• kn0wmad1c@programming.dev
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    3 months ago

    Here’s a quick tidbit I always have in the back of my mind:

    If it’s an Italian name, it’s espresso-based and if it’s a French name, it’s coffee-based.

    Italian coffee, for example:

    Americano - Espresso and water
    Latte - Espresso and regular milk
    Cappuccino - Espresso and steamed milk
    Breve - Espresso and steamed half-and-half

    French coffee, for example:

    Café - Plain coffee, sometimes called Café Noir
    Café au Lait - Coffee and regular milk
    Café Cremé - Coffee and cream (or sometimes half-and-half)
    Café Americano - Coffee and water, it’s the French version of the Italian style.

    What’s the difference between coffee and espresso? Coffee is brewed and steeped. Espresso is created by forcing water through very, very densely-packed coffee grounds using high pressure. Coffee is typically enjoyed in cups and espresso is typically consumed in “shots” because of the strong flavor.

    • Paradachshund@lemmy.today
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      3 months ago

      Is an Italian latte really with cold milk?

      I used to work in coffee in Seattle and around there a latte is also steamed milk. The difference between a latte and a cappuccino is the amount of foam to milk ratio.

      Latte is mostly milk with a topping of foam. Cappuccino is half foam half milk (and some people like even more foam in their cappuccinos).

      • Rinox@feddit.it
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        3 months ago

        Those terms are an American invention. As for Italy

        • Latte = plain old milk. Can be cold or hot, it’s milk
        • Caffelatte = probably the origin of the American “latte”, literally means coffee and milk, usually made and home with cold or hot milk and moka coffee
        • Latte macchiato = big cup of milk, frothy on top, with a shot of espresso in it
        • Caffè macchiato = espresso with a shot of milk, can be frothy
        • gallopingsnail@lemmy.sdf.org
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          3 months ago

          Certainly the origin of the American “latte” is the latte macchiato, because that’s exactly what you receive if you order “a latte” in the US.

        • Paradachshund@lemmy.today
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          3 months ago

          Interesting, thanks for the info! What is moka coffee? Mocha here means a latte with chocolate basically. Sometimes with whipped cream instead of foam.

          • Rinox@feddit.it
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            3 months ago

            Coffee made with a Moka pot

            What you call mocha should actually be called Mocaccino, although it’s more similar to what we call Marocchino in Italy. They’re both derived from the “Bicerin”, a drink typical of Turin.

            Marocchino is like a Cappuccino with powdered cocoa (mix the espresso and cocoa before pouring the milk).

            Mocaccino is instead made up of three layers, a layer of melted chocolate, then a layer of espresso, then a layer of frothy milk.

            Afaik they’re not massively popular in Italy, but here in the north I see Marocchino more often than Mocaccino.

            PS: if you want to pronounce them correctly, “chi” and “che” are pronounced “ki” and “ke”, while “ci” and “ce” are pronounced “chi” and “che”.

            • Paradachshund@lemmy.today
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              3 months ago

              It sounds like an American mocha is most similar to the mocaccino, since we mostly use a thick chocolate sauce for the chocolate, not cocoa powder.

    • GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk
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      3 months ago

      It’s worth noting that most places without a “signature” style just use espresso as the base nowadays. Because espresso is a much easier way to start (as it’s a small amount of coffee syrup, without the water).
      And outside of speciality (pour-over/cold-brew), it’s the preferred extraction method.