After seeing that basically all of you said I should make this the next blog post, here I am doing it. I strongly urge you all to try these types of drinks at an actual coffee shop and not Starbucks. I think the more you get into coffee, the more you’ll realize how bad Starbucks actually is. Yes they do have some good stuff, but it’s literally a fast food chain like cmon. Ok let’s get into it…

CLASSIC CUPS OF COFFEE

LATTE

• Iced lattes typically only come in a 16oz. They are made with a choice of syrup, or not, depending on your style, lots ice, your choice of milk, and a double shot of espresso.
• Hot lattes come in 12 or 16 oz. They include your choice of syrup, and your choice of a steamed milk. The key difference with a hot latte is that a 12 oz only has one shot of espresso, while a 16 oz has a double shot.
• When seaming the milk for a hot latte, it should be much creamier, allowing for the espresso and milk to easily mix together.

CAPPUCCINO

• Cappuccinos only come hot. They either come in an 8 oz or 12 oz, with your choice of syrup, and steamed milk of course.
• The key difference between a cappuccino and a latte is the espresso to milk ratio. In an 8 oz cappuccino, there’s only one shot of espresso, in a 12 oz there’s a double shot. So, when comparing this to a latte, there will be a stronger espresso taste because there’s a higher ratio of espresso to milk.
• Another big difference is that the steamed milk for a cappuccino should be much foamier, compared to the creaminess of a latte. You will honestly really only the taste the steamed milk difference if you go to a coffee shop that knows their sh*t.

AMERICANO

• I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person under the age of like 50 order this at the coffee shop I work at but I’ll include it just because it’s fun.
• An Americano can be made iced or hot. An iced one is typically a 16 oz and is made by filling the cup with ice, adding water, and pouring a double shot of espresso over top. Sounds disgusting right. I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy one of these. You can add a syrup or a splash of milk for some flavor though.
• Hot Americanos typically come in 12 or 16 oz. They are made with hot water. A 12 oz gets a single shot and a 16 gets a double.

COLD BREW

• A cold brew contains no espresso. It is a cold drink, as you can see in the literal name of it. It is made by steeping coffee in room temperature/cool water for a long a** time. You can of course add syrup and milk to a cold brew too for some flavor.
• When people try to say that you can just brew a hot coffee and put it over ice and call it cold brew don’t listen to them because they’re dead wrong. Hot coffee is made by steeping the coffee quickly with hot water. Cold brew is more caffeinated and has a stronger flavor.

SHOT IN THE DARK

• This is one of my favorite drinks, not for the taste, but solely because the name is really cool. If you’re looking for basically the most caffeinated thing to get, this one’s for you. A shot in the dark is made with a hot drip coffee and adding a shot of espresso, hence the name shot in the dark. Cool, isn’t it? It tastes like poison though I’m gonna be so honest.