October 1 is celebrated as International Coffee Day to promote coffee as a beverage across the world. The day is also to raise awareness about sustainable coffee cultivation and fair trade practices in the coffee industry.
This International Coffee Day, let’s decode the mystery behind fancy coffee names we see down the beverage booklet so that next time when choose one of these drinks, you would know what exactly you will be drinking.
Cappuccino, Mocha, Latte, and Espresso are different ways of making coffee. The making process and the amount of ingredients added in the drink defines its type.
ESPRESSO
Espresso means express, as you might guess. Espresso is black coffee which is stronger than most coffees brewed by other methods because while making an espresso, a small amount of boiling water is forced over grounded coffee beans and the outcome is a thick coffee concoction. Milk or cream is never poured into espresso (except when making other drinks, which are no longer called “espresso”), although espresso can be sweetened with sugar if desired.
Note that contrary to cappuccino, here the higher the temperature the better the taste.
CAPPUCCINO
Cappuccino, named for its similarity in colour to the robes of Capuchin monks, is simply a shot of espresso with steamed, wet milk, not necessarily slathered with a frothy, dry foam. Plenty of people like to add a little flair to their cappuccino, in the form of chocolate powder, cinnamon powder and / or substituting cream for milk
CAFE LATTE
Latte is a creamier version of coffee. This is very popular drink in America probably due to its sweet, mellow flavour. One shot of espresso is mixed with 6 to 8 ounces of steamed milk, and some then topped with foam, usually served in a tall glass as opposed to a cup in cafés.
MOCHA
Could it get any better than coffee and chocolate? This coffee combines espresso with hot milk and chocolate and is a variant of the latte. The espresso, milk ratio of a mocha is exactly like latte over which dark chocolate is added.
