The Basics of Espresso Hot Drinks, Part 3

Common Hot Espresso drinks

Now we move onto different go-to hot espresso drinks. There are a wide variety of flavors to add in such as hot water, syrups, and milk for these drinks. The simplest hot espresso drink you can get is a shot of espresso which contains a high amount of concentrated caffeine. A shot of espresso is a very small but strong amount of coffee that is made with finely grounded coffee in an espresso machine., It is made with filtered hot water at about 195-205°F, and then is put under a lot of pressure in the group head in a quick amount of time. After the shot is pulled, you will see three layers to a shot of espresso. The top layer is golden crema, the middle layer is the body which will be a brown color, and then the third layer is the heart which will be a darker brown to black color.

Another very popular coffee drink would be the Americano. This drink contains espresso and hot water. Next is the classic cappuccino. This drink is similar to a latte but contains more froth than milk and is more strong in coffee flavor. A flat white has mainly microfoam and no froth at all. because the espresso and milk will completely combine. A mocha is basically a latte with chocolate added for a delicious drink. A traditional macchiato is a shot of espresso with just a dash or mark of milk foam on top. The basic latte is a fairly common drink that contains ( ratios of espresso to milk ). This drink is creamy and not too strong in coffee boldness.

A cortado is Spanish for equal parts milk and espresso mixed. It is usually more on the short side but can differ from coffee shops and baristas. A traditional Cuban drink would be the cafe Cubano which is espresso shots mixed with raw sugar to create a dark rich bold and sweet drink. There is also the chai and dirty chai. Chai is a spiced milky tea latte but dirty chai is a chai with espresso added. There is also drip coffee with espresso shots added which is called a red-eye or depth charge. A Cafe Au Lait is drip coffee and steamed milk.

The list of coffee drinks goes on and on. There are so many creative and tasty coffee drinks all over the world from cafes and coffee shops. What is so beautiful about coffee is it can be so personal to an individual. It can come in so many shapes and colors and brings people together when they drink it with one another, whether that be at home with family in the morning or at a coffee shop with friends in the afternoon. I am an amateur barista right now in my coffee journey but my knowledge of creating espresso drinks has really grown in the last year. so I hope this was helpful to you. I would encourage you to try new drinks, ask questions, and enjoy the wonderful world of coffee!