Know your coffee, get your kick !

Do you know your ristretto to your Americano? We bring you a caffeine-heavy guide to the way coffee is made and served.

Espresso

Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t a type of coffee bean, but a way of making coffee. Nearly boiling water at high pressure is forced through finely ground coffee powder, making an intensely flavoured drink. It’s how the Europeans, particularly Italians, like it, and must be served pronto.

Ristretto

This is what true coffee connoisseurs prefer. It’s the first ¾ ounce of a coffee extraction, hence strong and pure. And not for the faint-hearted.

Lungo

Also known as a long shot, this is 1 and ½ ounces of espresso.

Americano

If you want a less-strong Espresso, then this is the drink for you. A shot of espresso is diluted with about six times the water.

Café Breve

A shot of espresso is combined with steaming light cream to make this coffee.

Café Latte

Espresso is mixed with milk and topped with foam to make the mellow latte. If in France, ask for a café au lait.

Flat white

When a latte comes without the foam it’s called a flat white.

Cortado

This is the Spanish word for cut. The coffee is an espresso shot ‘cut’ with a small amount of milk.

Cappuccino

So called because its colour resembles the robes of the Cappuccin monks, this popular drink is simply espresso and steamed milk and doesn’t necessarily have to be crowned with foam.

Turkish coffee

This is an unfiltered coffee made by boiling coffee powder. Often served heavily sweetened, it’s drunk while the grounds settle to the bottom of the cup.

Thai/Vietnamese coffee

A very refreshing street drink in these countries, this is a cold coffee made with a strong brew and condensed milk.

Filter coffee

We say nothing beats good old South Indian filter coffee, made in a brass or stainless steel filter. The decoction is mixed with boiling milk, sweetened and poured between two tumblers to make the perfect pick-me-up.

Also read:

5 things you can do with condensed milk