the world’s most widely consumed coffee blends, explained: an abridged guide

espresso, the foundation to several other famous varieties of coffee blends

Did you know that the word “espresso,” in Italian, literally means “when something is forced out?”

This concentrated coffee brew is made by forcing out boiling water that is at high pressure through finely ground beans.

You have the option to take it as it is or to sweeten it a bit with sugar. You may also want it “short” with less water and more concentration or prefer it “long,” i.e., diluted with more water making its strength less concentrated.

café Americano, pretty much your traditional drip coffee with espresso as base, similar strength, only in a larger cup

Café Americano basically consists of a shot of espresso, added with hot water at 1/3 to 2/3 ratio.

History has it that Café Americano dates back to the Second World War when Americans would concoct this type of coffee for purposes of making more amount of the drink than the base which is espresso and of making it last longer.

Over the years, this coffee blend has gained popularity and has been rather perfected by professional baristas. This has quite a huge number of drinkers because it’s just a great choice to keep you up during long nights of overtime work or studying 😉

latte, literally the French word for milk, espresso + steamed milk, “thin latte art foam”

Latte is another coffee blend that’s fairly a popular choice amongst coffee aficionados.

The blend consists of one part espresso and three parts steamed milk, otherwise called the scolded milk. Then there’s the layer of milk foam topping it that’s truly attractive especially with baristas’ flare for creating images out of the milk foam – the famous latte art. Some of the more popular ones are the dreamy images of ferns and hears.

Oh, and don’t forget to order some bread or cookies to pair with and complement your latte fix.

cappuccino, espresso + steamed milk, however, with thick foam

Did you know that “cappuccino” takes its name from a group of Italian clergymen called Capuchin friars?

Basically, the famous coffee blend alludes to the simple and unassuming Capuchin robes whose color was like that of espresso and whose cord, that of foamed milk – components that make up a cappuccino cup.

It’s ideally served in 6oz capacity of equal parts espresso and steamed milk that are topped with a layer of frothy, foamed milk. Cocoa powder is great choice to sprinkle over the famous coffee blend to finish off its preparation.

cold brew, the less acidic one that’s steeped for longer but is worth the waiting time 😉

The cold brew type of coffee, also known as the cold press, consists of coarsely ground coffee beans that is steeped for a considerable amount of time – 12 hours, if not more for best results – in cold or room temperature water.

Thereafter steeping, the coffee grounds are filtered out of the water. The Kitchables pour over coffee maker’s permanent stainless steel filter should be the perfect tool for this!

Dilute the filtered coffee with milk, should you please and then serve chilled with ice cubes in it – and you’re good to go!

macchiato, the more boldly flavored one

Macchiato = espresso + foamed milk

Seems familiar? Yes, macchiato may remind you of cappuccino except that you don’t add steamed milk to it, making it stronger that cappuccino. It’s also served in a much smaller capacity – ideally 3oz.

How about you – what’s your favorite popular coffee blend?

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Header photo credit: @elizabeth.henson