☕ Coffee guide

Coffee Drinks Explained

Cortado, cortadito, cafecito, flat white, colada — a plain-English glossary so you can order exactly what you want.

Coffee menus can feel like a test you didn't study for — especially in a city like Miami where a Cuban cortadito sits a few feet from an Australian-style flat white. Here's a plain-English glossary so you can order exactly what you want, no coffee-snob decoder ring required.

The espresso base

• Espresso: a small, concentrated shot — the foundation of almost everything below.
• Ristretto: a "restricted," shorter espresso shot — a little sweeter and more intense.
• Americano: espresso topped with hot water. Closest to a cup of black coffee, made from espresso.

Espresso with a little milk

• Macchiato: espresso "stained" with just a dab of milk foam. Small and strong.
• Cortado: espresso cut with an equal-ish amount of steamed milk. Balanced, no foam to speak of — a great way to judge a café.
• Flat white: espresso with steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam. Like a small, strong latte with less milk.

The Cuban family (a Miami essential)

• Cafecito (Cuban espresso): a small, intensely sweet shot, with sugar whipped into the first drops to make espumita, a caramel-colored foam.
• Cortadito: the Cuban cousin of the cortado — sweet espresso cut with a little steamed milk.
• Colada: a larger serving of cafecito served with a stack of tiny cups, meant to be shared with friends or coworkers.
• Café con leche: espresso with plenty of steamed milk — the Cuban breakfast coffee, classically taken with a buttery tostada.

The milkier drinks

• Cappuccino: roughly equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam.
• Latte: espresso with a lot of steamed milk and a little foam — the mildest, milkiest of the bunch.
• Mocha: a latte with chocolate.

Brewed and cold

• Pour-over / filter: hot water poured slowly over ground coffee. Clean and tea-like — the best way to taste a single-origin bean.
• Cold brew: coffee steeped in cold water for many hours. Smooth, low-acid, and ideal for hot climates.
• Iced latte vs. cold brew: an iced latte is espresso and cold milk over ice; cold brew is its own slow-steeped concentrate. Both are great — they just taste different.

So what should I order?

If you want to taste a roaster's skill, get a cortado or a pour-over. If you want comfort, a latte or café con leche. And if you're in Miami and want to do it right, walk up to a ventanita and order a cafecito — or a colada to share.