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Coffee Guide >>
Coffee & Tea Articles
Written by: Gary Gresham
Web Site: Perfect Coffees.com
When you enter a coffee house, you have a multitude of drink choices like latté, cappuccino, straight
shot and caffé mocha just to name a few.
Sometimes knowing what to order can
be overwhelming unless you know what you are getting. After all, who wants to
pay an outrageous amount of money for a mystery drink that you may not even
like?
So Perfect Coffees.Com has come to the rescue, and after you read this,
you'll have a basic understanding of how the most popular coffee drinks are
made and what they are made of.
Most coffee drinks start with espresso and
espresso is just coffee that is brewed a certain way. It is finely ground to
almost a powder then very hot water is forced through the grounds under
intense pressure.
The brewing process is timed so that the flavorful and
aromatic oils are extracted from the coffee and not the bitter components.
This produces a strong flavored, but not bitter, concentrated shot of coffee.
Straight Shot The straight shot refers to espresso coffee and the secret to
good espresso is the extraction time, volume, and golden crema which is a
thick light brown layer of frothed coffee oils that float on top of a properly
extracted espresso.
The short shot or ristretto is extracted to a volume of
three-quarters of an ounce. The shorter restricted pour magnifies the essence
of the coffee and the chance of any bitter elements being extracted is
minimized. If you have ever ordered an espresso shot in Europe they usually
serve the ristretto.
The long shot or lungo is extracted to a volume of one
and one-half ounces.
The double shot is a 2 ounce shot using twice as much
coffee in the portafilter.
The correct way to serve a straight shot is to
extract it directly into a warmed demitasse cup. The warm demitasse cup will
keep the straight shot warm and prolong the crema. A straight shot is best
enjoyed immediately after brewing.
It is rare to see people drinking straight
shots of espresso in the US. Most people here drink variations using steamed
milk mixed with the shots to make the different coffee drinks listed here.
Espresso Macchiato
The Espresso Macchiato starts with a shot of espresso and
then a small amount of foamed milk is spooned over the shot. Macchiato in
Italian means "marked," as the espresso is marked with foam.
Espresso Con
Panna
This is an Espresso Macchiato using whipped cream in place of the foamed
milk. The drink gets its name Con Panna which means "with cream."
Caffé
Americano
The Caffé Americano is a drink similar to American brewed coffee. It
is made with a single or double shot of espresso combined with 6 to 8 ounces
of hot water out of an espresso machine. The result is a very smooth cup of
coffee that is much hotter than brewed coffee.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is made
with a fluffy, wet foam, mixed with espresso coffee upon the pour to create a
blend of the two flavors. Cold milk is essential, as is expertise in the
foaming process. Cappuccino has a large volume of foam making it a light
weight drink and less filling.
Caffé Latté
Caffé Latté is similar to the
cappuccino but with much less foam and more steamed milk. A latté is made by
holding back the foam with a spoon while pouring the frothed milk from the
steaming pitcher. The caffé latté is completed by being topped with a small
amount of the held back foam.
Caffé latté gets its name from the addition of
coffee to milk. For an iced latté, cold milk is combined with the espresso and
then the ice is added. Caffé Mocha A caffé mocha is made by adding powdered or
chocolate syrup to a hot shot of espresso and blended. Steamed milk is then be
added to the espresso-chocolate mixture and usually it is topped with whipped
cream.
Iced mochas are made with cold milk and the ice added after the coffee
and chocolate have been blended.
Flavored Coffee Drinks Some popular coffee
flavors are: vanilla, Irish creme, almond, hazelnut, caramel and fruit flavors
such as orange and raspberry. These drinks usually start with a flavored syrup
that is mixed with hot espresso and stirred. Then steamed milk is stirred in
like in a latté.
An iced version of these flavored coffees made with cold milk
instead of steamed makes a delicious cold drink in the summer months.
>br>So now
that you know what's in the basic coffee drinks, try one you haven't tasted
yet. Who knows, you might find a new favorite.
Copyright © 2004 PerfectCoffees.com. All Rights Reserved. About the Author: Gary Gresham is the webmaster for
http://www.perfectcoffees.com where you can purchase quality coffee, tea, cups & mugs, coffee gifts and delicious desserts online. He offers a free monthly coffee newsletter at
http://www.perfectcoffees.com/newsletter.html
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