Guides

Types of coffee drinks and how to make them

Pick a drink to see what goes into it, how strong it tastes and how to make it at home. No two cafés pour quite the same size, so read the amounts as typical rather than official. Coffee and water are in grams because you’ll be weighing them, and 1 g of water is 1 ml anyway.

Iced and sweet

Iced latte

Lighter than a hot latte, with the ice softening the coffee. Very easy to drink on a hot day.

  • Espresso ≈ 40 ml
  • Cold milk ≈ 180 ml
  • About 220 ml plus ice
Cross-section, drawn to scale, with typical amounts.

Espresso and cold milk over ice, no steaming involved. It takes a little less milk than a hot latte because the ice waters it down as it melts.

Ratio1:4–1:5, espresso to milk
RecipeDouble shot + 150–200 ml cold milk
MilkCold, not steamed (about 80% of the drink)
Serve in350–450 ml glass
Time25–30 s shot
How strong it tastesLow to medium

How to make it

  1. Fill a 350–450 ml glass with ice.
  2. Pour in 150 to 200 ml of cold milk.
  3. Pull a double shot (18 g in, 36 g out) and pour it over the top.
  4. Give it a stir before you drink it.

Tip: If you’re sweetening it, stir the syrup or sugar into the hot shot. It won’t dissolve properly in cold milk.

Common mistake: One shot in a big glass of milk is mostly just cold milk. Use a double and stop at 200 ml.

Variations

  • Vanilla or caramel: syrup stirred into the hot shot
  • Iced mocha: add chocolate to the shot
  • Oat milk: works cold too

At a café

Pretty much every café does one, usually with a choice of milks and syrups.

Iced latte vs. latte: A hot latte has steamed milk with a bit of foam on top, no ice, and usually more milk. See the latte

You’ll need: Espresso machine, grinder and scale.