Coffee recipes
Espresso, cappuccino, latte machiatto... Feeling lost in all these names for coffee?
Don't panic, we'll explain it all to you! Coffee is a source of disagreement on just about every aspect of a recipe: best aroma profile, amount of espresso in a cup, whether or not to add milk...
So we're going to give you some figures for guidance only! There's nothing to stop you making your own recipes.
After all, coffee is a passion, an art that keeps thousands of people awake and can be personalized in so many ways! As we say at Ma Caféine, to each his own!
Espresso
Espresso is best known for being short and powerful. A good espresso can be recognized by the strength of its aromas, its balance between body and bitterness, and its beautiful crema.
RECIPE
30 ml espresso
SUGGESTED COFFEE
Ristretto
Ristretto, also known as "café serré", is prepared with the same amount of coffee as a simple espresso, but with half as much water. The result is a more intense coffee, but with less bitterness than an espresso.
RECIPE
15 ml espresso
SUGGESTED COFFEE
Cortado
The cortado accentuates and enhances the flavor of an espresso. The addition of milk (not frothed, just steamed) tempers the aroma and texture of the espresso without overpowering it, resulting in a dense, flavorful beverage.
RECIPE
- 60 ml espresso
- 30 ml non-foamed milk
SUGGESTED COFFEE
Lungo
Lungo (or long) coffee is the opposite of ristretto. The same amount of ground coffee as an espresso, but with twice as much water! The result is a "filter" coffee, less intense and aromatic than an espresso, and lighter in color.
RECIPE
90 ml less concentrated espresso
SUGGESTED COFFEE
Americano
Americano is an espresso-based coffee similar to a lungo, but with the addition of hot water. The intensity and caffeine content are more or less the same as a filter coffee, but the americano is fuller-bodied, with richer aromas and stronger acidity. Legend has it that American soldiers based in Italy during the Second World War added water to the local espresso to match the intensity of the filter coffee back home.
RECIPE
- 90 ml hot water
- 60 ml espresso
SUGGESTED COFFEE
Cappuccino
Made with a double espresso and hot milk, finishing with a milk foam. It is also sometimes sprinkled with cocoa. It's a smooth, frothy coffee with the longest history, dating back at least to 18th-century Vienna. Back then, it was made with a very strong filter coffee, whipped cream and various spices. Its original German name is kapuziner, a reference to the brown robes worn by Capuchin monks.
RECIPE
- 60 ml hot milk
- 60 ml milk foam
- 60 ml espresso
COFFEE, VEGETABLE DRINK & SUGGESTED PRODUCT
Macchiato Coffee
This is a subtle recipe, ideal for toning down the well-known espresso characteristics of intensity and bitterness. A little milk foam adds sweetness to your coffee, without drowning it in milk. The espresso remains present in the mouth, and the milk only serves to enhance it.
RECIPE
- 30 ml milk foam
- 60 ml espresso
COFFEE, VEGETABLE DRINK & SUGGESTED PRODUCT
Latte
Unlike cappuccino, café latté contains more hot milk, with little or no milk foam.
But beware: if you ask for a latté in Italy, there's a good chance you'll be offered just a glass of milk!
RECIPE
- 60 ml espresso
- 90-180 ml hot milk
- Milk foam (to taste)
SUGGESTED COFFEE, PLANT-BASED BEVERAGE & PRODUCT
Coffee with milk
As the name suggests, this is a filter coffee to which hot milk is added.
RECIPE
- 150 ml hot milk
- 150 ml fresh filter coffee
COFFEE, MILK & SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Flat White
A newcomer to the world of coffee! Made from full-bodied ristretto (often double-strength) and frothed milk, which is poured into the coffee. Its froth is lighter and more velvety than that of a cappuccino, allowing the crema to be preserved. The milk must be sufficiently fatty and rich to produce a creamy froth, which is the primary characteristic of flat white. A great challenge for Baristas.
RECIPE
- 150 ml milk foam
- 30 ml double ristretto
SUGGESTED COFFEE, PLANT-BASED BEVERAGE & PRODUCT
Mocaccino
An espresso base to which you can add chocolate during preparation, or mix cocoa powder with the espresso before pouring in the milk.
You can also replace some of the hot milk with melted chocolate. There are several ways to prepare it, depending on your tastes. You can use dark chocolate (more bitter), white chocolate (sweeter), or even mix the two for a marbled drink!
You can then decorate it with milk foam, chocolate shavings, mini marshmallows... It's a drink for gourmets!
RECIPE
- 60 ml espresso
- 150 ml hot milk
- 1 to 2 teaspoons cocoapowder
- Alternative: chocolate sauce
COFFEE, VEGETABLE DRINK & SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Irish Coffee
What makes this coffee so special? The thick, cold cream that floats on top of the hot, sweet, alcoholic coffee. A real treat! Irish coffee was created in 1940 at Shannon airport, Ireland, after a flight was cancelled on a particularly cold winter's night.
Joe Sheridan, the owner of a local café, had the idea of adding whisky to the coffee he served to chilled passengers. When one of the passengers, warmed and comforted, asked him if it was a Brazilian coffee, he confidently replied that it was an Irish coffee! An American barman later recreated the recipe in 1950.
RECIPE
- 60 ml cream
- 150 ml black filter coffee 60 ml Irish whiskey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Alcohol-free alternative: Irish Cream syrup
COFFEE & SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Viennese Coffee
For this coffee, two shots of strong espresso, topped with a good layer of (cold) whipped cream, and sprinkled with cocoa.
Compared with Irish coffee, this is a shorter, more bitter coffee. Viennese coffee is an emblematic drink from the cafés of Vienna, Austria.
These are true gastronomic institutions, and are even listed by UNESCO as a cultural heritage site.
RECIPE
- 60 ml espresso
- Whipped cream
SUGGESTED COFFEE
Affogato
An Italian dessert made by pouring espresso over a scoop of vanilla ice cream! All you need is a good, strong espresso and top-quality ice cream to impress your guests!
You can also add a little liqueur (usually amaretto) or syrup (if you don't want alcohol).
Very pretty to look at, the melting ice cream, mixed with the coffee, draws pretty patterns.
RECIPE
- 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
- 60 ml espresso
SUGGESTED COFFEE
Good to know
Crema: cream in Italian
Doppio: Italian for double
Macchiato: mottled in Italian.
Lexicon used
Acidity: As a fruit, coffee is rich in sugar and acidity. Most coffee varieties are acidic, with an average pH of 4.85 to 5.10. Acidity and bitterness are often confused. Simply put, acidity "stings", a taste found in lemons, apples and vinegar. A well-balanced acidity, with sweetness in the cup, is a sign of quality coffee. It is especially present in 100% Arabica coffees.
Bitter / bitterness: Like acidity, bitterness is one of the four fundamental tastes. Detectable at the back of the mouth, it is often present in dark roasts and Robusta-dominant coffees. It can be accompanied by a dry mouthfeel, giving the taste a harsh sensation.
Aroma/aromatic: Smells and flavors emanating from a brewed coffee. Aromas develop during roasting under the effect of heat. They stimulate the sense of smell and taste, contributing greatly to the pleasure of coffee tasting.
Barista: A specialist in the preparation of coffee and its various recipes, such as flat white or cappuccino. He is the sommelier of coffee, with extensive knowledge of coffee, coffee blends, espresso, quality, coffee varieties, roasting degrees, coffee extraction, preservation, latte art...
Body: This is a physical impression in the mouth. The body of the coffee indicates a certain heaviness, thickness in the mouth, and gives sensations on the tongue. Dark roasts are often referred to as full-bodied coffees.
Full-bodied: A full-bodied coffee has a number of aromas and flavors that can be felt on the palate.
Crema: Crema is the creamy, caramel-colored foam on the top of a good espresso. It's actually the coffee fat that comes from extracting the oil from the beans during infusion.
Intense: An espresso is intense when it has full body, rich flavor and significant aromatic impact. A scale is normally used to define intensity levels: 1 to 4: light-bodied coffee with a delicate flavor. 5 to 7: balanced coffee, rich in flavor. 8 to 10: full-bodied coffee with generous aroma.
Strong: This is a strong coffee, usually an espresso, prepared with the usual amount of grind, but using less water. If you use a little less water, it's called a strong espresso.
Texture: The texture of a coffee is what it makes us feel physically in the mouth, as when we say it has body, for example.
