Espresso Drinks

A mocha is an espresso drink mixed with chocolate and steamed milk. It’s the intersection of coffee and hot chocolate — rich, slightly bitter, sweet, and satisfying. The chocolate can come as syrup, cocoa powder, or melted dark chocolate, but the result is always the same: a drink that tastes like coffee and chocolate at the same time. The word “mocha” comes from the port city of Al-Makha (Mocha) in Yemen, historically one of the world’s most important coffee trading ports. Coffee from that region was known for a natural chocolatey flavor — which is why chocolate and coffee became associated over centuries. ...

A cappuccino is a 5–6 oz drink with thick foam and a bold espresso flavor. A latte is 8–12 oz, creamier, and more milk-forward with only a thin layer of microfoam on top. The key differences are size, foam texture, and milk ratio — cappuccino is stronger and smaller, latte is milder and larger. Both are made with espresso and steamed whole milk. The ratio of milk to espresso is what changes everything. ...

A macchiato is an espresso drink “stained” with a small amount of milk. The word macchiato means “stained” or “marked” in Italian — the milk marks the espresso rather than diluting it. Depending on the version, that can mean a drop of foam on a shot of espresso, or a layered drink with espresso over steamed milk. There are three very different drinks that go by the name “macchiato,” and they taste nothing alike. This guide covers all of them. ...