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What is a cortado coffee? All about this smooth, velvety drink

Everything you ever wanted to know about cortado coffee

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Said to have originated in the Basque region of Spain, the cortado is gaining popularity across coffee shops worldwide. This Spanish coffee beverage is a simple beverage made of warm espresso and steamed milk, creating a velvety, smooth espresso drink to sip on at any time of the day. But what exactly is a cortado, and how does it compare to other espresso beverages? We break it down below.

What is a cortado coffee?

espresso cup
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A cortado is a warm espresso drink that is made with equal parts warm, steamed milk and espresso. The 1:1 ratio makes this drink smooth and velvety, but it does not contain the milk foam that is found in other Italian espresso drinks. Adding steamed milk on top of the freshly brewed espresso helps to counteract the acidity of the espresso.

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Understanding what’s in a cortado

With many espresso beverages on the board, it’s fairly easy to get your espresso drinks mixed up since they all have many similarities. Here’s what you need to know about the cortado.

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Is cortado the same as flat white?

A cortado and a flat white are not the same. The cortado is smaller in size than a flat white and also has a stronger taste. This is because a cortado has equal parts espresso to steamed milk, whereas a flat white has a ratio of 1 to 2-3 ratio of espresso to steamed milk. Additionally, the cortado has little to no milk foam, whereas the flat white has a larger amount of foam. This is why the flat white has a thicker, creamier consistency to it.

Is a cortado one or two shots?

A cortado is typically made with two shots of espresso (about two ounces), also known as a double-shot espresso. Considering the average espresso shot contains about 64 milligrams of caffeine, you can expect a cortado to contain about 128 milligrams of caffeine. However, this can vary depending on the type of espresso shots used in the cortado drink.

What is a cortado at Starbucks?

The cortado hasn’t quite yet made it to Starbucks’ menu in the U.S., but you can order this new coffee drink if you happen to find yourself at a Starbucks in the U.K. Starbucks makes their cortado with two shots of ristretto espresso, topped with warm, silky milk and served in a 6-ounce cup. We hope the cortado hits U.S. Starbucks soon.

Cortado vs. macchiato

macchiato
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In addition to the flat white, a cortado is also sometimes compared to the macchiato. A macchiato is made with the same amount of espresso (two shots), however, the macchiato uses less milk than a cortado. It is also smaller than that cortado which is why a macchiato may have a more bitter taste. The milk used in a cortado is steamed, but it doesn’t have the foamy bubbles as it does in a macchiato.

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Emily Caldwell
Emily Caldwell
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Emily is an accomplished freelance journalist with over seven years of experience in food, beverage, health, fitness, and…
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