‘Macchiato please!’
No matter how coffee is concocted, there is always one drink that every tongue craves for. In this segment, one of the most famous morning cups of coffee catches our attention: the macchiato. With the name itself, it already tells us that it originated from Italy.
As compared to a mocha, the macchiato uses just a small amount of steamed milk on top. Macchiato is very popular because it has that nice bold sip of espresso. It offers the rich authentic espresso punch that plenty of strong coffee lovers absolutely adore.
Macchiato actually has the largest concentration of espresso amongst all the coffee or espresso milk combos that we love. It originated in Italy to just add a bit of touch of creaminess to espresso. The milk just breaks a little the boldness of the coffee.
What Does Macchiato Mean?
CafeMacchiato literally means ‘stained or marked coffee’. In a sense, it’s simply put a nice cup of coffee with a touch of milk. Originally, it was-and still is in Italy-a shot of espresso served in a demitasse cup and topped with foamed milk.
Cappuccini or cappuccinos are only served until 11 am in Italy. In contrast, a macchiato is a coffee option served in the afternoon. There are some who can’t fully tolerate the boldness of a pure espresso but at the same time, a cup of cappuccino is too milky for them. Macchiato is a perfect choice for this group of espresso lovers.
Preparing a Macchiato
With the highest espresso ratio to milk, the macchiato is typically made with 1 to 2 teaspoons of steamed milk added to a shot of espresso. This is how macchiato is traditionally made. Prepare the espresso as you normally would, there is no need to change anything.
With the love for larger amounts of coffee, larger macchiato drinks are also offered. Most of the time, a cup of macchiato uses a double shot of espresso and topped with a thin layer of steamed milk and foam.
Macchiato Variations
In the process of making drinks more commercial, the true definition of a macchiato is lost along the way. However, it doesn’t discount the fact that macchiato is characterized by a bolder stronger coffee taste than milk.
Latte Macchiato or Macchiato Latte
A latte macchiato as compared to a latte uses a double shot of rich espresso. The steamed milk is poured into a cup first and then added with the double espresso and topped with a thin layer of steamed milk and foam.
Iced Macchiato
It’s simply a cup of cold latte macchiato with a few cubes of ice.
