Names of Espresso Drinks: An Introduction

As an admitted latte-sipping regular, I pay a lot of attention to the people who wander in and out of the many coffeeshops in my town, from the busy Starbucks locations to the smaller independent joints. At both types of coffeeshops, I’ve noticed the same phenomenon: every so often, confused customers wander in and stare at the menu board, puzzled at the difference between espresso drinks. Meanwhile, others of us waltz into a Starbucks, blurt out “I’d like an iced venti skim vanilla latte, please” and know exactly what we’re getting.

It finally occurred to me that, if you’re not familiar with the names of espresso drinks, you can feel out of place and frustrated when an eager barista grins “how may I help you?” I just watched a woman today mutter to her husband, “I don’t know the difference between these things,” before giving up and grabbing an apple juice from the cooler. She seemed reluctant to ask for help, not wanting to appear unsophisticated or gauche (though her mannerisms gave her away as a tourist anyhow). I see something like this happen almost daily. Put simply: people who aren’t familiar with the names of espresso drinks often have some status anxiety about ordering them. Often, they end up getting beverages that they either a) end up not liking, or b) don’t really want but feel “safe” ordering.

I always feel a small pang of empathy when I see people in a public setting feeling awkward or embarrassed about what to do and how to behave. We’ve all been in situations where we feel unsavvy or just left out of some network of knowledge. It could be about which fork to use, how to pronounce something, or (in this case) what’s what on a menu.

With that in mind, I decided to create a brief (though not exhaustive) introduction to the names of espresso drinks that you’ll find at most coffeeshops. I’ll note up front that each establishment may have special names for their beverages, so these “rules” aren’t hard and fast.

Names of Espresso Drinks: What is espresso, in fewer than 100 words?

Espresso is a form of coffee that forces temperature-regulated hot water through finely ground, powder-like coffee using specific amounts of pressure to create a potent shot that can be consumed on its own or as part of an espresso drink. Rather than worrying about the exact science of how the barista pulls one, just know that a single shot of espresso has a) much smaller volume than a cup of drip coffee, b) a thicker, richer feel, due in part to the higher proportion of included bean material and c) crema, a slightly oily foam critical to the taste.

Names of Espresso Drinks: Latte

A latte combines a shot of espresso with steamed milk and (usually) a small layer of frothy foam on top. Although a straight-up latte is not sweetened, it has a mild, smooth flavour because of the amount of milk. Also, technically the word “latte” by itself means milk in Italian, so the full name of this drink in the original language is really “caffe latte.” But at most American coffeeshops, it’s just called a latte.

Names of Espresso Drinks: Cappuccino

This is a beverage that can vary depending on how the coffeeshop defines it. Either way, it’s a sibling of the latte, except that it substitutes a lot of the milk for foam. At Starbucks, a cappuccino includes half milk and half foam along with the shot. At other coffeeshops, the cappuccino is prepared with hardly any milk and mostly foam on top of the shot. Cappuccinos are often referred to as “wet” (more milk) or “dry” (more foam). And by the way: a really wet cappuccino is about the same as a latte.

Names of Espresso Drinks: Mocha

A mocha combines espresso, steamed milk, and chocolate and is often capped with whipped cream and/or chocolate shavings. Mocha can vary based on the type of chocolate used, but they aren’t exceedingly sweet. Usually, the special ingredient just adds a pleasing cocoa undertone to the espresso flavour. If white chocolate is used, then the mocha becomes – you guessed it – a white mocha.

Names of Espresso Drinks: Americano

At first blush, an americano can seem like a regular cup of drip coffee, but it’s prepared differently. It’s a simple mix of espresso with hot water added for dilution. Because the shot of espresso retains a different flavour than a regular cup of coffee, you may find that an americano is a great alternative to a boring old brew. Some people ask the barista to leave room for cream in their americano, but I recommend taking it straight – just the espresso and water.

Names of Espresso Drinks: Macchiato

People seem to disagree about what a macchiato really is, so if you see it on a menu board, it’s safe to ask how they prepare their macchiato before ordering. Good baristas will know that you’re aware of the differences in preparation style and won’t think you’re clueless. If it’s referred to as an espresso macchiato, chances are it’s just a shot of espresso with a little bit of milk – not as much as you’d find in a latte. In Italian, the phrase actually means something like “marked” or “stained.”

Starbucks has a popular drink called a caramel macchiato, and this includes a lot more milk than an espresso macchiato, as well as vanilla and caramel syrup as add-in. Some people would call the Starbucks caramel macchiato more of a flavoured latte than a macchiato. In fact, the milk-heavy macchiatos are sometimes called latte macchiatos! Are you confused yet?

Names of Espresso Drinks: Red Eye / Depth Charge

You won’t always see this on the menu, but most baristas can prepare it for you anyway. Here in Wisconsin, we seem to call it a Depth Charge, but I’ve also known it as a Red Eye. Basically, it’s just a cup of regular drip coffee with a shot of espresso.

Names of Espresso Drinks: Variations

If you’re still following this explanation, you now understand a number of the basic espresso drinks you can order. However, you can tailor each of them to suit your tastes:

– Double or Triple Shots. If you want extra flavour and power, you can ask for the above drinks to be prepared with more than one shot of espresso.

– Milk Options. You can designate whether you want whole milk, 2% (or some sort of reduced fat milk), skim milk, or soy milk. Most coffeeshops will have at least three of these options, if not all four.

– Hot or Cold. Simply, do you want the drink on ice / prepared with cold milk? Some drinks turn out splendidly when cold, though others get watered down by the melting ice. Your taste preferences (and the amount of time it takes you to drink something) should drive this decision. I tend to order iced mocha, but I drink it before the milk gets watered down. Also, by selecting whole milk, I usually prolong the drink’s “life” without losing the body entirely.

– Sizes. Starbucks uses “tall” for small, “grande” (with a long “e”) for medium, and “venti” for large. Some places copy this terminology while others use some version of small/medium/large or specific ounce sizes.

– Added Flavours. As hinted in the description of a Starbucks caramel macchiato, you can ask for flavoured syrups to be included. Flavoured lattes are especially popular: vanilla latte, almond latte, gingerbread latte, raspberry latte, etc. Peppermint syrup is a common addition to mocha. Just yesterday, someone in front of me ordered an americano with orange syrup (not my pick of the bar, but whatever). Most baristas will humor you if you order something truly weird, but others might raise an eyebrow if they’re afraid you’ve asked for something truly awful.

Names of Espresso Drinks: Final Thoughts

This is by no means a complete description of all the espresso drinks you can order at a coffeeshop, but it’s a good introduction for people who are largely unfamiliar. If you’re one of the people I described above – someone who’s felt nervous about ordering espresso drinks in a coffeeshop – I hope this helps!