To order at a coffee shop seems to get ever more complicated. With seemingly endless ways to combine espresso or brewed coffee and milk, coffee shop menus can feel confusing, even overwhelming. Knowing how to decode the options, though, is the key to find the drink that’s right for you. 

Coffee is an ingredient that can be found throughout the globe, and it’s grown in many tropical locales, from Vietnam and Ethiopia to Ecuador. Yet, many of the best-known coffee drinks feature an Italian invention, espresso. 

The machine that makes this concentrated coffee was invented during the late 19th century and improved throughout the early 20th century. A petite serving of espresso (also called a “shot”) serves as the base for many popular coffee drinks, from lattes to cappuccinos and cortados. 

The difference between these drinks is the amount or quality of steamed milk that’s mixed with the espresso. While espresso is popular for milk-based drinks, there’s a host of ways to brew coffee, from a simple pour-over to the more complex aeropress method. 

Here’s everything you need to know about 10 common coffee and espresso drinks.

Espresso

Espresso is an intense, concentrated coffee made when hot water is forced through finely ground beans. Pressure is used to extract a small serving size that packs a wallop of coffee flavor and a rich texture. The drink is characterized by the silky, light-colored foam that forms atop the espresso, called the crema. Espresso is made from the same species of beans as traditional coffee, but they’re roasted longer and ground to a very fine powder. 

One-ounce espresso shots are served typically in small cups. A doppio (Italian for double) is the term used for a two-ounce espresso. Espresso’s intense, sometimes bitter flavor can be tempered with a bit of sugar. It’s sometimes served alongside a glass of sparkling water, or it can be served cold. “My espresso drink of choice is actually a shot of espresso poured straight over ice,” says Jason Hoy, co-owner of Tucker Garage, an Australian café and general store in Easton, Pennsylvania. 

Americano

Sometimes called a caffè Americano, this simple drink is made by diluting espresso with water (either hot or cold water, depending on the desired drink temperature). The Americano is said to have been invented in Italy or Spain after World War II, when Americans sought to replicate the more diluted, large-format drip coffees they were accustomed to back home. 

Black coffee

Perhaps coffee in its simplest form, black coffee can be prepared in a range of methods. Fundamentally, black coffee is made when coffee grounds are steeped in hot water then strained or filtered. Popular brewing techniques include the chemex (or pour-over), French press, percolator, aeropress, or moka pot. 

Cold brew

In the mid-2000s, cold brew took off as a trendy alternative to traditional iced coffee. Cold brew is made through a method designed specifically for chilled coffee. “Rather than carelessly hot-brewing coffee, cooling it and serving it over ice, to cold-brew, coffee grounds are soaked overnight (from 12-24 hours), strained, and the mixture is then diluted to taste,” says Jake Leonti, director of coffee at Gregory’s Coffee. 

Cold brew is known for its bold, aromatic flavor profile. “[The cold brew method] creates a more concentrated coffee with a smooth flavor,” says Leonti. “It’s an upgraded iced coffee.” 

Latte

This milk-based coffee drink is extremely popular throughout the United States. A latte (sometimes called caffè latte) is made by topping a shot of espresso with a large quantity of steamed milk and a thin layer of milk foam.

Typically, about six ounces of milk is blended with one ounce of espresso to make a latte. “I’m a latte drinker purely because I run on milk,” says Hoy. “It’s essentially a dialed-down shot of espresso blended into comforting warm milk. It’s a gentle start to the coffee day.”

Cappuccino 

The most common breakfast drink in Italy, a cappuccino is akin to a latte, but it has a thick layer of creamy milk microfoam. “Many first-time café goers order a cappuccino without actually understanding what they are getting into,” says Leonti. A cappuccino made with equal parts espresso (a two-ounce shot, or doppio), steamed milk, and microfoam. “A traditional cappuccino is served in a six-ounce ceramic mug, and the heady froth of microfoam has the consistency of velvet meringue,” he says. 

To yield microfoam with a creamy texture, full-fat dairy is the best option. “Fat is flavor,” says Hoy. “Fat is the binding agent that builds a beautiful microfoam. [Non-dairy milk] is held together by a bunch of additives and chemicals. Shampoo is foamy, but I don’t want to drink it.”

Macchiato

The word macchiato comes from the Italian word for “stained,” since this drink is made by topping espresso with just a small dollop of foam. “The entire beverage is under three ounces,” says Leonti. Consumers are often confused about the macchiato, he says, since Starbucks’ popular Caramel Macchiato (a large, sweetened coffee drink made with steamed milk and topped with whipped cream) is nothing like an actual macchiato.

Cortado

“A cortado is basically a 1:1 ratio of espresso and steamed milk,” says Kaleena Teoh, co-founder and director of education at Coffee Project New York. The petite coffee drink is roughly a four-ounce beverage. Its coffee flavor really shines through, while the milk adds a silkiness, a touch of sweetness, and a comforting texture. “Savoring a cortado in a glass cup enhances the experience and often inspires onlookers to ask what you ordered,” says Leonti. The glasses are called Gibraltar cups. They look somewhat like a rocks glass, so a cortado is sometimes called a Gibraltar. 

Flat white

The flat white is among the lesser-known espresso drinks (like the cortado, macchiato, and breve latte) that are beloved by coffee professionals, but can be confusing to consumers. It is a small coffee drink made with around equal parts coffee and milk. 

The flat white is made by combining espresso with lightly steamed milk. The texture of the milk foam is paramount: the milk is gently steamed to create a soft microfoam, where tiny air bubbles are suspended in the milkfat when compared to, say, a cappuccino, which has a more airy foam. “The flat white, like a flat beer, doesn’t have a [foamy] head on it,” says Hoy.

Breve latte

“This indulgence is for the dairy lovers out there who enjoy the qualities of added fat and flavor,” says Leonti. The Breve latte is just like a traditional latte except the espresso is blended with half-and-half instead of whole milk. One might opt for a smaller size of this ultra-luxurious coffee drink and avoid the Starbucks “venti.”