What is the difference between the most popular types of coffee: latte, cappuccino, espresso and Americano? Which one is tastier, stronger and contains less caffeine?
The taste and aroma of hot coffee is the best way to start your day. This is exactly what coffee fans think, of which this drink is becoming more and more popular. But not all of them know the difference between espresso and Americano or latte and cappuccino.
In order to choose a drink without hesitation every time, you need to know what and how different types of coffee are prepared.
What is the difference between a latte and a cappuccino, espresso and Americano: difference, difference
What is the difference between a latte and a cappuccino, espresso and Americano: difference, difference
Latte is a coffee drink that is traditionally served for breakfast. It contains espresso (3 parts) and milk (1 part). The peculiarity of this coffee cocktail can be considered the method of preparation. The drink is poured as follows: pour one part of coffee and three parts of foamed milk heated to a temperature of 70˚C into a glass or large cup. But they do this as carefully as possible to prevent mixing of liquids. Milk is the bottom layer, followed by coffee, and milk froth on top.
Various syrups can diversify the taste of a latte, the addition of which is also permissible when preparing this drink. Art decorations on the foam are considered the height of skill in serving a drink.
The standard serving of latte in Europe is 200 ml, in America – 500 ml.
Latte
Latte macchiato is a type of latte that means “milk with a stain.”
At first, latte macchiato was exclusively a children's drink, but over time it fell in love with adults and gained popularity in Europe. The drink is prepared by adding espresso to milk, the airy foam is decorated with grated chocolate, and served in a tall transparent Irish glass.
Definitions
Moccaccino is a coffee drink that is a type of latte and is prepared with the addition of chocolate. This name is used to a greater extent in European countries. In North America, the abbreviated term “mocha” (“mocha”) is drunk. It is believed that this coffee drink combines the smell and tartness of espresso, the sweetness and tenderness of chocolate, and the airiness of whipped cream. This was the first time moccacino was made in North America. Due to its mild sweetish taste, it became widely popular among ladies. Just like a traditional latte, the drink is made from espresso and hot milk. In addition, its recipe includes chocolate in the form of cocoa powder or syrup. It is also acceptable to use dark, milky and snow-white varieties of tiled sweets. Moccacino is served in large glasses with the addition of whipped cream, cinnamon, marshmallows and other ingredients.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is an Italian coffee drink made from espresso with the addition of foamed milk. It has a soft sweetish taste with pronounced creamy notes. According to one legend, the drink owes its name to the Roman Capuchin monks. The fact is that in the Middle Ages there was a ban on dark coffee, which was considered a typical devilish potion. After all, it not only lifted spirits, but also caused addiction. Therefore, the Capuchins began to add a little goat’s milk to the drink. When mixing the ingredients, a delicious foam was created on the surface of the cup. To increase its quantity, they began to whip the milk, but a lasting effect could not be achieved. After lengthy tests, we managed to solve the problem. The monks began to shake the milk with special beaters, resulting in the prototype of a modern cappuccino. Today, this coffee drink ranks second in popularity in the world, second only to espresso.
First, it’s worth comparing the recipes for making drinks. Each of them is based on espresso and hot milk. But besides this, moccacino also contains chocolate syrup or cocoa powder. While the third ingredient in cappuccino is fluffy and persistent milk foam. It is so compacted that unusual coffee patterns can be drawn on the surface of the drink (photo). It should be noted that cappuccino has a fairly pronounced creamy taste. The drink is drunk without adding sugar, because milk heated to 60-65 degrees gives it its natural sweetness. Moccaccino has a rich chocolate flavor. Despite the fact that it is usually prepared without adding sugar, the drink is quite high in calories. The energy value of cappuccino is two times lower.
Latte art on cappuccino foam
Let's look at the methods of serving coffee drinks. The difference between moccacino and cappuccino is that the first is poured into tall glasses made of heat-resistant glass. Whipped cream, cocoa powder or cinnamon are usually used as decoration. Moccacino also goes well with marshmallows. As for cappuccino, it is served in heated porcelain cups. Due to the stable foam, the drink remains warm for a long time. It is usually decorated with chocolate chips, sugar or cinnamon.
Let's summarize the difference between moccacino and cappuccino.
The main differences between cappuccino and latte.
Coffee is a unique drink; when combined with different ingredients, it acquires a new taste and smell. The difference between latte, cappuccino, espresso and Americano coffee lies in the composition and manufacturing technology. In order to understand what their main differences are, you need to look at each coffee.
Video: How to make the right latte
Cappuccino is prepared from espresso and foamed milk, taken in a 1:2 ratio without adding sugar or other sweeteners. The difference between latte and cappuccino is also that latte requires hot milk, while cappuccino requires chilled milk (4˚C).
Both drinks must be prepared so that there are no air bubbles in the foam. But if the foam of a latte is light and airy, then the foam of a cappuccino is dense.
Latte and cappuccino differ in taste and aroma. Latte is delicate and light, while the taste and aroma of cappuccino is quite pronounced.
The “layering” of drinks is ensured by different densities of liquids: the densest milk is always at the bottom, and the lightest and least dense foam is always at the top. It is important that the liquids are not mixed during the cooking process.
Latte and cappuccino foam will only turn out airy if it is prepared using a special machine.
Cappuccino
Just add water!
Many people, out of ignorance or based on assumptions, for some reason believe that Americano is espresso diluted with water in a large cup. This is true in principle, although there are some special points here. Let's try to figure it out. First you need to understand that espresso is a drink based on ground coffee through which hot water is passed under very high pressure. The classic one is indeed served in a small cup (50 ml) with fairly thick walls that will not allow the coffee to cool quickly.
But what then is Americano? If we consider the component part of the drink, then it really consists of espresso and hot water, but everything is not so simple here. There are at least two types of preparation of this drink, such as:
- — Italian version of cooking
- — Swedish version of cooking
The main difference between these technologies is the different method of supplying hot water; in the first case, hot water is poured into freshly prepared espresso in a 1:1 ratio. With the Swedish method of cooking, everything happens exactly the opposite. Coffee is poured into hot water, which preserves the tartness and richness of the drink, while making it more delicate. It is this method of preparing the drink that is gaining increasing popularity among coffee lovers.
Is it true that different types of coffee differ in strength? Let's look at this issue in more detail. A cup of espresso, for example, has 100 mg of caffeine per 50 ml of drink, and an Americano also has 100 mg of caffeine, but per 150 ml of drink, which is why people assume that one drink is stronger than the other. And the difference between them is not at all in strength, but only in volume. Thus, it turns out that in fact, Americano is practically no different from espresso in strength.
Video: How to make espresso correctly
To prepare 1 cup of strong aromatic espresso you need 7 g of coffee and 30 ml of water. To prepare espresso doppio, the amount of coffee is doubled, but the amount of water remains the same. Esperso lungo has a mild taste and weak aroma, since only 4 g of coffee per 30 ml of water is used to prepare it.
Espresso
The hallmark of good coffee is the foam on the surface. If there are holes in the foam, it means that the cooking technology has been violated.
Americano is essentially espresso diluted 1:1 with water. The taste of Americano is not as bright and pronounced as espresso, but its lack of bitterness and minimum caffeine have made this drink popular among adherents of a healthy lifestyle.
There are two ways to prepare Americano:
- In Italian. Coffee is brewed in a coffee maker for no more than 25 seconds. After this, add hot, but not boiling water (1:1) to the drink. If you brew coffee longer, the Americano will become overly bitter and strong. The foam is not preserved.
- In Swedish. Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. In 20-25 seconds, brew the espresso and add it to a cup of pre-prepared water. Americano prepared this way has a milder taste. The coffee foam on the finished drink is preserved.
Americano
What kind of drink is this
Lungo coffee is one of the main varieties of espresso. But unlike the classic recipe for the latter, it has a larger volume and cooking time. Even the name speaks about this - “lungo” translated from Italian means “long, long”.
When preparing this drink, some features should be taken into account:
- One serving will require 7-9 g of ground coffee beans or a standard capsule;
- this type of coffee is prepared only in a coffee machine; it is almost impossible to get real lungo any other way;
- It is advisable to choose a variety with a mild taste; rich, bright coffee will make the drink too bitter and harsh;
- Lungo is made from beans that are more coarsely ground than espresso; medium is considered optimal;
- the amount of water per serving is 60-70 ml (this is twice as much as is needed to prepare classic espresso);
- extraction time is also doubled to just under a minute (50 seconds).
A longer preparation time, as well as a double portion of hot water, helps ground coffee to open better, releasing additional substances that simply do not have time to get into the drink during short-term extraction with a small amount of water. This is why lungo has a bitter taste and contains significantly more caffeine.
To maintain strength, no milk or cream is added to it. And sugar or honey helps to dull the bitterness. Hot coffee is traditionally served in thick-walled cups with a volume of at least 90 ml. This serving allows the drink to stay hot longer.
In what glasses are latte, cappuccino, espresso and Americano served?
Coffee is served in cups or Irish glasses:
- latte – 60 ml, latte macchiato – 250-300 ml or in an Irish glass 240-360 ml
- cappuccino – in a cup that flares upward 180 ml
- espresso – in a cup with thick walls 60 ml
- double espresso – 100 ml
- espresso-lungo – 90-100ml
- espresso corretto – 250-500ml
- espresso-romano – 60 ml
- espresso macchito – 60 ml
- Americano - 150 ml.
In what glasses are latte, cappuccino, espresso and Americano served?
What is tastier than a latte or cappuccino, espresso and Americano?
To choose the most delicious drink, you need to remember your own taste preferences:
- Anyone who loves a sweet coffee cocktail with milk and airy foam will love the delicate latte. Sweet syrups are often used to prepare it.
- Dense milk foam and the absence of sugar in cappuccino give the drink sophistication and a special rich aroma, which can also be appreciated by coffee lovers.
- A lover of strong black aromatic coffee needs to choose between espresso and espresso-doppio.
- For those who like weak coffee without milk, you can try Americano or espresso lungo.
What is stronger than a latte or cappuccino, espresso and Americano?
The strongest coffee is espresso . The only thing stronger than espresso is espresso-dopio , which is prepared using twice as much coffee.
Americano is a diluted espresso, so it certainly cannot be called strong.
It is believed that Americano was invented by the Italians. During the war, they prepared coffee for the American military, which they were accustomed to at home. At a time when Americans rejoiced at the taste and aroma of the drink, Italians laughed at them, because they believed that in America people could not know what real coffee tastes like.
Lattes and cappuccinos are made by adding milk to espresso using a special technology. These two drinks taste very different. A cappuccino is stronger than a latte, so it has a stronger bitterness and aroma.
What is stronger than a latte or cappuccino, espresso and Americano?
The coffee bean is the beginning of coffee
All coffee begins with a coffee bean. Suppliers are from over 40 countries. Colombia is the largest producer. Second place is occupied by African countries (Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania).
The most widely consumed varieties are Arabica and Robusta. Coffee bean is a natural product. Its production depends on weather conditions. The quality of grain differs every year. To say unequivocally that a particular type of coffee is good or bad would not be fair. It is important what quality the harvest was harvested in a particular season.
Which has more milk: cappuccino or latte?
Cappuccino contains equal parts milk, foam and espresso. A latte contains 2 parts milk, 1 part foam and 1 part espresso. This means there is more milk in the latte . Accordingly, this drink contains less caffeine, since it contains less coffee and more milk than cappuccino.
One of the versions of the origin of cappuccino tells the story of the Capuchin monks, who fell in love with the “devil’s drink” (that’s what religious people called coffee) so much that they could not refuse it. To “cleanse” coffee of negativity, the monks decided to add milk and hand-whipped foam to the drink. In honor of the creators, the drink was named “cappuccino” (similar to “capuchin”).
Choosing a coffee brand
Conventionally, coffee can be divided depending on what you want to get from drinking it:
- The goal is to wake up and get a boost of energy - choose coffee with a high caffeine content. As a rule, these are the cheapest varieties, for example, they include grain brought from Vietnam;
- The goal is to enjoy the aromatic drink, to get maximum taste pleasure - in this case, purchase more expensive varieties. These include grain from Colombia and Kenya.
Regardless of the purpose for which you purchase coffee, it should give you pleasure.
Where is there more foam in cappuccino or latte, espresso and Americano?
There is a lot of foam in cappuccino . It is thick and dense so much that it can support the weight of 5-6 g.
The foam in the latte is light and airy and there is also quite a lot of it in the cup. It is fluffy and tender, completely different from the foam in a cappuccino. Latte foam is so light that you can make figures, three-dimensional patterns and inscriptions from it. This decor will last for at least 10 minutes, if, of course, the latte is prepared correctly.
Americano, prepared according to the classic recipe, does not have foam. To maintain a dense foam on the surface of the Americano, you should prepare it in Swedish: add espresso to the water.
Foam in latte
Those who still haven’t been able to make a choice should try all types of coffee. Once you recognize the taste and aroma of “your” coffee drink, you will fall in love with it forever.
The first coffee machines, Italy and Luigi Bezzuru.
The first type of coffee brewed in a coffee machine and subsequently acquired worldwide fame was espresso. Actually, even the name of this drink is due to its method of preparation. It is generally accepted that the first creator of a compact coffee machine is Luigi Bezzuru. It was he who patented his discovery in 1902 and, by concluding a contract with the DesiderioPavoni company, made this drink accessible to everyone. However, in fact, it all began in sunny Italy 17 years before the story of Luigi, when back in 1885 Angelo Moriondo created the first experimental version of the coffee machines popular today. But he was not destined to become famous thanks to his invention. And all because the device he created was too large and could not be purchased or transported by most coffee shops and restaurants. That's why Luigi got all the glory.
