A Beginners Guide to Types of Coffee & Drinks

Types of Coffee Beans

• Arabica 
• Robusta 

Coffee Beans Roasts

Light Roast- Beans from this species are slightly roasted to maintain the original characteristics they carry form the farm. They usually have a more noticeable acidity and tanginess on the taste buds but do not taste sour. This is because they’re lightly cooked.

Medium Roast- Beans from this species are made to retain their individual aromas and flavors and are blended with darker chocolate or rich caramel flavors to balance them out. These are heavier than others, have a smoother taste and do not have so much tanginess.

Dark Roast- Beans in this group have the woodsy, dark, earthy, chocolate spice found naturally in various beans. They have little or no acidity and smell like classic coffee. They’re also heavy on the tongue.

Vienna, French and Italian Roasts- it’s advised that you avoid these as much as you can. They are roasted so much that they lose every flavor they had and end up having an ashy taste They usually appear very black and may have an oily surface. This is the sign that tells you they’re not a good choice. They’re not good beans in the first place.

Specialty coffee- This coffee bean has been reported to have the highest grade, no defects, top-notch flavor and an aroma to die for. Worldwide, it ranks in the top 3% of beans. You’ll want to try this if you want delicious coffee.

Free tip: Store-stocked coffee beans have poor quality and are most likely going bad already. Consider getting freshly roasted om nom specialty coffee instead.

TYPES OF ESPRESSO DRINKS

These are the different espressos you can buy in a coffee shop or a restaurant.

Types of Espresso

Espresso- This is made by forcing hot water through very small coffee grounds at pressure bars of 8-10.  It has a thick, syrupy consistency and is very concentrated. Usually, a shot of espresso contains an ounce of liquid only.

Doppio- Doppio is Italian for double. Therefore, this is a double shot espresso. It is used more than a single shot espresso for modern espresso drinks.

Lungo- In Italian, lungo means long. Hence, this is a much longer shot of espresso. It is richer in volume and has a dark flavor. However, it’s not as strong as the previous ones.

Ristretto- This means cut in Italian and is the name of the drink because it is made by cutting the shot early. This espresso has more tanginess and acidic taste. It has a nice aroma and is concentrated.

Americano- This is made by adding hot water to an espresso. It’s similar in taste to black coffee because it has a similar concentration. Outside the US, it is a substitute for black coffee

Long Black- Take espresso and add it to hot water to get this. The espresso comes out tangy, creamy and oily on the water because it doesn’t mix immediately. This makes the first few sips more acidic.

Red Eye- This is for those days you’d want to keep your eyes open against all odds. Just add regular black coffee to a shot of espresso and you’re all set.

Non-regular Espresso Drinks

Guillermo- Take two slices of lime and pull one shot of espresso directly on it.

Café Cubano- This is a Cuban classic made by mixing a huge quantity of demerara sugar to an espresso. It is not a regular type of espresso drink and may not be liked by everyone.

Macchiato (Starbucks)- This drink is a simple latte with lots of sugar. The reason for the name is unknown.

Cortado- This is a 4-ounce Spanish drink made by mixing 1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk with microfoam. It’s often not as hot as other espressos. It’s very concentrated and is called a ‘piccolo’ or ‘Gibraltar’

Cappuccino- This is a popular classic. It contains 33% espresso, 33% thick foam and 33% steamed milk. Conventionally, it is about 5-6oz although in recent times, Starbucks has come up with a 20oz variant. It’s a drink that is well balanced with the espresso flavors being tempered by the sweetness of the milk.

Latte- Anyone can have this one. It’s made by mixing two shots of espresso with many ounces of steamed milk and just a little microfoam. It can vary from 8-20 ounces in size.

Flat white- According to Australians, it’s a little latte of 6oz only. A lot of cafes distinguish it from a latte and cappuccino by adding a shot of ristretto.

Breve- A breve is made by making a drink with an espresso and cream instead of milk.

Café Bombon- This is a concentrated delicious drink made from a mixture of 50% espresso and 50% sweetened condensed milk. The milk is slowly added to make it sink to the bottom in order to get the two different layers. If you want to take it up a notch - or two- try adding a dash of ground cinnamon on top.

Espresso Con Panna-This is a delicious espresso; double shot with thick whipped cream topping.

Freddo Cappuccino- A popular Greek favorite made by chilling espresso with ice and topping it with cold milk that is shaken till it foams.

Affogato – This is basically an espresso with ice cream

Red Tie- It’s an exotic combo of black tea, star anise, condensed milk, orange blossom water, crushed tamarind sugar and an espresso shot.

Espresso + more of other stuff

Caffe Corretto- Does your espresso need something extra?

Add the same quantity of brandy or grappa as is your shot of espresso.

Espresso Martini- Get the feeling of class and elitism by adding a simple syrup, vodka or coffee liqueur to your shot of espresso. Throw in the ice and shake it. now, pour yourself a glass and never want any other cocktail.

TYPES OF BLACK COFFEE DRINKS

Instead of making strong shots using high pressure, black coffee drinks are made using regular black coffee.

Basic Black Coffee

Drip coffee- This is gotten by pouring hot water into ground coffee. It’s slightly concentrated, not heavy at all and easy on the tongue. It is considered standard coffee.

Pour over- Basically, this is a manual version of drip coffee but better. The ground coffee is kept in a filter and water is poured manually on them in circular motions. The brewed coffee falls into a mug below.

French Press- This is the classic coffee: thick, bold and rich. This one is brewed with a metal filter. This ensures that you do not miss out on the aromatic oils, tiny grounds and unique flavors.

Siphon (Vacuum Pot)- This is rich in aroma, thick and great to observe. A vacuum is created in the siphon brewer to make this coffee variant.

Moka Pot- Popular all around the world, this is made by pouring hot water into ground coffee to create a strong coffee. It’s like espresso but without the same pressure used to produce espresso.

Turkish Coffee- This one originated from Yemen in the 1600 CE. It is made by mixing water and fine ground coffee on the stove and leaving it to boil a little before emptying it into a cup. It’s not advised to take the last sip because it usually contains grounds.

Percolated- This is not recommended at all except you’re camping. It’s basically made by boiling water and coffee in a pot over a fire. It’s very bitter.

GETTING CREATIVE OR CRAZY

Café au lait- Black coffee with steamed milk. This is better than pouring in cold milk.

Cold brew- This is made by adding cold water to grounds and leaving it for more than 12 hours. The flavor is usually different when there is no hot water. It’s very smooth, has little or no acidity, is rich in aroma and not bitter at all. With its strong nature, it can be used to make cold brew cocktails, cold brew soda and other drinks.

Japanese Iced Coffee- To get your coffee cold immediately, pour it over ice directly. In this state, you’ll get all the aromas and the tangy taste it comes with.

Irish Coffee- Add Irish whiskey and a little brown sugar into your hot coffee. Use lightly whipped heavy cream as the topping.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee - Use the Vietnamese ’phin filter’ to brew strong coffee. Add some tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk and use ice as the topping.

Vietnamese Egg coffee- Add sweetened condensed milk and an egg yolk in a bowl. Whisk and mix in a mug with the coffee brewed in a ‘phin filter’. Enjoy.

Cold Brew Lemonade- This drink is made by mixing a cold brew with sweet lemonade. It gives a tangy flavor and is nice for an afternoon rendezvous.

Regardless of what drink you opt for, always use freshly roasted, specialty coffee beans. They’ll give you flavorful and aromatic coffee.

Wrong Notion #1

The caffeine content of an espresso is higher than that of Black Coffee

Technically, this is true but that’s per ounce. The twist is that a double shot of espresso contains the same quantity of caffeine as 8oz of coffee.

The quantity of espresso you take per time is not the same as that of a regular cappuccino or a latte.

Wrong Notion #2

Certain drinks are more suited for men while others are more suited for women

This is an idle assumption that should not be paid attention. Anyone can have any type of coffee they want.

Wrong Notion #3

There’s more caffeine in Dark Roasted coffee

The argument about the roast level that contains more caffeine has been on the table for a long time.

Some men opine that dark roast contains more caffeine because of its bitter, bold taste while some baristas think that light roast has more because it’s the closest to the natural state.

The truth is that there’s no difference.

According to scientists, the bean is the deciding factor, not the roast.

Congrats! You’ve successfully gone through the complete list of the different types of coffee.

On your next trip to a café, you won’t be confused.

When friends are having intelligent conversations about coffee, you’ll be able to pitch in.

All the types of coffee have a foundation and that’s the beans. So, get great, delicious coffee by shopping specialty beans.

Shop our range of Coffee Beans from Cafe Rico, Tchibo, Lavazza and Miscela D'oro