Espresso and Coffee Menu explained

The Coffee Menu

The coffee menu explained, what is generally available everywhere, what do all the different terms actually mean i.e. is there a difference between a latte and a flat white and how do the differences affect the drink you receive.

Also, at the other end of the scale is the very simplified menus in many specialty coffee places around the world like your seven seeds, supercrown. Often they have a very basic menu, moving away from traditional coffee drinks and simply offering coffee with milk rather than a latte, flat white, Cappuccino etc. Some also do this in a more user-friendly way and allow you to still order the drink you know but what you receive if you order a flat white is often the same drink you get if you order a latte.

And then there are the terms people use that are not on the menu, what do they mean….what exactly do you get if you go into a coffee shop in Melbourne and order a “magic”.

Espresso (without Milk)

This is the general term used for a coffee that does not contain any milk and any kind.

Espresso / Short black / shortie

An espresso shot or two is the basis for most of the coffee drinks on this page and is created by the espresso machine by forcing hot water through the compressed ground coffee at high pressure. It is this process that allows the extraction of the richer fuller coffee flavor that forms the espresso shot, or the shortie.

Long black / Americano

The long black or americano is generally a double espresso topped up with hot water. Although a simple recipe depending on the cafe the amount of coffee to water ratio can vary slightly depending on the size of the espresso shot and to some extent the size of the cup.

Filter coffee / Batch Brew

Pour-over, French Press, Batch Brew
Often there will be a filter coffee option that is basically coffee produced by pouring hot water through the ground coffee, this could be either Pour-over, French press(plunger) or made in something like the bunn coffee machines.

But often the best cafes have another option which is a batch brew, this is usually a pre-brewed coffee that is stored and ready to go in a quick-serve thermos. This is not to make it easier and cheaper for the cafe but to ensure you get the coffee at its optimum flavor. There will have been painstaking testing to get the batch brew set up with the right coffee beans, ground to the optimum size so that it produces consistently great-tasting coffee. Filter if done correctly will offer a rewarding alternative to espresso-based drinks with fruitier, sweeter, more complex flavors often undetectable or drowned out in and espresso.

Espresso + Milk

Maybe you prefer your coffee with milk, this is the list of coffee drinks for you. You will also find many cafes or specialty coffee shops that offer a variety of different or alternative kinds of milk alongside your standard full fat and low fat (skinny) cows milk

Soy
Oat Milk
Almond Milk

Flat White

This is where it can get complicated as if you google flat white you will get lots of different answers to what combination of espresso and milk/foam actually “should be”. So I am going to stick with what you actually get if you walk into a specialty coffee shop and ask for a flat white. And that is a double shot of espresso (sometimes a single) and micro foam milk. This is not the dry foam that you can use a spoon to eat this has a fine texture but still maintains its liquid properties.

Latte

I think traditionally a latte is an espresso with steamed milk or micro-foam milk with some foamed milk (the dry type) added to the top. But in reality, it is generally the same as a flat white described above.

Cappuccino

Again we could have an extended discussion about the proportions of steamed milk, microfoam, dry foam and chocolate dusting its should contain but it is generally a latte(however the cafe makes that) with a dusting of chocolate powder.

Piccolo

This is a smaller drink which is basically an espresso served in an espresso cup topped up with microfoam milk.

Macchiato

A Macchiato is an espresso with a dash of milk foam

What is a Magic in Melbourne

So what is a “Magic”!!! Well, technically it is a double ristretto with 3/4 milk…..a what I hear you ask. A ristretto is basically a short shot, the same amount of coffee is used but the extraction uses about half the amount of water. You therefore only get the first part of the extraction which is the strongest part. Again I say technically because I know that in most places you will just get a double espresso with 3/4 milk.

Mocha

Mocha is named after the coffee beans used to make it but it is basically a combination of espresso and hot chocolate.

Cold coffee drinks

Iced Coffee

Iced Coffee is Cold espresso coffee with ice, you can often get a scoop of ice cream added as well. There is a number of methods to cool down the coffee one is to simply extract it the normal way using hot water and then let it go cold, the other is to extract with hot water and allow it to drip onto some ice to cool it down.