Let us introduce you to ‘Almost all‘ types of coffee drinks that exist. You might be wondering why we have added the word ‘Almost‘ – the obvious reason is – the world of Coffee is huge, endless, and is always evolving. Even if we successfully cover every imaginable topic related to the various types of coffee around the world, people with caffeine blood are always experimenting with different kinds of coffee and creating new combinations. The result, therefore, the different types of coffee drinks we can actually talk about are endless and it’s almost next to impossible to write about each; that’s why we mentioned, we will try to cover – almost all!
Along with, we will also be covering about different types of coffee beans that we are drinking.
Different Types of Coffee Beans
All over the world, the coffee crop is divided into 2 types of coffee beans; the Arabica and the Robusta. Though there have been a few other types, they never sustained for long and now faded. Let’s now get into depth into these two.
Arabica
The most preferred type of beans is Arabica. They are popular for their complex flavor and sweet taste. These beans are generally considered as high quality and they grow at higher altitudes and that’s why the maintenance and labor costs are high.
Robusta
The next type of bean that is popular after Arabica is Robusta. These beans grow at lower altitudes and the cost of these beans is generally low when compared to Arabica. Robusta even of being lower price has higher caffeine content as compared to Arabica. There are high qualities Robusta beans that form a portion for many popular coffee blends.
Want to discover more about coffee beans, here is our article about that!
Different Types of Coffee Drinks
Coffee has numerous variants and can be factually said countless. The choice of the coffee bean itself produces an enormous difference in the beverage and is the very canvas upon which each coffee drink is created. Beans from every top coffee-growing region have a different palate and can vary greatly based on the place of coffee origin, roasting, and brewing methods. Being with so much diversification, the coffee brewing methods in themselves are vastly different for many types of coffee drinks. When you go to a popular café and the menu has you confused with so many kinds of coffee drinks, this article might enlighten you about coffee more.
To help make it easier to understand a little bit more about coffee, bookmark this page and re-read it whenever you have some moments for a glance back at the article to discover again the diversity in coffee drink types. A little re-read can help one achieve mastery and we all know, a repeated action on things you enjoy only perfects you!
So that was all philosophy, now let’s head over to actual types of coffee drinks that exist in real.
Basic Coffee Beverages
First, we will go throough the very basic kinds of coffee drinks that are the easiest to brew at home by a simple coffee maker. It can be a French Press or a Pour-over, or more common, a drip coffee maker. Most of the countries were coffee is the way to wake up, at the very least, have this type of brewing equipment for their basic cup of Joe.
Regular Black Coffee – The very basic form of coffee that is brewed straight from your Drip Coffee Brewer, French Press, Percolator, or a Chemex. If you drink that without adding up anything, it’s a Black. This can be made with a regular brewer or even with a k-cup coffee maker easily. It’s also a base for many drinks we will be talking about next.
Black Coffee With Milk – Just add some milk to the Black coffee and the taste changes amazingly. If you are not a Black lover or your taste buds don’t allow that, simply add some milk.
Black Coffee With Milk & Sugar – The combination of Milk, Sugar and Black coffee is a favorite of many. Try this as this is the very basic form anyone can make at home.
Turkish Coffee – A tradition of brewing coffee from the Middle-East. In this method, the coffee grounds are dipped into sugary water until some foam is formed. The more the foam, the better the taste.
Cold Brew – In this method, the water instead uses cold water in place of hot and is left for a longer time for extraction. Most people leave the preparation over night to have a great cup of coffee in the morning.
Iced Coffee – Though the name sounds something as same as Cold Brew, both have different preparation methods. Here, the coffee is made as a regular hot brew and after that, it’s served cool. Keurig has recently launched a K-Elite coffee maker that has cold brew functionality.
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Various Espresso Based Drinks
Espresso is the most popular type of coffee drink that exists. Brewing the perfect cup of espresso requires some special equipment along with proper training to brew a top-notch cup. But here, we are to talk about the different coffee types, so let’s see what an espresso is and its variations!
Espresso – Espresso is the base for many different kinds of coffee and is prepared by forcing nearly boiling water into tamped fine ground coffee under pressure. The result is a concentrated liquid which is a blend of dissolved and suspended flavors of coffee with a little crema on top. The size of a basic espresso is 25 ml which can be further enhanced as a single, double or triple shot(25 ml,50 ml, or 75 ml) as per the dose required.
As it was previously stated, it is the base for different coffee drinks like; Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha, Macchiato, and Americano. Espresso gained its popularity in the 1980s but at that time, it was just available in popular cafes only. Lately, home brewing equipment came up in affordable brackets that made it easy for coffee lovers to brew their favorite coffee drinks at home.
Normale – is the context of espresso, which can be called a standard way of extracting an espresso shot. By extracting approximately 1 Oz of coffee using 7 grams of ground coffee, you have extracted a single shot normally.
Ristretto – This is a strong form of Espresso which is made from the same amount of coffee grounds, but extracted with half the amount of water in the same time interval. The grounds here used are extra fine resulting in an extra concentrated shot.
Doppio – It is a double shot extracted via double coffee filter in a portafilter. Now days, Doppio has become a standard drink in place of a basic espresso shot.
Americano – The last major variation of espresso was derived in America where people love strong coffee. The Americano is prepared by adding hot water to a single or double shot of espresso as required. This coffee drink is famous in America and slightly in nearby areas. There is a strong history of Americano and how it was discovered.
Lungo – Lungo is often confused with Americano, but it’s not at all the same. Lungo is a long shot prepared by extracting double the amount of water with the same amount of coffee grounds. In figures, it means, 50 ml of water is extracted with 7 grams of coffee.
Caffè Crema – An extra-long espresso drink served in Northern Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It has a different flavor profile than related drinks like Lungo and Americano due to different extraction ratios. Rough brewing ratios of ristretto, normale, lungo, and caffè crema are 1:2:3:6 and the average water part per shot is 6 Oz (180ml).
Café Zorro – This is a double shot of espresso which is added to water in a 1:1 ratio.
Café Cubano – Originated in Cuba, this drink is also known as Cuban Espresso. This is actually an espresso shot sweetened by adding demerara sugar whipped with first and last drops of espresso.
Café con Hielo – A regional coffee drink in Spain. If you will order this coffee in Spain, you will be served with a cup of espresso along with another cup of ice cubes and sugar. To drink, add sugar to espresso as per your preference, and stir to dissolve. After that, pour the coffee over the ice cubes and what you have now is your Café con Hielo.
Guillermo – Two espresso shots are poured over lemon slices and topped with some ice cubes. This results in the extraction of more caffeine, but with dissolved off-notes of coffee. It’s a less popular coffee drink but it’s preferred by people demanding more caffeine.
Moka – A coffee brewed in a Moka pot is often known as Moka cup. Though it’s called an espresso, but in true words, it’s not. The pressure in the pot is very less when compared to that of an espresso machine.
Red Eye – A cup of regular brewed coffee topped with a single shot of espresso is Red Eye
Black Eye – Double shot of espresso topped over a cup of drip coffee is Black Eye.
Dripped Eye – Three shots of espresso topped up over a regular coffee cup is Dripped Eye.
Lazy Eye – Two shots of espresso topped over a regular cup of Decaffeinated coffee is Lazy Eye.
Espresso + Milk Based Drinks
Now let’s understand some Specialty types of espresso drinks having base as Espresso and some milky add-ons. They turn up into some amazingly delicious kinds of coffee drinks which are fancy and damn attractive.
Cappuccino – Introduced in the 17th century by Italians, Cappuccino has gained immense popularity in the whole world. All the baristas and coffee bars have this drink at the top of their menus. It is generally a combination of espresso, hot milk, and steamed milk foam. The bottom 1/3rd of a cup is filled with espresso shot followed by the next 1/3rd with hot milk, and the last portion with steamed milk foam produced by steam producing espresso machine.
Latte – The actual name of Latte is Caffe latte which got shortened with time and now is popularly known as just – Latte. It is a combination of espresso shot and steamed milk. The standard drink is 1/3 cup of double espresso shot and 2/3 portion of steamed milk. US and UK are top regions who consume these drinks in large figures. Often you will find some attractive coffee arts over your Latte, commonly known as Latte art.
The above image illustrates a latte – the top is decorated with latte art which can be easily done by steamed milk after few practices. The milk is dominant in the Cafe latte as the portion is high here. It is a marvelous drink and is been loved all over.
Piccolo Latte – Often known as Baby Latte, a Piccolo is a Ristretto shot of 15-20 ml topped with 60 ml steamed silky milk and foam on top.
Mocha – This is a drink for chocolate lovers. Mocha, which is originally Mochaccino was derived in the coastal town Mocha, Yemen. The drink resembles Latte with an addition of chocolate in the form of either syrup or sweet cocoa powder.
They generally contain milk froth on top as in Cappuccino. There are many varieties of Mocha with variations in chocolate flavors and most common are the dark and white chocolate Mochas.
Macchiato – Cafe Macchiato is prepared by adding a spot of foamed milk to an espresso shot. The spot of milk can be said as little milk or just a hint of milk to change the taste of a plain espresso shot. The top can be decorated with latte art to make it look good.
The very well known place for Macchiato is Ethiopia where the best of this drink is made.
Cortado – An espresso shot served with just a small splash of milk. It’s a Spanish drink also known as café manchado in some parts.
Cortadito – Cafe Cubano added with warm milk in 1:1 ratio is Cortadito. This term is often confused with Cortado but they have a slight difference.
Café Bombón – Espresso with sweet condensed milk is referred to as Cafe Bombon. For sweet tongue, this is a great drink to try.
Cafe Con Leche – An espresso shot served with separate hot milk. Usually, hot milk is added in 1:1 ratio of espresso.
Carajilo – Espresso served with alcohol and no milk is Carajilo. It’s a Spanish form of coffee popular over there, but now some other parts of the world too.
Espressino – This is a drink made with equal parts of espresso. Cocoa powder is added at the bottom of cup and over the final shot. A layer of nutella is also spread on the walls of cup.
Flat White – A double shot of espresso with steamed milk in a ratio of 1:2 is Flat white. There is no layer of milk foam on top of this drink. This drink is popular in US as well as now gaining a lot of popularity in UK as well.
Café Au Lait – Different from other drinks, this drink has base as regular coffee made via Drip or French Press. Then steamed or hot milk is then added in same ratio.
Caffe Breve – This is an American variant of a latte – a milk-based espresso drink using steamed half-and-half mixture of milk and cream instead of milk topped with foam.
Antoccino – A single shot of espresso topped with steamed milk in a ratio of 1:1 is Antoccino.
Cafe Affogato – Can be said as Italian coffee or dessert. It’s prepared by pouring espresso shot over a scoop of vanilla gelato.
Vienna – Here, milk is replaced with cream, so it’s basically a cream-based beverage. The preparation involves infusing whipped cream over two standard shots of espresso until the cup is full.
Café Borgia – Something like Mocha preparation, this drink involves espresso, then hot chocolate, whipped cream, and some orange zest at top. Instead of chocolate shavings, orange zest provides some citrus touch to the drink.
Cha Phe Sua Da – Finely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee is individually brewed by a metal french press drip filter into a cup containing about a quarter to half condensed milk. It is then stirred, and ice cubes are poured over.
Galão – A hot drink from Portugal in a combination of espresso and foam milk. About a quarter of glass is fillet with espresso and is topped with foam milk for the rest of 3/4th cup.
Frappé – It’s a Greek drink that is made by stirring Instant coffee granules with a small amount of water. Then a little sugary water, cold water and ice cubes and after that some milk foam is added.
For specialty drinks, a specialized automatic equipment is great for a hassle free experience as the guesswork things are the machine’s responsibility!
Few More Espresso + Addons
Bulletproof coffee – A single cup of black coffee with 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil are blended till they output becomes creamy.
Espresso Romano – An espresso with some twist of lemon is called Romano. A proper way to best taste this drink is – add some lemon juice at the bottom of your cup and rub the lemon around the rim. Then drop the espresso shot to taste the different sides of coffee.
Irish Coffee – A coffee, more specifically French Press coffee with half ratio of Irish whiskey and topped with some heavy cream.
Liqueur Coffee – This is a type of coffee brewed with 25 ml of liqueur and sometimes added with cream.
Mazagran – A Portuguese drink, made by pouring hot French press coffee over ice and infusing a lemon slice.
FAQs
- How many types of coffee are there?
As above we said, there are over 46 types of coffee drinks on our list. We have picked up the most popular ones which means, there can be more. With so many flavors, variations and aromas, the types can be numerous.
- What are the most popular types of coffee?
Espresso, Americano, Flat white, Café au lait, Cappuccino, Latte, Macchiato and Mocha are among the most popular coffee drinks and are mostly available in all cafes.
- What is the sweetest type of coffee?
Mocha is the sweetest form of coffee which is prepared by adding chocolate powder topped with steamed milk and foam.
- What is the best coffee for beginners?
Cappuccino and Latte of the most accessible and easiest coffee drinks to have at every café and consume easily. An espresso at first can be bitter for beginners, but slowly, you will be set to it.
In The End
The above article covered many of the various kinds of coffee that are highly popular beverages. We did our best to ensure that we were able to provide readers with insights into all the major variations of coffee drinks that are popular throughout the world. Each coffee type has its uniqueness. While we may not have listed every single imaginable coffee type, we certainly went into detail about the vast majority of coffee beverages that typically constitute a decent Café Menu anywhere in the world.
We do hope that the above information has increased your know-how about coffee. You now might make a few calls to your friends and make plans to meet up to visit your local coffee shop to taste the ones you haven’t tried yet and for that we say cheers!
