Macchiato, Cortado, Cappuccino… How are They Different?

Today we’re breaking down three essential espresso drink recipes. Whether you’re wanting to learn how to make these at home or you are trying to decide what to order on your next coffee run, we’re here to help!

We’ll start with the smallest of the the three drinks: the macchiato! A traditional macchiato is about 3 oz. in size. It’s a tiny, potent drink and an excellent way to taste the espresso!

First, you pull a beautiful shot of espresso. Typically this is at around a 1:2 ratio and is a single origin coffee. Then, you steam milk and pour about an ounce on top of the espresso. It is like a teeny, tiny latte. The milk typically has microfoam, so you can get latte art on a macchiato! The small amount of milk accentuates the espresso, and you mostly taste the espresso in the final drink.

Macchiatos are often served like a straight shot of espresso: with a spoon and a side of sparkling water for cleansing your palette.

Next up: the cortado! A cortado is usually a 4 oz. drink, making it only slightly larger than a macchiato. This jump in size, however, changes the taste of the drink significantly. The ratio of milk to espresso in a cortado is about equal; it’s 2 oz. of steamed milk and 2 oz. of espresso. This softens the taste of the espresso more than in a macchiato.

To make a cortado, pull a shot of single origin espresso; steam your milk with lovely microfoam to about 130 degrees Fahrenheit; and pour the milk on top of the espresso in a 4 oz. vessel. You can get latte art on this one too!

Cortados are often served alone. They’re a good way to taste espresso with milk, but they’re also meant to be drunk quickly, hence the cooler milk temperature. Rumor has it this drink was invented by a barista who wanted something they could drink quickly at work during a rush.

Another fun fact about cortados? They go by different names, even within the U.S.! Order a Gibraltar and you’ll end up with a cortado!

Lastly we have the cappuccino. Cappuccinos have been around for a very long time, and they have different interpretations these days. Old-school coffee shops may still serve dry cappuccinos. And a cappuccino in its homeland of Italy will taste different from ours. So we’re just going to talk about the 6 oz. wet capp you’ll find in most specialty coffee shops in the U.S.

To make this one, pull a shot of espresso and steam some milk. But wait! You’ll want to stretch the milk a bit more than you did for the cortado. Even though it’s a wet cappuccino vs. a dry, we’ll still want a bit more foam than on the cortado. A lot of coffee shops shoot for 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, and 1/3 foam in the final drink. You should still be able to pour latte art, even with the extra bit of foam.

As it’s a 6 oz. drink you’ll be able to taste the coffee through the milk very well. And the texture of the foam is just lovely, lending more body to the drink. Capps are often served with a spoon so you can scoop up all the luxurious foam.

There you have it: three very different drinks along with their recipes. Next time you want to try a new drink, you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into!

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