For many years, coffee as a drink has been strongly rooted in our culture and above all in our customs and habits. So, many consume it almost daily. This is why, over time, different but delicious ways of drinking coffee have been developed. This is how a great variety of recipes have been created, whether in cafes or at home.
This time, we will show you the versatility that this drink has through the most traditional coffee recipes and others that you maybe didn’t know and could try.
Table of Contents
Traditional Coffee Recipes
To begin with, let’s look at the types of more traditional coffee recipes, which in turn are usually the basis for other preparations.
Espresso
This type of coffee is perhaps the best known. It is a type of preparation originating in Italy and is called that way because espresso is prepared in an express machine.
Espresso consists of a coffee that was ground very finely, through which pressurized water passes at a temperature close to the boiling point. It is drunk in many countries, especially in Italy, and is the basis for preparing other types of coffee. If you wish, you can also learn from us how to make a good espresso.
Americano
This type of coffee is very similar to espresso, but the difference is that water is added to it after it is brewed in the coffee maker.
It is said that this preparation was also born in Italy when it was invaded by the United States. Since Americans were not used to the strong taste of espresso, they asked for water to be added to make it softer and be able to drink it. Hence, the Italians named it Americano.
If you want to know how it is made, stop by our blog on how to make an Americano.
Cafe Latte or coffee with milk
Coffee with milk, as people usually call it in Latin America, is another recipe that we consume the most for its delicious but delicate flavor. It consists of mixing about 1/3 espresso coffee with 2/3 milk. In the end, you add a layer of around 1 cm of milk foam.
In many countries in Europe and America, it is taken for breakfast and is among the most preferred types of coffee. Why? For being mild in taste since it has a lower proportion of coffee. It is usually sweetened to taste.
Learn how to make a latte and enjoy.
The art of latte is also a well-known practice, as it helps to decorate and present the drink in a beautiful and creative way. It consists of creating different designs on the coffee using the milk foam of the surface.
Cappuccino
This type of preparation is very similar to the cafe latte. Both come from Italy and have the same ingredients, the difference lies in the quantities.
For the making of cappuccino, you should use 1/3 espresso, 1/3 boiled or steamed milk, and the same amount of milk foam. It is also common to see designs on the surface of the coffee with milk foam. And cinnamon or chocolate powder is added to it according to taste.
Espresso Macchiato
It is originally from Italy too and consists of an espresso to which hot milk is added but in a small quantity. It is usually served in small cups and in other countries, its equivalent is café cortado, also called “cortadito” or “marrón”.
This way of making coffee was born as a way in which baristas distinguished espresso coffee from the cortado or Macchiato. A spot of milk foam was added on top of the coffee to indicate to the waiters that that cup had some milk. Hence also comes its name, since in Italian the word macchiato means: spotted.
Learn how to make a macchiato with us!
Latte Macchiato
It may look very similar to a macchiato since they have the same ingredients and the proportions are also usually similar or identical. However, the difference is in the order in which the ingredients are added.
This preparation is, contrary to a macchiato, a cup of milk to which a small amount of espresso is added. It is usually served in a tall glass and not in a cup.
Lungo
This recipe is characterized by having much more coffee than the traditional espresso. It has about 50 and 60 ml of coffee. It differs from other similar beverages by its method of preparation.
To make a lungo, unlike espresso, fewer grams of coffee are used, about 7 or 9, which are passed through more water and extracted in 30 or 40 seconds, longer than an espresso.
This process results in a mild but more bitter coffee taste, since the more water is passed through the coffee, the more the bitterness level of the drink increases.
Coffee Recipes with Chocolate or Caramel
As we have already seen with traditional recipes, coffee is a whole universe of possibilities limited only by your imagination. You can make all kinds of beverages with coffee as a basis. Now, we will show you much more varied and delicious recipes that are still based on coffee but with some extra ingredients.
Caffè Mocha or Mocaccino
This recipe takes cappuccino as a basis and one could say that it is one of its variants. It is also made with an espresso base to which evaporated milk is added. Then there is a layer of milk foam and finally, what makes the difference is the addition of chocolate. This can be black or with milk and is added to coffee as syrup.
A variant of this coffee is White Mocha, which is prepared with white chocolate instead of black.
French Vanilla Mocha
This drink is very simple and you could say that it is a variant of a mocha only that it has vanilla. It can be added depending on the taste and type of recipe. Some establishments or recipes use vanilla in pods, others as syrup, and even in essence.
Like other preparations, sugar, cinnamon, and other extra ingredients go according to the taste of each.
Caramel Macchiato
This coffee is a variation of latte macchiato, as it also consists of milk, a touch of espresso, and foamed milk. But, in this case, liquid caramel is added. In some cases also vanilla. It can be enjoyed both hot and cold.
Coffee Recipes with Liquor
Irish Coffee
This drink is also one of the best known and is sometimes called a cocktail. It consists of coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar (white or brown) and, finally, a thick layer of cream is added to the top.
The person behind the Irish coffee was chef Joe Sheridan, who worked in a restaurant cafe located at Foynes airport, Ireland. One winter day, one of the flights had to return due to bad weather conditions, so passengers were taken to that restaurant to eat and rest. It was there that Sheridan came up with adding a little Irish whiskey to the coffee to warm the passengers. Such a combination was so successful that it later became one of the most favorite and well-known.
Caffè Amaretto
Check our blog on how to make authentic Irish coffee and learn more about it.
It is a beverage of Italian origin that is traditionally served after dinner. It consists of an espresso base, to which Amaretto liqueur and milk or whipped cream are added. In some places, it is not served with sugar, but in general, it depends on personal taste.
If you fancy, follow our amaretto coffee recipe.
The amaretto liqueur also comes from Italy, from Saronno in the Lombardy region, and dates from about the year 1525. However, it was in 1817 that it began to be manufactured and distributed commercially.
This liqueur is made from the bones of apricot and almonds. To this pure alcohol, sugar, and the essence of various aromatic plants and fruits are added. The result is a liqueur with a strong and sweet taste, ideal for drinking alone, accompanied by desserts, or as an ingredient in pastry recipes. For example, in tiramisu.
Caribbean Coffee
It comes from different countries in Central America and the Caribbean. It is prepared with an espresso base, it can be normal or double. Then, rum and brown sugar are added and it is finished with a layer of whipped cream.
Usually, aged or black rum is used, but some places use white rum or even blends between different types of rum. In the end, it can be served in a cocktail glass or a cup of cappuccino accompanied by cookies.
Learn all about its recipe and how to serve it in our Caribbean Coffee Guide.
A variety of this type of coffee is the Caribbean flambé. It consists of flaming the rum and then adding the rest of the ingredients to the glass. Once the flames are extinguished, add the whipped cream and it is ready to drink.
Carajillo
It is a typical drink in Spain and consists of espresso with a little liquor. The type of liquor used in Carajillo usually depends on the region in which it is made or even personal taste. Rum or cognac can be used, but in Spain the typical recipe usually has brandy.
During its preparation, other ingredients such as cinnamon, lemon peel, and sugar are usually added to give more flavor to the drink.
Iced Coffee Recipes
For many, it is not enough just to be able to have a hot coffee in the traditional way. That’s why, thanks to its versatility, for a few years people have been inventing different recipes and brewing methods to enjoy a good coffee, but cold.
This way of making coffee is born in countries with seasons, as a need to fight the heat without missing the daily coffee. There are very varied opinions about this type of preparation. Some prefer traditional hot coffee because they argue that the temperature change modifies the taste.
But, there are others who not only think that it is delicious without losing its original taste, but also that it is an aid for the coffee industry in summer. This is because, at such times, due to the impressionable heat in some countries, the idea of drinking coffee in the traditional way is unthinkable.
Below you will see the most popular ones.
Caffè Frappé
This coffee is perhaps one of the best known, and the base also for other similar preparations. It is originally from Greece and its name comes from the French word frappé which means “chilled” or “shaken”.
The recipe may vary depending on the country or region in which it is prepared. The original Greek version is made from instant coffee mixed with ice. By using this type of coffee, the drink will have the famous froth on the surface. Evaporated milk can also be added to it.
You can customize it according to the degree of sugar desired. The 3 levels are sweet (2 teaspoons of coffee and 4 of sugar), medium (2 teaspoons of coffee and 2 of sugar), and single (no sugar is added).
The word frappuccino is also commonly heard to refer to this type of preparation. However, this refers to the trademark officially registered by the Starbucks coffee chain. In essence, they contain the same thing, the difference is that Starbucks takes cappuccino as a base, but it is also mixed with ice and more ingredients that the brand adds to complement the variety of flavors.
Interested? Make cafe frappé easily.
Iced Americano
This is perhaps one of the simplest preparations since you only need an espresso, water, and ice. It is mostly a seasonal drink and is popular in summer because it is very refreshing without losing the delicious taste of the coffee.
Iced or chilled Mocha
It is the delicious mocha coffee we had already seen, but this time you add ice and mix it in a blender. In addition to being very refreshing, it is really simple to make and can be topped with a little cream on the surface. As always, sugar goes according to taste.
Desserts with Coffee
Yes. Coffee is so versatile that you can even incorporate it into dessert recipes. In order not to extend, we refer to the article in which we explain the best recipes of desserts with coffee in detail.
So…
This is the end of our tour of the main coffee recipes. As we have already seen, coffee is a universal drink. It is one of the most marketed and has an immense variety of recipes and ways to be prepared. Some are more usual than others but all always result in a delicious drink.
Its possibilities of preparation are almost endless. So, we hope that you will feel like exploring them, and why not, that you are encouraged to try them and create your own version.
