Short Coffee Primer aka What's the Difference between a Caffe Americano and a Caffe Mocha?
Winter is here, which means it’s hot beverage time and along with tea and hot chocolate, coffee is a popular choice among many. However, have you ever walked into a coffee shop confused about the difference between a latte and an Americano? Well, be confused no more and take a look below for a breakdown of the various coffee drinks to choose from.
Caffe Americano: A style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving a similar strength but different flavor from regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added.
Caffe Latte: One part espresso mixed with three parts of steamed milk with less foam than a cappuccino.
Cafe au Lait: Similar to a Caffe Latte except that it is made with equal parts brewed coffee (instead of espresso) and steamed milk.
Caffe Mocha (Mochachino): A Caffé Mocha is a variant of a Caffe Latte. Like a latte, it is typically one third espresso and two thirds steamed milk, but a portion of chocolate is added, typically in the form of sweet cocoa powder, although many varieties use chocolate syrup. Mochas can contain dark or milk chocolate.
Cappuccino: A combination of equal parts espresso, steamed milk and milk froth and usually has a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder or grated dark chocolate sprinkled on the top.
Espresso: A very strong black coffee made by forcing hot pressurized water through dark-roast coffee beans in an espresso machine. Espresso should have a thick, golden-brown foam on the top. It is the used in a wide variety of specialty coffee drinks, such as the cappuccino, latte and americano. Espresso is usually drunk either on its own (black) or with a small amount of sugar. An espresso macchiato has a small amount of steamed milk added to the top. An espresso with whipped cream topping is called an Espresso Con Panna.
Steamer: Steamed milk that has been flavored with syrup, served alone without espresso.
For a visualization of all these coffees, click here!
Hope you found this little coffee primer helpful and when you’re ready for a cup or two, check out the coffeehouses listed below.
Espresso Vivace Sidewalk Bar
321 Broadway E
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 860-5869
Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea
3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 663-6173
Java Joes Coffeehouse
214 4th St
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 288-5282
Rejavanate Coffee Shop
3300 E Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89121
(702) 253-7721
RIM Cafe
1172 S 9th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 465-3515
