If you’ve ever been confused about the difference between a cappuccino and a latte, or both of these versus a macchiato, we put together this list of common types of coffee to help you differentiate the drinks.
Here’s a few of them together on an infographic:
Become a pro at ordering the next time you’re out at a cafe, or find a new type of coffee you’d like to try brewing at home.
But first, here’s how we organized this list…
Espresso vs Brewed Coffee
We split this list into espresso based drinks and the others into what we’ll call brewed coffee drinks.
The main difference between these two groups is how each is brewed. Espresso based drinks are made with an espresso machine, meanwhile brewed coffee drinks are made either with a pour over (like with a coffee dripper, Chemex) or an immersion (like a French press) method.
Other than this, espresso vs brewed coffee can be made using the same coffee beans and although an espresso is usually more concentrated, it doesn’t necessarily have more caffeine.
Skip around this article:
Espresso Based Coffee Drinks
Espresso serves as a base for many popular coffee drinks. We’ll also be learning a few Italian words since many of these originated in Italy…
1. Espresso
Espresso is made with an espresso machine where hot water is pressurized through tightly packed coffee grounds to create a concentrated coffee. One espresso shot is one ounce and is enjoyed in a small cup called a demitasse cup.
Read More: 7 Espresso Cups (Demitasse Cups) to Buy
2. Doppio
Doppio is two shots of espresso. It’s Italian for double.
3. Lungo
Lungo means long in Italian. It is espresso that’s made with a longer pull time and is less concentrated than an espresso.
Read More: What is Lungo Coffee? And How to Brew It
4. Ristretto
The opposite of lungo, ristretto is an espresso with a shorter pull time, has less water and is more concentrated than espresso and the most concentrated coffee drink on this list.
5. Espresso con Panna
Espresso con panna is espresso with cream in Italian. The drink is just what its name suggests, a shot of espresso topped with whipped cream.
Read More: How to Make Espresso con Panna at Home
6. Americano
An Americano is hot water added to one shot of espresso. Apparently during World War II, American GIs in Italy preferred their espresso diluted so they added hot water, which is why it’s called an Americano (American in Italian.)
(Note: Meanwhile, a long black in Australia is when espresso is added to hot water, retaining the crema on top.)
7. Espresso Macchiato
An espresso macchiato is a shot of espresso with a splash of milk. Macchiato means stained in Italian so it’s like adding a bit of milk to stain the espresso.
8. Flat White
Flat white is an espresso with steamed milk. It’s a much debated drink from Australia. Was it actually invented in New Zealand and not Australia? One thing that’s for sure is that the drink has gained popularity worldwide due to cafes like Bluestone Lane. Read an article about it here.
Read More: How to Make a Flat White at Home
9. Latte
A latte consists of one shot of espresso, steamed milk and a layer of foam milk on top.
Read More: How to Make a Lavender Latte
10. Cappuccino
A cappuccino is one shot of espresso with steamed milk and milk foam. It’s similar to a latte, but has less steamed milk and more milk foam. Cappuccinos are sometimes served with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
11. Mocha
What makes a mocha different from all of these other drinks is chocolate. Chocolate syrup is added to a shot of espresso, steamed milk and oftentimes topped with whipped cream.
12. Affogato
Affogato means drowned in Italian. This is a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowned in a shot of espresso.
Read More: What is an Affogato (Plus How to Make It!)
13. Breve
Breve is a shot of espresso with steamed half and half. The difference between a latte and breve is the half and half in a breve instead of milk found in a latte.
14. Cortado
From Spain, a cortado is equal parts espresso and milk (not steamed.)
Check out some of our espresso based coffee recipes:
Brewed Coffee Drinks and More
15. Redeye
When you can’t decide between brewed coffee and espresso, the redeye is the solution. It’s a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso. And when you need extra shots of caffeine, two shots of espresso is a blackeye and three shots is a green eye coffee.
16. Café au Lait
Cafe au lait is French for coffee with milk. It’s like a latte – except with brewed coffee instead of espresso. (Starbucks calls this a Caffe Misto.)
17. Instant Coffee
You don’t need any special equipment to make instant coffee. Just dissolve the instant coffee granules into water and you have a cup of coffee.
Read More: 6 Best Instant Coffee Brands from Around the World
Cold Coffee Drinks
When it’s warm outside, you’ll want to order or make one of these cold coffee drinks.
18. Frappuccino
A Frappuccino is Starbucks’ line of blended coffee, milk and ice beverages. There are various flavors and a ‘secret menu’ where customers can order flavors not on the menu and customize it into variations like different candy flavors and even a tie dye Frappuccino.
19. Cold Brew
Cold brew coffee requires steeping freshly ground coffee in room temperature water for at least 12 hours. The coffee is never heated. Instead, time is required to brew the coffee. We use a Primula Cold Brew Coffee Maker to make ours.
Read More: 5 Healthy Ways to Sweeten Cold Brew Coffee And Spice it Up Too
20. Nitro Cold Brew Coffee
Nitro coffee is cold brew coffee infused with nitrogen to create a drink similar to a stout beer with its layer of crema. You can make it at home using a Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Maker.
21. Iced Coffee
Iced coffee is just coffee served with added ice. Add ice to hot coffee or already chilled coffee and you have iced coffee. Enjoy it with anything from coffee creamer to coffee syrup and even spices.
Make one of our iced coffee recipes:
Do espresso drinks have more caffeine than brewed coffee drinks?
It depends on how much you drink. According to Mayo Clinic, an 8 ounce cup of brewed coffee contains 96 milligrams of caffeine. A shot of espresso, which is one ounce, has 64 milligrams. Per ounce, an espresso does have more caffeine than brewed coffee. But since you wouldn’t typically drink just an ounce of brewed coffee, brewed coffee has more caffeine per serving (8 ounces) than an espresso.
