A cup of coffee
Coffee. We all, at some points in our lives, have heard about this wonderful drink that fills us up with energy. But have you ever wondered what does your cup of coffee contain? What are different coffee drinks made of? Choose a cup of coffee that you prefer and don’t forget to grab interesting facts for a snack. Let’s go!
Espresso
The base of every contemporary coffee house. Espresso is not just a strong dark coffee because to make it you will need a special machine. It was invented in 1901 by an Italian engineer – Luigi Bezzera. The principle behind it was simple: boiling water, along with compressed ground coffee, passes through a filter, and then it is poured into a mug. By the way, that’s why the drink later was named “espresso” (meaning “compressed”). The fact that it sounds like “express” was purely a coincidence, even though Luigi’s coffee machine potentially could make a drink in a really short amount of time. Espresso is served in a tiny cup that contains only several gulps, sometimes with sugar.
Cappuccino
This word unexpectedly has many “relatives” in the Italian language. The brownish tint of the drink obtained from coffee and milk resembled the color of the monastic robes of the Capuchin order. Well, the servants of God themselves were so named because of the clothes they wore – pointed hoods, in Italian cappuccio. In general, cappuccino, capuchins, and hoods are practically the same word! An espresso-based cappuccino is prepared (we said that this is the basis), to which hot-frothed milk is added.
Americano
Well, let’s move from Europe to the United States, should we? No matter how it is! The drink has its origins in Italy again. There is a popular belief that Americano was invented during the Second World War. Allied soldiers from the USA were based in Europe, and they were not satisfied with the overly strong espresso, to which the Italians were accustomed. Coffee began to be diluted with a large amount of water – the locals considered it eccentric and derisively dubbed the drink “American,” like the following is not ours. However, now Americano is popular in Europe, where it’s appreciated for its softness and volume.
Latte
Another Italian word. It translates to “milk” and means coffee with a lot of milk and foam. Wait, but this is the recipe for making a cappuccino! The difference is in proportions: the milk froth in a latte barely covers the drink, while in a cappuccino it takes up a good third of a cup. The exact history of the latte is unknown. Coffee with milk began to be drunk a long time ago, but no one knows when and how the modern espresso-based recipe appeared. In Italy, for example, a drink with this name is generally not recognized: if you order a latte in a Milanese coffee shop, you will most likely be served a glass of hot milk.
Mocha, also called mochaccino
But this right here is already an American invention! At least, in the beginning, the drink became popular in the States. In fact, this is the same latte, only with the addition of chocolate. Why mocha? The most interesting thing is that the word has nothing to do with chocolate – this is the name of one of the varieties of coffee grown in the Yemeni city of Mocha. There is an assumption that earlier mocha beans had a taste similar to that of cocoa beans, and gradually the name passed to coffee with chocolate. Modern mocha, however, does not have such a feature, and there is no confirmation of this theory.
Glace and Frappuccino
Legend has it that a French (or maybe Austrian) coffee shop ran out of milk. The visitor was in a hurry and demanded to immediately serve him a cappuccino, so the barista replaced the missing ingredient with ice cream. If a writer or a journalist were in the cafe at that moment, perhaps we would have written proof of the history of the birth of glace. But, as with many types of coffee, no one really knows how and when everything happened. Glace is popular in Europe, but outside of it, the idea of mixing coffee with ice cream is not so common. The American analogue of glazed cold coffee with milk and syrup is the Frappuccino for which the Starbucks chain is famous.
References and further reading
1. Types of coffee infographics Link
2. «Why Does Your Coffee Taste and Smell Delicious?» infographics Download link Other Reactions infographics
3. «Coffee» – Wikipedia Link
4. «20 Different Types of Coffee, Explained» (2021, 22 Jan) Link
5. «Your Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Coffee» (2020, 2 Mar) Link
Author: Yessaly Sabina
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