How much do you know about coffee... Turns out sweet traces = Caramel Macchiato?

▲ Illustration of coffee. (Photo / Darzi / Illustration)

Text and photos / Excerpted from"Can't Imagine Life Without Coffee"By Zola, published by Times Publishing

There’s no such thing as “American coffee” in America, nor is there “Viennese coffee” in Vienna. In fact, an “Americano” isn’t truly American-style coffee—it’s made by Italians by diluting espresso with hot water to create a lighter-tasting brew. Italians call it Americano, which is also their way of hinting at Americans’ casual approach to coffee drinking.

True American-style coffee is actually drip coffee—that is, the coffee made using an electric drip filter pot common in American households. And Americans simply call it “Coffee.” This helps explain why there’s no “Viennese coffee” in Vienna either. In Vienna, the type of coffee topped with whipped cream is called Einspänner, while the one with milk foam on top of black coffee is called Melange.

Italian style
Espresso can be called the mother of Italian coffee because all Italian-style coffees are based on espresso.It’s an extremely intense beverage—bold and unpretentious—and some even call it “Kung Fu coffee”! Why “Kung Fu coffee”? Because making a good espresso requires 15 bars (Bar) of high pressure to force steam through tightly packed coffee grounds, extracting the essence of the fine, powdery coffee into a concentrated liquid. The process must take no more than thirty seconds, the temperature no more than ninety degrees Celsius, the manual tamping force must exceed twenty kilograms, and the coffee crema should ideally be three millimeters thick. So, getting a top-notch espresso really does require some skill (or Kung Fu)!

Espresso is usually measured in “shots.”A single shot is typically named “Single Espresso” or “Solo Espresso” on menus. It’s the basic version of espresso and the most popular type in Europe. It’s a very small serving, often finished in just one or two sips before you leave.

A double shot is commonly known as “Double Espresso,” or two shots of espresso. In Italy, it’s called “Doppio.” There’s a difference between Double Espresso and Doppio. A Double Espresso refers to the amount of two Single Espressos combined. In Italy, ordering a Double Espresso will still get you a serving equivalent to two Single Espressos. But if you order a Doppio, beware—you’ll get a coffee with the same volume as a Single Espresso but with twice the amount of coffee grounds, meaning it’s twice as concentrated as a regular espresso, and thus has a stronger flavor.

“Ristretto” is the strongest of all espressos—an ultra-concentrated version. It’s made using the same amount of coffee grounds as a Double Espresso but only fifty percent of the water, and it’s extracted quickly. What’s a short extraction? Normally, extracting a Single Espresso takes twenty-five to thirty seconds, but a Ristretto only uses the first half of that time—fifteen to twenty seconds—so naturally, it uses half the water of a Single Espresso.

If there’s short extraction, there’s also “long extraction,” and “Lungo” is made using this method. “Lungo” means “long” in Italian. Lungo uses twice the amount of water compared to a Single Espresso, and the extraction time is extended to about a minute. A regular espresso takes twenty-five to thirty seconds to extract, yielding twenty-five to thirty milliliters; a Lungo takes about a minute, producing around fifty to sixty milliliters of coffee.

“Don’t try espresso lightly—it might just steal your soul!” some say. Indeed, espresso is the kind of drink that hooks you once you taste it. Many people walking into a café will order a Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, or Caramel Macchiato—but many don’t know the differences among them. Let’s take a look at the “Italian Coffee Family Tree.”

【Con Panna (Cream-top Espresso): Espresso with a Hat】
Ingredients: 2 oz espresso, 4 oz fresh cream
Add an appropriate amount of fresh cream to Italian espresso, and you’ve easily made a Con Panna. The tender white cream floats gently atop the dark coffee, like a lotus flower unstained by the muddy waters—so beautiful you hesitate to take a sip.

【Macchiato (Macchiatto): The Petite Cappuccino】
Ingredients: 2 oz espresso, a small amount of milk foam
In Italian, Macchiato means “mark” or “stain.” As the name suggests, its flavor leaves a sweet memory on the taste buds, just like its name. Macchiato is somewhat feminine, looking like a smaller version of a Cappuccino. Its serving is one-third that of a Cappuccino, and it features a layer of milk foam on top of the espresso—no milk is added. This way, the flavor of the espresso isn’t diluted, and the milk aroma lingers only on the lips.
This coffee is currently the most popular among espresso varieties. Many trendy cafés enjoy putting creative spins on it, such as Caramel Macchiato. But in reality, they’ve quietly increased the serving size several times and greatly reduced the intensity of the flavor—they just keep the lovely name.

【Caramel Macchiato (Caramel Macchiato): Sweet Trace】
Ingredients: 2 oz espresso, 4 oz hot milk, 4 oz syrup, caramel
Known as the “sweet trace,” Caramel Macchiato combines vanilla syrup and smooth hot milk, topped with soft, silky milk foam. Mixed with rich espresso and smooth caramel sauce, this sweet and creamy coffee has become a favorite among urban women.

【Cappuccino (Cappuccino): Doubled Affection】
Ingredients: 2 oz espresso + 2 oz steamed milk + 2 oz milk foam
Mix equal parts Italian espresso and steamed milk foam, and you’ve got a Cappuccino. The color of the coffee resembles the brown habit of Capuchin monks covered with a scarf, hence the name. Traditional Cappuccino coffee consists of one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third milk foam, sprinkled with a touch of ground cinnamon.
The traditional latte art pattern for a cappuccino is a heart. Because there is less milk, the design is not as intricate as that of a latte, hence the phrase “Love is Cappuccino.”

This article is excerpted from“Can’t Imagine Life Without Coffee”, published by Times Publishing.
Author Introduction: Zola (@zuolahaha)
A cartoonist who loves football and rock music, and adores coffee and Yakult.
In recent years, she has been continuously creating the Owl Olly comic series, updating it online, with plans to release a series of related books.
A freelancer working in design and illustration, with past collaborations including brands such as Nike, Li-Ning, EPSON, Sogou Search Engine, A02 fashion brand under A.SaSa, Lenovo Computers, JD.com, and Daniel Wellington watches.
Recommended by ZCOOL and a highly popular designer and picture book artist with millions of fans. She has published comic books such as “Zola, A Laid-back Life!” and “Imaginary Planet – Hello, I’m Toby the Little Black!” among others.

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