Espresso Drinks and the Barista

Americano:   Espresso and hot water combined in equal parts of each. Tradition has it that the Americano was invented by European baristas for American G. I.'s during World War II. The solders were only familiar with regularly brewed coffee at that time. Another name for it is the long black.

Cappuccino:   Originally one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third foamed milk. Often in the United States, the cappuccino is made as a cafè latte with much more foam, which is less espresso than the original recipe calls for. Sometimes its topped with a light dusting of cocoa powder. In some nations where espresso is not a common beverage most coffee shops top cappuccinos with cinnamon or cardamom instead of cocoa.

Latte:   The term latte is an abbreviation for caffellatte or "caffè e latte", which means "coffee and milk" in Italian. The latte is an espresso based drink (1/3) combined with steamed milk (2/3) and sometimes served with a thin layer of foamed milk.

 

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