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.

Espresso with milk

Macchiato

Still basically a straight shot, just with the edge taken off by a little sweet foam.

  • Milk foam ≈ 15 ml
  • Espresso ≈ 40 ml
  • About 55 ml
Cross-section, drawn to scale, with typical amounts.

Macchiato means “marked”, and that’s the whole idea: a shot with a spoonful of milk foam on top. Some cafés use a single, others a double.

RatioMostly espresso
RecipeEspresso + a spoonful of milk foam
MilkA spoonful of foam (about 30% of the drink)
Serve in60–90 ml demitasse
Time25–30 s shot
How strong it tastesHigh

How to make it

  1. Pull a single or double shot into a small cup.
  2. Steam milk to 55 to 65 °C, adding plenty of air so you get a good amount of foam.
  3. Spoon a dollop of foam onto the centre of the shot.

Tip: Steam at least 100 ml even though you only need a spoonful. The wand needs something to work with, and the rest can go in someone else’s drink.

Common mistake: Too much milk. Once you’re past a spoonful of foam, it’s turning into a cortado.

Variations

  • Long macchiato (Australia): double shot, dash of milk
  • Latte macchiato: steamed milk with a shot poured in

At a café

At the big chains, say “espresso macchiato”. Just asking for a macchiato there can get you a large layered latte.

Macchiato vs. cortado: A cortado gets roughly as much warm milk as there is espresso. A macchiato only gets a spoonful of foam. See the cortado

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