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Flat White Vs Cappuccino Vs Short Black Vs Espresso Vs Latte

13/5/2013

14 Comments

 
Picture
Are you sometimes questioning the difference between a flat white and a latte? are you unsure of the difference between an espresso shot, a short black and a long black? Its not just you, some of the confusion comes from different regions in the world naming the same coffee beverage differently. 

One that I was surprised at;
  • If you ordered a Latte in Italy, you'd get a glass of steamed milk, and no coffee! You need to ask for a 'Caffe Latte' if you want your regular Latte.  

So, here is a description of each of the popular coffees that you would see on a blackboard at a cafe in Australia. These descriptions are my survival guide only, and are open to interpretation depending on the cafe etc. 

  • Espresso Shot - a 30ml shot of espresso coffee. made from 7grams of coffee, straight from the machine served in a 60ml porcelain cup
  • Short black - exactly the same as a Espresso Shot
  • Double shot Espresso - exactly the same as an Espresso shot, but two shots are made into the one cup - doubling the size to 60ml
  • Long black - 120 to 180mls of water with an espresso (or double espresso) shot poured on top of the water. Its incorrect to add the water to the espresso shot for risk of dissipating the crema.
  • Caffe Americano - same as a long black, but the espresso shot is added first, and the water on top to intentionally disipate and disturb the crema 
  • Flat white - start with an espresso base, in a 250ml porcelain cup, add steamed frothed milk, but hold back the froth.
  • Latte - same as a flat white, but more milky (ie: less coffee). served in a tall glass (not ceramic) and topped with a small amount of foam
  • Cappuccino -  as for a Flat White, but introduce some extra froth and dust chocolate powder on top for presentation and flavour. 


A few that you might not see too often;
  • Single Origin espresso - same as an espresso shot, but using a single coffee bean origin, rather than a expertly blended coffee from various regions. (can also be ordered as a double shot machiato)
  • Picollo Latte - an espresso shot with 90ml of steamed milk (can also be ordered as a double shot machiato)
  • Machiatto - an espresso shot with a teaspoon of milk froth to 'stain' the espresso. (can also be ordered as a double shot machiato). Some people refer to this as simply a 'mach'
  • Ristretto - same as a espresso shot, but only using the first half of the espresso shot (15ml) which is sweeter. Can be ordered as a double ristretto totaling 30ml. 


NOTE: A single shot is 30ml of espresso coffee extracted from a single basket of coffee holding 7g and etracted in 30 seconds. A double shot can be acheived by repeating the single shot, or using a double basket (holding 14grams of coffee) but extracting in the same timeframe (30 seconds) and producing 60ml of coffee. Same with a tripple shot - repeat a single again, or use a tripple basket (21grams of coffee). Generally, I never ever use the single shot basket and standardise on the double shot basket. 
14 Comments
shipw
23/5/2013 01:53:48 am

I'll have one of each, thanks James!

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JR
4/6/2013 07:48:45 am

An americano coffee is ultimately a half strength long black, to simulate filter coffee.

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James Axisa link
4/6/2013 10:03:53 am

Never thought of it like that before.

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DrPhods
4/6/2013 08:45:13 am

What is a shot of espresso in a 60ml cup, with water to 'top-up' the cup to the top, called. This is my favourite way of having a 'short black' but most coffee makers look at like I have two heads when ordering this. Is it Espresso Lungo?

Reply
James Axisa link
4/6/2013 09:01:18 am

You're right - thats a Lungo, kind of. A lungo is basically a long espresso shot (one shot of coffee, extracted for twice as long). You end up with the same volume as one shot with water added, but this technique will purposely create a more bitter taste. Its difficult, because different countries and regions have different names for different coffees ;-)

If you want to preserve the crema, try asking the barista to fill the espresso cup half full with water, then extract a single shot on top.

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DrPhods
4/6/2013 09:53:33 am

Thanks for that. the picture at the top of this page looks perfect!

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Jondera Justice
30/8/2014 11:01:24 am

Cappuccino used to be 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk and 1/3 froth. What happened?

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James Axisa link
30/8/2014 11:15:53 am

I think you are pretty safe with a Cappuccino; 1/3 of each is going to be perfect.

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Jeremy link
11/1/2015 12:35:35 pm

Ahhhso the French have a lungo when they have 'un cafe' on the bar. Better to add water first tho

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James Axisa link
12/1/2015 04:33:08 am

Yes, well, kind of. Un Cafe is an espresso shot, (30ml in 30sec) where a lungo is 60ml in 60sec. I'm with you on that one, your better of starting with hot water in the cup and adding a single or double espresso shot to the cup. It will end up sweeter than an over extracted shot producing twice the volume.

un café allongé will get you what you're looking for. All this calls for a cocktail!

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butwhy
21/3/2015 03:39:23 am

How many shots go into a typical large flat white? It doesn't have double the milk but it doesn't taste stronger than a regular either. Do they just extract the 1 shot for longer?

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James Axisa link
21/3/2015 03:56:34 am

That is a great question, and something left open to interpretation. I like to think the difference between a small, medium and large of anything, just means I am getting small, medium and large sizes - for example, a small cupcake will taste just the same as a large cupcake and the proportions are not messed with.

With coffee, especially milk based drinks, a lot of coffee shops will standardise on 1 or two shots, and then top up with milk. so, a small flat white will have more coffee as a proportion to milk compared to a medium or large - large having the lowest proportion of coffee to milk. My recommendation is when ordering to specify how many shots you like for your taste. if a double shot espresso (60ml) in a medium cup (250ml) represents approximately 1:4 ratio, you should try to replicate that in a large coffee. So if a large coffee is 380ml, you will require a tripple shot of coffee (90ml) to get the same ratio of 1:4.

Make sure your barista doesnt extract the same shot for longer to produce more volume as your espresso base, and therefor your coffee will be watered down, more bitter and less flavoursome. Ask for a triple shot flat white in a large cup.

My personal preference is for a double shot in a small cup which usually gives me 60ml coffee paired with 120 ml of milk to total 180ml. a ratio of around 1:2.5 for a stronger coffee.

Thanks for sticking with me on this one, coffee excites me!

James - Bay Beans Coffee.

Reply
butwhy
21/3/2015 04:37:44 am

Thanks for that explanation, James. It was very helpful and I think I will be more mindful of the ratio from now on, having been disappointed by the lack of caffeine in my large this morning (I usually get regulars but needed an extra kick - which never came and now I know why #cry).

Reply
spelling
25/3/2016 06:40:59 pm

tripple? don't you mean triple? At least its not trippple

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