The basis of most coffee drinks is espresso. This is a dark, strong coffee brew made by forcing pressurised hot water through finely ground coffee.

One of more ‘shots’ of espresso are then used to make up the desired coffee option; be that cappuccino, latte, macchiato, or something different.

Cappuccino and Cafe Latte

Cappuccino is its colour’s resemblance to the habits of Capuchin monks. Cappuccino is made by combining one shot espresso with equal parts steamed milk and then topped with milk foam and maybe sprinkled with coffee, chocolate or even cinnamon. A latte is simple a cappuccino without the foam and with a 2:1 ratio of milk to coffee.

Long black, Short black and Macchiato

A long black is one or more shots of espresso, topped up with hot or boiling water to the desired consistency. Short black is just another name for espresso. What constitutes a ‘true’ macchiato will vary from cafe to coffee shop. In the strictest terms, a macchiato is an espresso shot which has been ‘marked’ with a touch of milk froth. More commonly, a macchiato is a ‘long black’ with a very small dash of milk.

The famous Australian invention – the flat white – is very similar to and often confused with a cafe latte. The difference is that – whilst a flat white is made with micro-foam from milk only heated to 60 degrees – a latte is made from ‘scalded’ and thus hotter milk. Other differences occur from cafe to cafe, most usually being the mode of serving – glass or cup. Find a cafe that makes your coffee the way you want it and not the other way around. After all – you’re the customer.