Ordering coffee can be as difficult as trying to understand another language. Coffee shops have a language all their own. Finding the perfect drink for you doesn’t have to be hard if you follow our handy guide.
Where To Start
You can start with plain black coffee to try the coffee shop’s flavor at the beginning. If you aren’t into the straight stuff, try a latte first. A latte won’t overwhelm you. It’s made with a single or double shot of espresso, foam and steamed milk. Speaking of espresso, it’s made with pressurized water going through coffee beans.
Mocha Latte
The mocha latte is for the person with a sweet tooth that likes to cover the taste of coffee. It’s espresso, steamed milk, foam, and chocolate. If you don’t want the overwhelming taste of chocolate, you can definitely have them half it. In fact, you don’t even have to add chocolate. You can ask the barista to put any flavor you wish in your latte.
A Little Less Latte
Some people just aren’t all in for the creamy, milky taste of a latte. A cortado might be the best for you. This is made with equal parts of espresso and steamed milk. You can also try a cafe au lait. This is basically coffee with steamed milk. Some places call it a cafe misto.
Macchiato
Go for less milk with the macchiato. It’s espresso with just a bit of steamed milk. It still gives you the flavor without all the milk.
Cappuccino
The cappuccino is one of the most popular drink. It’s basically a latte and macchiato. The barista pours espresso over the cup then filling it with steamed milk and the foam. You can add flavors if you wish.
Go American
This drink is pretty basic. It’s made by pouring a shot of espresso with hot water. It can be made with as many shots as you can handle. It stems all the way back to WWII when soldiers would order coffee in Italian cafes. They didn’t want the strong stuff so they added hot water to dilute the taste a bit.
A Different Iced Coffee
Iced coffee is simply coffee over ice, many times made with a shot of flavor. For many people, it doesn’t give you the boost of the other coffee drinks. If you want to go for different, try a few shots over ice. It’s the strong choice with lots of caffeine. You can add a little milk to get the feel of an espresso over ice.
Go For The Pour
A pour over is pretty simple. It’s made by pouring the hot water over the coffee grounds. The barista places the coffee in a filter in a pour over cone. The hot water is then poured over this. It brings out the rich taste of the coffee.
Go For Trendy
Matcha is the trendy choice at coffee shops these days. It’s a powdered green tea concentrate made into a basic tea. It does have caffeine so steer clear if you don’t want a boost. Many people sweeten matcha tea with a shot of vanilla.
