It is a simple yet perfect espresso drink, popular in many coffee-loving countries. It is made with a shot of espresso and an equal part of steamed milk.
I have taken my 12 years of coffee experience and spent 3 hours researching the world of the cortado, so you don’t have to look any further.
Here is all that you need to know. To the point and without any BS.
Remember you can make a cortado at home with little effort and without needing the skills of a world champion barista. Follow this guide to learn where this drink came from and how to make a fantastic cortado at home.
What’s In A Cortado And How To Make One At Home
The most challenging part here is actually to keep it simple.
You will need:
- 1 or 2 shots of espresso.
- Steamed milk. You will need the same amount as you have espresso.
Start by making a single or a double espresso. Use a cup that is larger than a regular espresso cup.
Steam some milk. You won’t need that much.
The ratio of espresso to milk is 1:1
- Pull your best shot of espresso.
- Steam your cold milk. Don’t froth it, just steam it. (don’t make foam)
- Add the steamed milk to the espresso in a 1:1 ratio.
- Enjoy
A word of caution. This is one of those drinks that you can consume dozens of in a very short time because of the added warm milk and small volume.
I will advise you to enjoy them slowly, and not drink too many.
Your body will thank you later.
Other Drinks That Are Similar To The Cortado
Most coffee drinks are quite similar. Make espresso add warm milk in various forms.
But here are my thoughts on which espresso drinks comes closest to this Spanish named drink.
The Espresso Macchiato
This lovely drink is almost the same, but here we use frothed milk instead of steamed. Take 40ml of espresso and ad a tablespoon of frothed milk on the top.
Nerd info: The drink is also called a Cáffe Macchiato.
The Flat White
The flat white is also similar to the cortado, but it has more milk. And no foam.
The Latte is probably the closest relative to the flat white. The only difference is the missing foam on the top. Hence the name “Flat”.
But if you were to add more steamed and textured milk (with microbubbles) into a cortado, you would get a flat white.
Wrapping It All Up
A cortado is made from equal amounts of espresso and steamed milk.
It is easy to make.
It resembles the Espresso Macchiato and the Flat White.
You can drink buckets of this delicious coffee drink. But don’t do it.
If you’ve got a little time to spare, then check out this list of the 10 different types of coffee drinks that you should know. Coffee is always a good topic and there are so many coffees to choose from!
