Recently, with the rise in places like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or even more local places like Pour Favor and Operation Brew, there has been a rise in the ways people consume their coffee. When most people go to these coffee shops, they tend to order espresso-based drinks without truly knowing what they are ordering. Each individual drink has its own special recipe and its own separate origins.
Lattes
The generic Latte is a drink consisting of milk and espresso. The traditional way to create it is with the milk steamed, but, more recently, with the rise of frappuccinos and other iced beverages, milk tends to be chilled.
Lattes most commonly originate from Italy, with the name caffè latte, which stands for milk coffee. Most recently, in the 80s, lattes spread to America, becoming most popular in places like Seattle.
Nowadays, there are many different types of Lattes to choose from: Matchas, Chai, Hojichas, and your normal everyday latte.
Matchas are a type of latte made with finely whisked matcha powder and milk. Matcha lattes don’t tend to have any espresso in them due to the caffeine sourced from the green tea leaves. These lattes tend to have a greener and more umami-like taste with a creamy texture.
Chais are lattes made with chai concentrate or chai tea bags and milk. These lattes have more of a cinnamon and fall-like taste to them. Just like a matcha latte, they do not come with espresso, but it is possible to add it, turning it into a dirty Chai latte.
The last type of specialty latte is a Hojicha Latte. Hojicha lattes are made with a similar powder to matcha and milk. This powder is sourced from a different sector of the green tea leaf, making it more of a nutty and fall flavor, like a chai. Just like both the Matcha lattes and Chai lattes, they do not come with espresso.
There are many flavors to add to each of these lattes. The most popular ones are Mocha (chocolate syrup), Vanilla, Caramel, and now, most recently, Lavender.
Macchiatos
The Macchiato, just like the latte, originated in Italy with the name Caffè Macchiato. The title of macchiato in English means a mark or a stain. The title of stain, resembling the very little milk inside a macchiato.
The classic recipe consists of milk and a double, sometimes triple, shot of espresso. Giving it a bitter coffee taste. Just like lattes, there are many flavors you may add to them, the most popular being caramel.
Americanos
Americanos, unlike lattes or macchiatos, originated in Italy but were created by Americans. In the midst of World War Two, American soldiers were stationed in Italy. Due to the strong flavor in espresso they started to dilute it with water instead of the usual milk; Branding itself the americano.
The Americano is a drink made up of water and espresso. Just like all drinks above, you may add any flavor to it, but most of the time it is not used.
Cappuccinos
A cappuccino’s formula is similar to the latte, with a mixture of milk and espresso. The only difference between the two drinks is the amount of milk foam inside the drink itself. If the foam is too much, you may order a wet cappuccino to reduce any excess foam.
Just like all of the drinks above, you may add any flavor, but most commonly vanilla, caramel, or cinnamon, to a cappuccino.
To try any of these drinks for yourself, look towards places like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or even nearby small coffee shops.
