Over the years, I have gotten a lot of questions about coffee. I personally LOVE coffee. I started to really drink coffee when I was 18 and and I definitely get my love for coffee from my mom. I can’t even count the amount of questions I get like “What should I get at Starbucks?” “Whats the difference between an iced macchiato and latte?” So, I thought it would be helpful to lay it all out in a blog post and hopefully answer some of those questions!
First things first, the roast.
If you order a regular cup of coffee, there are different roasts. In basic terms, there are light, medium and dark roasts. The light roasts are smooth and lighter in color. Light roasts have the most acidity and caffeine in them. On the other hand, dark roasts have a more bitter taste and are dark in color. Dark roasts have the least amount of acidity and caffeine. And yes, you guessed it, the medium roast is somewhere in between the light and dark in terms of color, acidity and caffeine concentration. On a regular day, I like to have a light roast in the morning/afternoon and then a dark roast later in the day, so I have more caffeine in the morning and less caffeine closer to when I go to bed.
Next, your options are between hot and cold coffee. The fundamental difference between cold brew and iced coffee is the way they are made. “Cold brew is made without heat, which creates lower acidity, for a smoother, naturally sweet taste. Iced coffee is brewed double strength, then cooled, which creates a refreshing, lighter body.” (Starbucks https://1912pike.com/cold-brew-iced-coffee/). I personally like cold brew more, because it definitely is smoother, however, due to how long it takes to make, cold brew is more expensive than iced coffee.
Alright, time to get a little technical. First off, there are many more different ways espresso can be made, than on this diagram. This guide is a basic one and geared more towards what is most popular in the United States. I am a visual learner, so I thought that these diagrams would be helpful for other people who learn best through pictures/diagrams. The diagram is pretty self-explanatory, I don’t want to repeat word for word everything that is on there. What all these drinks have in common, is that they all have espresso in them. What makes them different is that there is either filtered water (Americano) vs. different amounts of foamed milk. What I suggest, is that if you like lattes and are willing to try something new, try a cappuccino, the drink one step up, in terms of coffee taste, from it.
I hope this guide was helpful! Let me know in the comments below if there are any other blog posts you would like to see!