Cappuccino or Latté?

The following information is from TheKitchn.com:

Here’s the difference between these caffeinated favorites.

• Café au lait: Half brewed coffee, half warmed milk
• (Café) Latté: Espresso topped with steamed milk and thin foam
• Cappuccino: Espresso topped with thick foam and a little steamed milk
• Macchiato: Espresso topped with a dollop of foam, no milk

What Is a Café au Lait?

This drink is simply half regular brewed coffee and half warmed milk. You might get a little foam on top, but the essential idea is thinning the strong coffee with a generous amount of warm, creamy milk.

What Is a (Café) Latté?

Similar to a café au lait, lattés are made with a shot (or three) of espresso poured into the bottom of a mug and topped with steamed milk and a thin layer of foam. Some people prefer to add the espresso last so it that sinks through the milk and foam instead, but the idea is the same.

What Is a Cappuccino?

We’ve always thought of cappuccinos as the opposite of lattés. A cappuccino also uses shots of espresso, but the proportions of milk and foam are reversed: a little milk, lots of foam. This gives you a much stronger coffee flavor. The key to a good cappuccino in our opinion is really excellent foam.

What Is a Macchiato?

If you like really intense coffee flavor, try one of these! It’s simply a shot of espresso topped with a little foam — no milk! Back in our barista days, we also liked a version where we replaced the foam with a little dollop of whipped cream. Not a bad way to wake up in the morning!

Source: TheKitchn.com

---

Cortado & Lungo:
A cortado is a Spanish coffee drink similar to a café au lait but smaller. It is just heated (but not frothy) milk added to an espresso. The word "cortado" is from the Spanish word "cortar" (to cut), in the sense of "dilute."

A lungo is a long pull espresso using twice as much water and taking twice as long to pull. It is not to be confused with an Americano which is just hot water added to an espresso. The lungo is particularly popular in Quebec.

Click to enlarge