LIST OF SPECIALTY COFFEE/ESPRESSO DRINKS

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 *** LIST OF SPECIALTY COFFEE/ESPRESSO DRINKS ***
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 It is not possible to present such a list as this without
 explanation and a bit of perspective.

 There is great variation from region to region (and sometimes
 even from shop to shop) in the definition of specialty coffee drinks.
 Please keep in mind that the following information is highly
 subjective.

 Barry Jarrett emphasizes:

 "Getting a *precise* definition of espresso drinks is not
 possible, just as getting precise definitions of cocktails
 isn't possible.... Proportions vary and individual baristas modify.

 [for example] Generally, a capp is 1/3,1/3,1/3... although this
 becomes blurred when a 'latte' has foam on it. The line between
 latte and capp is very vague, and the exact meaning of any of these
 terms can vary from shop to shop. E.G.: our regular latte has a
 double shot, little or no foam. In Seattle, that's a 'double latte'.
 In Australia, a Seattle latte, one shot & no foam, is called
 a 'flat white'. "

 David Ross adds:

 "These lists are pretty useless, since conventions differ by
 different parts of the country, and by particular shop within
 cities. (The same is true for other coffee conventions - for
 example, in Seattle French Roast is considered darker than
 Italian Roast, the opposite of the New York convention.)"

 As one contributor to the coffee newsgroups perhaps best put it,
 if you are fussy about such definitions, then it is better to
 order the drink the way you really want it than to rely on the
 definitions given below (e.g. order "a single shot of espresso
 with equal milk, no foam").

 The point here is that when you travel, don't expect the definitions
 you are used to to be the same definitions everyone else uses --
 again, order it the way you want it and you'll avoid both
 confusion and disappointment.

 In addition, any of the drinks listed below can have a variable amount
 of flavoring syrup added to them. Such syrups are available
 in a wide range of fruit, nut, and sweet flavors. Many brands of
 syrups have Italian names, though several are manufactured in the US.
 With the exception of caffè mocha, such variations are not listed below.

 Finally, the term 'caffè' is Italian for coffee (what Americans
 call espresso). The term 'latte' is Italian for milk.

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Espresso ........... [ess-PRESS-o] A 1-2 ounce drink made in by forcing
(caffè) hot water under pressure through finely ground
 coffee beans. Typically, espresso beans are
 darkly roasted but this is not a requirement.
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(Caffè) Americano .. Espresso diluted (after brewing) with an equal
 portion of hot water. Not everyone agrees:
 "Not necessarily. In many places an 'Americano'
 may be a 'regular' coffee from a coffee maker."
 Some definitions of Americano claim it is
 espresso being diluted with 'regular' coffee.
 But wait:

 "...a shot of espresso in a regular cup of coffee?
 This is called an 'Early Shirley' at my local..."

 "we've had the espresso/coffee combo referred to
 as a 'Hammerhead'."
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Breve .............. Espresso with steamed "half & half" (or cream)
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Cafe au Lait ....... Coffee and heated milk in latte proportions,
 but using 'regular' coffee (a.k.a. "American
 filter coffee") instead of espresso.
 The 'regular' coffee should be brewed 'double
 strength' to better reflect the heavier brew
 ratio used by Europeans (in some places double
 or triple the dose used by Americans). Still
 another contributor writes "espresso with scalded
 milk is a unique prep. Someone here recently
 called this drink cafe au lait".
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Cafecito ........... A Cuban coffee drink made from espresso
 and sugar.
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Caffè Corretto ..... Espresso with a dash of an alcoholic beverage,
 e.g. sambuca
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Cappuccino ......... [cap-uh-CHEE-no] A shot of espresso with the remainder
 being 50% steamed milk and 50% milk foam/froth. An
 alternative description is 1/3 espresso,
 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 foamed milk. But again,
 this depends very much on the maker. Many places
 use more steamed milk and less froth. "Cappuccino
 is essentially a latte topped with milk FOAM."
 Another contributor states "The foam should
 follow the milk to the cup naturally. [if] It is
 added with a spoon then [it] is _no_good."

 But just the opposite is true in other places.
 "I just started working as a barista, here in Berkeley,
 about a month ago. When I was shown how to make
 Cappuccino's, I was told that a Cappuccino has no
 steamed milk - only foam. The place I work is in a
 Hotel near UCBerk, and a lot of my customers are
 European. One Italian gentleman ordered a cappuccino
 from me, and I hadn't let the foam sit long enough
 and a *tiny* bit of milk seeped into the shot of
 espresso. He asked for another cappuccino,
 saying I hadn't made it right, so I asked him how
 it was done. He made another one, and it was a jet
 black shot of espresso with more than just a dollop
 of foam on top."

 Referring to the above description, Geoffrey Maugham
 writes: "We have always referred to this kind of
 cappuccino as a "dry" or "light" cappuccino. You can
 tell the difference between a good 1/3-1/3-1/3
 cappuccino and a latte by their weight.

 Finally, some interesting history on the word
 cappuccino, according to the American Heritage
 Dictionary:

 "The history of the word cappuccino exemplifies
 how words can develop new senses because of
 resemblances that the original coiners of the
 terms might not have dreamed possible. The Capuchin
 order of friars, established after 1525, played an
 important role in bringing Catholicism back to
 Reformation Europe. Its Italian name came from the
 long, pointed cowl, or cappuccino, derived from
 cappuccio, "hood" that was worn as part of the
 order's habit. The French version of cappuccino
 was capuchin (now capucin), from which came English
 Capuchin. The name of this pious order was later
 used as the name (first recorded in English in 1785)
 for a type of monkey with a tuft of black, cowllike
 hair. In Italian cappuccino went on to develop
 another sense, "espresso coffee mixed or topped with
 steamed milk or cream" so called because the color of
 the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a
 Capuchin friar. The first use of cappuccino in
 English is recorded in 1948 in a work about
 San Francisco."
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Cold Brewed ........ Coffee brewed using cold or lukewarm water.
 Usually brewed double or triple strength and
 the diluted with water and heated. This
 concentrated 'coffee mix' is created by
 allowing grounds to steep for several hours.
 Said to taste quite different than hot brewed
 coffee. (Note: This is not considered to
 be espresso.)
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Espresso Con Panna [ess-PRESS-o cone PA-na] Espresso with a dollop
 of whipped cream.
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(Caffè) Latte ...... [caf-AY LAH-tay] Espresso with steamed milk and
 in some shops, a small cap of foam. It has less foam
 than a cappuccino. Definitions blur easily here.

 In Australia: " 'Latte' gets you a _glass_ with
 a shot of espresso and lots of milk and
 some foam - half way between a flat white and a cap.
 Seems to have originated as the breakfast drink of
 Sydney commuters. Has become infinitely fashionable
 due to the need for brass glass holders, which
 only the fashionable coffee houses have (the rest of
 us wrap the glass in a napkin)"
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Lattecino .......... Espresso with steamed milk and about a half
 inch of milk foam on top. (NOTE: This is
 commonly served as "latte" in some parts of the
 country.) Some enthusiasts feel this name
 is a pretentious invention by overly imaginative
 coffee shops. On the other hand...
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(Caffè) Lungo ...... A 'long pull' espresso. It is an espresso
 diluted by allowing a longer extraction
 thereby resulting in a weaker drink.
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Macchiato .......... [mock-e-AH-toe] Some say this is espresso with about
(caffè m.) a half inch of milk foam (no steamed milk). But some
(espresso m.) strongly disagree. One enthusiast writes of
 the above definition: "Surely not. Macchiato
 (lit. "marked") is a dash of milk or cream
 in espresso." Another writes "the chap who
 serves me espresso, and who has been roasting
 coffee and selling and leasing machines for
 several years ....tells me that Macchiato is
 made with half-and-half."

 From Australia: " 'Macchiato' has two variations
 here - long and short. 'Short' is an espresso (in
 the mandatory micro cup) with just a dash of
 milk. This is the default at most trad. Italian
 mum & dad restaurants. 'Long' is a _glass_ with
 two shots of espresso, and small amount of
 milk. The peak of macchiato making is to pour the
 milk in so slowly that it never makes it to the
 bottom of the glass. The resulting layered drink
 has been known to inspire fear in the novice drinker.
 This the default at coffee houses. Both of these
 _seemed_ to have started out in small glasses (about
 175ml) but the fashionable have demanded ever larger
 glasses - of about 375ml.

 Starbucks defines Espresso Macchiato as "1 shot of
 espresso in a demitasse [topped with] a small dollop
 of foamed milk.

 Finally, this somewhat similar variation: "The
 coffeehouse I work at serves as Macchiato, a layered
 cappuccino. 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 espresso sitting
 on that (not mixed), and finally 1/3 milk foam. When
 served in glass, it is quite elegant, and
 when drunk, the foam insulates the coffee for
 temperatures sake, the espresso hits the palate
 first, and finally, the slightly sweet steamed
 milk washes the palate. a fine beverage, though
 perhaps not the standard."
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(Caffè) Mocha ...... [caf-AY MO-kah] A term of no small controversy.
 Depending upon where you are, ordering a 'mocha' might
 get you a 'latte' or a cappuccino with chocolate syrup
 or hot cocoa. On the other hand, it might just send
 the barista thermonuclear -- especially if the
 word 'mocha' is not on the menu.

 Mocha was a port in Yemen -- a major coffee-growing
 country located in southwest Asia at the southern tip
 of the Arabian peninsula -- and "it has NOTHING to
 do with chocolate!!!!!"

 One contributor states "However, my dictionary lists
 Mocha as 'a flavoring obtains from a combined
 infusion of coffee and chocolate' usage as dating
 from the early 19th century (circa 1815 it says)"

 For the record, the American Heritage Dictionary
 gives the following 5 definitions:

 mo·cha n. 1. A rich, pungent Arabian coffee.
 2. Coffee of high quality.
 3. A flavoring made of coffee often mixed
 with chocolate.
 4. A soft, thin, suede-finished glove
 leather usually made from sheepskin.
 5. Color. A dark olive brown.

 [After Mocha, a town of southwest Yemen.]

 One reader comments "I still don't see why a
 Chocolate Latte has a special name when a
 Raspberry Latte doesn't."

 Starbucks defines caffè mocha as "enough good quality
 chocolate syrup to cover the bottom of the cup,
 1 shot of espresso [...] fill with steamed milk
 [...] top with a dollop of whipped cream [...] and
 lightly sprinkle with cocoa powder".

 Finally, one reader sends us "When I was in
 New Zealand a popular coffee was a 'mochachino'
 which was made by adding hot chocolate to espresso,
 it was quite foamy (as foamy as the hot chocolate). "
 The term 'mochacino' is apparently also used some
 places in the US.

 The best advice here is to check the menu before
 ordering or ask for a "cappuccino/latte with
 chocolate syrup".
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Moka/Mokka ......... The kind of coffee you get when you use a stove top
 espresso maker. "It's not quite espresso, so it
 doesn't really fall under that category." Don't
 confuse this with 'mocha' (listed above).
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(Caffè) Ristretto .. A 'short pull' (stronger) espresso. "A ristretto is
 an espresso made with less (half?) the water used
 for a regular espresso.

 "It is a 'ristretto' or restricted shot, where the
 flow of water is turned off early giving a .75 to
 1 oz shot instead of a 1.5 to 2 oz shot. VERY stout."
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