
 
--------------------------------------------------------------
 *** LIST OF SPECIALTY COFFEE/ESPRESSO DRINKS ***
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 It is not possible to present such a list as this without 
 explanation and a bit of perspective.

 There is great variation from region to region (and sometimes
 even from shop to shop) in the definition of specialty coffee drinks. 
 Please keep in mind that the following information is highly 
 subjective.
 
 Barry Jarrett emphasizes:
 
 "Getting a *precise* definition of espresso drinks is not 
 possible, just as getting precise definitions of cocktails 
 isn't possible.... Proportions vary and individual baristas modify.

 [for example] Generally, a capp is 1/3,1/3,1/3... although this 
 becomes blurred when a 'latte' has foam on it. The line between 
 latte and capp is very vague, and the exact meaning of any of these 
 terms can vary from shop to shop. E.G.: our regular latte has a 
 double shot, little or no foam. In Seattle, that's a 'double latte'. 
 In Australia, a Seattle latte, one shot & no foam, is called
 a 'flat white'. "

 David Ross adds:

 "These lists are pretty useless, since conventions differ by 
 different parts of the country, and by particular shop within 
 cities. (The same is true for other coffee conventions - for 
 example, in Seattle French Roast is considered darker than 
 Italian Roast, the opposite of the New York convention.)"

 As one contributor to the coffee newsgroups perhaps best put it, 
 if you are fussy about such definitions, then it is better to 
 order the drink the way you really want it than to rely on the
 definitions given below (e.g. order "a single shot of espresso 
 with equal milk, no foam").

 The point here is that when you travel, don't expect the definitions
 you are used to to be the same definitions everyone else uses --
 again, order it the way you want it and you'll avoid both
 confusion and disappointment.

 In addition, any of the drinks listed below can have a variable amount 
 of flavoring syrup added to them. Such syrups are available 
 in a wide range of fruit, nut, and sweet flavors. Many brands of 
 syrups have Italian names, though several are manufactured in the US.
 With the exception of caff mocha, such variations are not listed below.

 Finally, the term 'caff' is Italian for coffee (what Americans
 call espresso). The term 'latte' is Italian for milk.

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Espresso ........... [ess-PRESS-o] A 1-2 ounce drink made in by forcing 
(caff) hot water under pressure through finely ground 
 coffee beans. Typically, espresso beans are
 darkly roasted but this is not a requirement.
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(Caff) Americano .. Espresso diluted (after brewing) with an equal 
 portion of hot water. Not everyone agrees:
 "Not necessarily. In many places an 'Americano' 
 may be a 'regular' coffee from a coffee maker."
 Some definitions of Americano claim it is 
 espresso being diluted with 'regular' coffee. 
 But wait:

 "...a shot of espresso in a regular cup of coffee? 
 This is called an 'Early Shirley' at my local..."

 "we've had the espresso/coffee combo referred to 
 as a 'Hammerhead'."
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Breve .............. Espresso with steamed "half & half" (or cream)
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Cafe au Lait ....... Coffee and heated milk in latte proportions, 
 but using 'regular' coffee (a.k.a. "American 
 filter coffee") instead of espresso.
 The 'regular' coffee should be brewed 'double 
 strength' to better reflect the heavier brew 
 ratio used by Europeans (in some places double 
 or triple the dose used by Americans). Still
 another contributor writes "espresso with scalded 
 milk is a unique prep. Someone here recently 
 called this drink cafe au lait".
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Cafecito ........... A Cuban coffee drink made from espresso 
 and sugar.
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Caff Corretto ..... Espresso with a dash of an alcoholic beverage, 
 e.g. sambuca
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Cappuccino ......... [cap-uh-CHEE-no] A shot of espresso with the remainder 
 being 50% steamed milk and 50% milk foam/froth. An 
 alternative description is 1/3 espresso, 
 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 foamed milk. But again,
 this depends very much on the maker. Many places 
 use more steamed milk and less froth. "Cappuccino 
 is essentially a latte topped with milk FOAM."
 Another contributor states "The foam should 
 follow the milk to the cup naturally. [if] It is 
 added with a spoon then [it] is _no_good."

 But just the opposite is true in other places.
 "I just started working as a barista, here in Berkeley,
 about a month ago. When I was shown how to make 
 Cappuccino's, I was told that a Cappuccino has no 
 steamed milk - only foam. The place I work is in a 
 Hotel near UCBerk, and a lot of my customers are 
 European. One Italian gentleman ordered a cappuccino 
 from me, and I hadn't let the foam sit long enough 
 and a *tiny* bit of milk seeped into the shot of 
 espresso. He asked for another cappuccino, 
 saying I hadn't made it right, so I asked him how 
 it was done. He made another one, and it was a jet 
 black shot of espresso with more than just a dollop 
 of foam on top."

 Referring to the above description, Geoffrey Maugham
 writes: "We have always referred to this kind of 
 cappuccino as a "dry" or "light" cappuccino. You can 
 tell the difference between a good 1/3-1/3-1/3 
 cappuccino and a latte by their weight.

 Finally, some interesting history on the word
 cappuccino, according to the American Heritage 
 Dictionary:

 "The history of the word cappuccino exemplifies 
 how words can develop new senses because of 
 resemblances that the original coiners of the 
 terms might not have dreamed possible. The Capuchin 
 order of friars, established after 1525, played an 
 important role in bringing Catholicism back to 
 Reformation Europe. Its Italian name came from the 
 long, pointed cowl, or cappuccino, derived from 
 cappuccio, "hood" that was worn as part of the 
 order's habit. The French version of cappuccino 
 was capuchin (now capucin), from which came English 
 Capuchin. The name of this pious order was later 
 used as the name (first recorded in English in 1785) 
 for a type of monkey with a tuft of black, cowllike 
 hair. In Italian cappuccino went on to develop 
 another sense, "espresso coffee mixed or topped with 
 steamed milk or cream" so called because the color of 
 the coffee resembled the color of the habit of a 
 Capuchin friar. The first use of cappuccino in 
 English is recorded in 1948 in a work about 
 San Francisco."
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Cold Brewed ........ Coffee brewed using cold or lukewarm water.
 Usually brewed double or triple strength and
 the diluted with water and heated. This
 concentrated 'coffee mix' is created by
 allowing grounds to steep for several hours.
 Said to taste quite different than hot brewed
 coffee. (Note: This is not considered to
 be espresso.) 
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Espresso Con Panna [ess-PRESS-o cone PA-na] Espresso with a dollop 
 of whipped cream.
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(Caff) Latte ...... [caf-AY LAH-tay] Espresso with steamed milk and 
 in some shops, a small cap of foam. It has less foam 
 than a cappuccino. Definitions blur easily here.

 In Australia: " 'Latte' gets you a _glass_ with 
 a shot of espresso and lots of milk and 
 some foam - half way between a flat white and a cap.
 Seems to have originated as the breakfast drink of 
 Sydney commuters. Has become infinitely fashionable 
 due to the need for brass glass holders, which 
 only the fashionable coffee houses have (the rest of 
 us wrap the glass in a napkin)"
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Lattecino .......... Espresso with steamed milk and about a half
 inch of milk foam on top. (NOTE: This is
 commonly served as "latte" in some parts of the
 country.) Some enthusiasts feel this name
 is a pretentious invention by overly imaginative
 coffee shops. On the other hand...
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(Caff) Lungo ...... A 'long pull' espresso. It is an espresso
 diluted by allowing a longer extraction
 thereby resulting in a weaker drink. 
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Macchiato .......... [mock-e-AH-toe] Some say this is espresso with about 
(caff m.) a half inch of milk foam (no steamed milk). But some
(espresso m.) strongly disagree. One enthusiast writes of 
 the above definition: "Surely not. Macchiato 
 (lit. "marked") is a dash of milk or cream 
 in espresso." Another writes "the chap who 
 serves me espresso, and who has been roasting 
 coffee and selling and leasing machines for 
 several years ....tells me that Macchiato is 
 made with half-and-half." 

 From Australia: " 'Macchiato' has two variations 
 here - long and short. 'Short' is an espresso (in 
 the mandatory micro cup) with just a dash of 
 milk. This is the default at most trad. Italian 
 mum & dad restaurants. 'Long' is a _glass_ with 
 two shots of espresso, and small amount of 
 milk. The peak of macchiato making is to pour the 
 milk in so slowly that it never makes it to the 
 bottom of the glass. The resulting layered drink 
 has been known to inspire fear in the novice drinker. 
 This the default at coffee houses. Both of these 
 _seemed_ to have started out in small glasses (about 
 175ml) but the fashionable have demanded ever larger 
 glasses - of about 375ml.

 Starbucks defines Espresso Macchiato as "1 shot of
 espresso in a demitasse [topped with] a small dollop
 of foamed milk.

 Finally, this somewhat similar variation: "The 
 coffeehouse I work at serves as Macchiato, a layered 
 cappuccino. 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 espresso sitting 
 on that (not mixed), and finally 1/3 milk foam. When 
 served in glass, it is quite elegant, and
 when drunk, the foam insulates the coffee for 
 temperatures sake, the espresso hits the palate 
 first, and finally, the slightly sweet steamed 
 milk washes the palate. a fine beverage, though
 perhaps not the standard."
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(Caff) Mocha ...... [caf-AY MO-kah] A term of no small controversy. 
 Depending upon where you are, ordering a 'mocha' might 
 get you a 'latte' or a cappuccino with chocolate syrup 
 or hot cocoa. On the other hand, it might just send 
 the barista thermonuclear -- especially if the
 word 'mocha' is not on the menu.

 Mocha was a port in Yemen -- a major coffee-growing
 country located in southwest Asia at the southern tip 
 of the Arabian peninsula -- and "it has NOTHING to 
 do with chocolate!!!!!"

 One contributor states "However, my dictionary lists 
 Mocha as 'a flavoring obtains from a combined
 infusion of coffee and chocolate' usage as dating 
 from the early 19th century (circa 1815 it says)"

 For the record, the American Heritage Dictionary
 gives the following 5 definitions:

 mocha n. 1. A rich, pungent Arabian coffee. 
 2. Coffee of high quality. 
 3. A flavoring made of coffee often mixed 
 with chocolate. 
 4. A soft, thin, suede-finished glove 
 leather usually made from sheepskin. 
 5. Color. A dark olive brown. 

 [After Mocha, a town of southwest Yemen.]

 One reader comments "I still don't see why a 
 Chocolate Latte has a special name when a 
 Raspberry Latte doesn't."

 Starbucks defines caff mocha as "enough good quality
 chocolate syrup to cover the bottom of the cup, 
 1 shot of espresso [...] fill with steamed milk
 [...] top with a dollop of whipped cream [...] and
 lightly sprinkle with cocoa powder".
 
 Finally, one reader sends us "When I was in 
 New Zealand a popular coffee was a 'mochachino' 
 which was made by adding hot chocolate to espresso, 
 it was quite foamy (as foamy as the hot chocolate). "
 The term 'mochacino' is apparently also used some 
 places in the US.

 The best advice here is to check the menu before
 ordering or ask for a "cappuccino/latte with 
 chocolate syrup".
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Moka/Mokka ......... The kind of coffee you get when you use a stove top 
 espresso maker. "It's not quite espresso, so it 
 doesn't really fall under that category." Don't
 confuse this with 'mocha' (listed above).
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(Caff) Ristretto .. A 'short pull' (stronger) espresso. "A ristretto is 
 an espresso made with less (half?) the water used 
 for a regular espresso.

 "It is a 'ristretto' or restricted shot, where the 
 flow of water is turned off early giving a .75 to 
 1 oz shot instead of a 1.5 to 2 oz shot. VERY stout."
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