Your daily stop at the coffee shop on the way to work presents you with a myriad of choices. The menu board screams for your attention as you try to sort out just what you want. You can choose coffee, espresso, cappuccino or your favorite latte. But more often than not, you find yourself wondering what the differences are between them.

The retail coffee industry has become unnecessarily complicated due to a lack of information about the different kinds of coffee drinks. In an effort to make it as simple as possible, here’s a brief rundown. Our explanations are intended only to be a generic guide; we may differ from other companies in the coffee industry in terms of the details.

Coffee

The term ‘coffee’ is generally a generic term that covers any hot beverage made with roasted coffee beans. However, the term is a bit more specific here in America. Our ‘American coffee’ tends to be a beverage created with Arabica coffee and extremely hot water.

Roasted coffee is placed in some sort of basket over which hot water is poured for the purposes of extracting the oil in the roasted beans. Coffee can also be cold brewed or made with a French press. Americans tend to drink this standard form of coffee with cream and sweetener added.

Espresso

Espresso drinks can be made with the same roasted coffee products American coffee is made with. The primary difference is the concentration. To make espresso properly, ground coffee must be compacted tightly into its receptacle before hot water is forced through. This brewing method increases the strength and flavor significantly. As a result, a good espresso tends to be made with higher quality coffee beans. The flavor of inferior coffee is hard to hide in an espresso drink.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is a beverage that is made with a combination of espresso and milk. Milk is steamed in order to create a frothy liquid with about twice the volume of regular milk. This creates the foam cappuccino beverages are known for. Also important to note is that cappuccino begins with equal portions of espresso and milk. This preserves the flavor of the coffee to a greater degree than a standard latte.

Latte

Latte is also a beverage made with espresso and milk. Its unique characteristic is that it starts with twice as much milk. The milk is heated but not frothed, so latte drinks don’t tend to be as foamy. Both milk and espresso are combined simultaneously in a serving cup to create a rich and creamy beverage. Any excess foam resulting from heating the milk may be poured over the top of the latte for artistic effect.

Now you know the differences between coffee, espresso, cappuccino and latte. If you are interested in coffee and beverage service for your office, please feel free to contact Galaxie Coffee. We provide a full range of coffee and tea products along with fruit juices and other beverages.