you the kick and keep you going. Double Espresso is nothing but two shots of the same, literally double in quantity.

   

2. Americano: Diluted Espresso. Your potent espresso lightened up with hot water makes an Americano. This definitely has good caffeine content but the bitterness is lowered using hot water. Unlike Espresso, this is served in a tall glass rather than as shots.

   

3. Macchiato: Espresso + Foamed Milk. If Americano dilutes espresso using hot water, Macchiato replaces water with foamed milk. Very little milk.
   
4. Cappuccino: This is probably the drink that all of us order, the hassle-free Cappuccino. 3 Layers of espresso, steamed milk and foamed milk are what this creamy drink is made of. Additional flavourings are also added as per choice like hazelnut, caramel, vanilla, etc.
   
5. Cafe Latte: If you are a newbie to the coffee world, this is your go-to drink. An extremely light drink made with a base of espresso diluted with loads of steamed milk. Like a cappuccino, we can play around with flavours in this one too.
   
6. Mocha: Two shots with one stone! If you are in the mood for hot chocolate as well as coffee, get your hands on a cup of Mocha. Get the best of both worlds with this coffee-chocolate drink.
   
7. Affogato: Sweetness alert! If you are someone who does not take sugar with your coffee, this is not for you. Espresso topped with Ice cream, Affogato is a combination of hot and cold and bitter ‘n’ sweet!
   

There are many many more kinds of coffee that you will find: Flat White, Long Black, Irish Coffee, Vietnamese Coffee, Vienna, Dalgona and more. If you want more variants, one can always scroll through a Starbucks Menu and feel lost, they don’t get our name right and we don’t get the coffee names right, Java Chip Frappuccino with soy milk in a Venti cup please, say what? Oh, let’s not forget trends like Red Velvet Latte and Charcoal Latte!

But here are the basic 7 ones that can help you feel much better the next time you visit a coffee shop. Do let me know in comments about the coffee variants you already knew about.