#Macchiato pronunciation full#

In the spectrum of café beverages an espresso macchiato is most similar to a cortado but is slightly more concentrated. If you like the taste of brewed coffee but the taste of straight espresso is too much for you, you’ll probably like the flavor of an espresso macchiato. The main goal of the espresso macchiato is to give the drinker the same caffeine punch and espresso flavor they’d get from a straight shot but with less bitterness and acidity thanks to the milk that’s mixed in. A very small amount of steamed milk is then added to it, followed by a dollop of foam on top. It starts with either a single (solo) or double (doppio) shot of espresso, usually brewed straight into a demitasse cup. The ingredients in both are the same-it all comes down to a question of ratio.Īn espresso macchiato, also called a cafe macchiato, is the original and traditional form of the beverage.

Abbreviating to just macchiato leaves out a crucial identifier: exactly what is being marked. The problem with macchiato is that it can refer to two different drinks: an espresso macchiato, or a latte macchiato. When you ask for a latte baristas know you mean the drink with coffee, not just a big cup of steamed milk. Similarly, a mocha should rightly be called a cafe mocha latte (or “coffee with chocolate and milk”).įor most coffee drinks this isn’t much of an issue because the abbreviations are standardized.

#Macchiato pronunciation full#

The full name for a latte, for example, is cafe latte, which translates essentially to “coffee with milk”.

Part of the confusion over this name comes from the fact that Americans tend to abbreviate the names of their drinks. Generally speaking, drinks that use the term macchiato will primarily consist of one ingredient (either espresso or milk) with a “mark” of one or more other ingredients. The Italian word “macchiato” roughly translates to “stained” or “marked”.