time for some general knowledge
How To Speak Coffee
If you aren't familiar with coffeehouses and the many different
varieties of coffees and flavors to choose from, you may be
overwhelmed when you go into a café and try to make your choice.
Coffeehouses may feature dozens of different coffee flavors and
mixings at their shops. In addition to the many coffee flavors,
there are cappuccinos and espressos and other selections of coffee
breeds. So if youd like to order coffee from these establishments,
it has become quite important to have a decent knowledge of
coffeehouse lingo.
Coffee flavors vary from one bean to another, and how coffee is
prepared may sway quite a bit from your ordinary cup you make at
home. In order to enjoy some of the various coffee preparations,
its necessary to be able to translate a little of these strange
and exotic-sounding names coffees are given.
What follows then, are a few of the basic coffeehouse words and
phrases, to help better make you a better coffee connoisseur.
* Black Coffee. Your ordinary cup of brewed coffee with nothing
extra added.
* Espresso. In Italy, if you ordered coffee, youd get espresso.
Its a very strong coffee brewed by forcing pressured steam through
thinly grounded coffee beans. Its served in little cups because a
little goes a very long way. (OK I know what youre thinking: how
do you order a cup of black coffee in Italy? Youd order
American coffee, theyll know what you mean. But if you are in
Italy, you should drink like Italians)
* Cappuccino. Espresso served with at an equal part of steamed and
foamed milk.
* Café latte, or simply latte. Similar to cappuccino, except the
espresso has almost an equal part of just steamed milk and just a
touch at the top of foamed milk. In some fancy places, the foamed
milk at the top can be quite artistic, making it almost a shame to
drink.
* Mocha. A latte made with chocolate, cocoa, or chocolate syrup.
Mocha is often covered with whipped cream.
* Café au lait. French for coffee with milk. Similar to a latte
but made with regular black coffee rather than espresso.
* Iced coffee, shots, mix-ins, etc. There are several other
coffee-related drinks, additions, and accompaniments too numerous
to mention. Also some of the terms are copyrighted, so they wont
be mentioned here. But rest assured, if you want iced coffee or a
shot of espresso in your drink, with a scone on the side, you can
get those desires at most coffeehouses.
I remember the days when if you wanted coffee, you had to have it
black, or with cream and/or sugar, and that was really about it, at
least in the US. Now, with coffeehouses having espresso and lattes
and mochas and more, you need to be capable of having some
knowledge in the world of coffee. The best way to learn is to try
the various kinds yourself and find your favorite, so its best to
have a clue of what to order to start with.
By Jim Konerko
