A "tall, skinny single" might sound like a supermodel, but it's actually just a cup of joe. Brush up on the latest latte lingo and in no time you'll be speaking like an experienced coffee connoisseur, whether you stick to a straight-up cup of black coffee or dabble in flavored and foamed concoctions.
Instructions
1. Know your basics. As most people know, there is caffeinated (regular), decaffeinated (decaf) and "half-calf" coffee. A shot of espresso is smaller, but offers a condensed quantity of what amount to more or less a small cup of coffee. It's brewed from a finer grain, and is stronger per ounce.
2. Add milk, if you choose. There are a few milk-based coffee concoctions. A cafe au lait is brewed with equal parts coffee and hot milk. A cafe latte is espresso with steamed milk. In lattes, the milk is frothier. A macchiato is a an espresso with just a hint of milk foam.
3. Don't stop at milk. There are a number of coffee additions that add to the flavor. Some are combined with milk, and some stand alone. An americano is an espresso shot poured into a cup of piping hot water. A drink "con panna" means adding whipped cream to your coffee. This is not unlike adding heavy whipping cream and a dash of sugar. It amounts to a sweeter, creamier coffee drink. Various syrups are also used to spice up the flavor, including vanilla, hazelnut and and caramel. A mocha is a latte brewed with chocolate.
4. Make it an adult beverage. An Irish coffee has a shot of whiskey, heavy whipping cream and three sugar cubes.
5. Know order. Shots of espresso and espresso-based drinks are order in single, double, triple and quad. This distinction determine how many shots of espresso you're getting. Size generally range short, tall and grande (small, medium and large, respectively).
Tags: brewed with, coffee shot, espresso with, heavy whipping, heavy whipping cream, whipping cream