We all know somebody who just couldn’t function without a cup of the dark brown stuff in the morning, it keeps offices running all over the world. This article lists and describes many of the different types of coffee you might find at your local coffee shop or vending machine. It is by no means exhaustive, as new variations are being named all the time, and often the same drinks can have quite different names or recipes in different parts of the world.
Americano or Cafe Americano is espresso coffee with hot water.
A Black Tie or Black Thai coffee is a Thai Iced Tea which has a spicy and sweet flavour. Contains cold black tea, orange blossom water, star anise, tamarind, sugar and milk, with a double shot of espresso coffee.
Cafe au Lait, also known as a Cafe Latte, is strong coffee (often espresso) with scalded milk in a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio. It is sometimes served with foam on top.
A Cafe Melange is a black coffee served with whipped cream, which is popular in the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.
Coffee milk is just like chocolate or banana milk, but coffee syrup is used.
A Cafe Mocha is a Cafe Latte (1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk) with chocolate, usually a syrup or powder. It can contain dark or milk chocolate. This is sometimes known as a moccaccino.
A Cafe Zorro consists of a double espresso with hot water in a 1:1 ratio.
A cappuccino is made with espresso, hot milk and steamed milk foam on top. It comes served with far less milk than a Cafe Latte, and usually comes in a porcelain cup for heat retention. The foam helps to insulate the liquid.
A Caramel Machiatto is a vanilla flavoured latte drink, with milk foam and caramel on top.
The Chocolate Dalmation is relatively rare, and is a mocha made with white chocolate and topped with java chip and chocolate chip.
A Cinnamon Spice Mocha is a standard mocha made with cinnamon flavourings or syrup, usually topped with milk foam and cinnamon powder.
A Cortado is an espresso coffee with a little warm milk to reduce acidity. The ratio is between 1:1 and 1:2, with the milk being added after the coffee. Steamed milk is added but not foam. It’s a popular coffee drink in Portugal, Spain and Latin America. In Cuba it is known as cortadito while in Catalan it is known as tallat or trencat.
Dirty Chai is a chai tea with a shot of espresso coffee.