Over 160 million 60kg bags of coffee are consumed worldwide, each year. That’s a lot of coffee! But have you ever wondered about all the wonderful ways to enjoy it, let alone the different types of coffee that go into your coffee? Read on for a comprehensive introduction to the different types of coffee drinks to help you start the day with a bang.
Different Types of Coffee Bean
Before we take a closer look at the many different types of coffee drinks that can be made, we should probably take a look at the different types of coffee that can go into them. Although there are a number of different types of coffee plants, the chances are your coffees are made from Arabica or Robusta beans.
Arabica
The Arabica coffee bean makes up about 60% of the world’s coffee production. They’re easy to care for and quite small, which makes them easy to harvest. Arabica is the mildest of coffee beans, but a plant’s caffeine content is what actually protects it against disease.
The Arabica bean is best used for hot coffee drinks, preferably ones that don’t involve creamer. Try these pour over coffee tips to get the best out of your Arabica coffee.
Robusta
As the name suggests, Robusta beans are higher in caffeine content and almost immune to the disease. Robusta beans are frequently associated with chocolate undertones and are best used by sugar and cream lovers as the bean coffee won’t lose its flavor when served cold or with milk and sugar.
A Complete Guide to the Different Types of Coffee Drinks
Now you know the two main types of coffee beans that are going into your coffee lets take a closer at exactly what you can do with them. From Americano to Affogato, Flat White to Ristretto, here are some of the most popular coffee drinks served nationwide.
Cafe Noir
It doesn’t get any simpler than black coffee. Cafe Noir is ground coffee beans steeped in water. While the concept is a straightforward one, there are a number of different methods that result in a black coffee. Here are the most popular
Espresso
The espresso is synonymous with Italy. It is a single shot of coffee that is made by forcing steam through ground coffee beans. It’s a small amount of coffee, but it wields a high caffeine content. The espresso is frequently used as the caffeine base of other coffee drinks.
Ristretto
A ristretto is also an espresso shot, but with half the water. This results in a more concentrated drink with a less bitter flavor than the espresso.
Doppio
Doppio is the Italian word for ‘double’. A Doppio is just a double shot of espresso made by passing the steam through a double spout.
Americano
The Americano is a shot of espresso with hot water poured over the top of it. This dilutes the bitterness and strength of the espresso-making a larger cup of coffee with the same caffeine content.
Long Black
A long black is essentially just a strong Americano. It’s made by adding hot water to either two shots of Espresso or Ristretto.
Immersion Coffee
It might sound fancy, but you’ll no doubt recognize immersion coffee as the coffee made using a French press. It usually uses courser grounds of coffee and they are left in hot water for up to five minutes before being filtered out leaving you with straight-up black coffee.
Drip Coffee
Drip coffee takes a little longer than a regular espresso, but the result is stronger coffee. Boiling water is slowly dripped over the ground coffee before it passes through a filter and into the coffee pot.
Pour Over Coffee
Pour-over coffee has become increasingly popular for those on the move who need a good cup of coffee. It involves coffee beans in a filter. You then pour water over the coffee and it filters through straight into the mug.
Aero Press Coffee
The AeroPress was another genius invention for coffee lovers on the go. The AeroPress is a unique device that allows you to steep the coffee within an airtight tube, once it has finished brewing you push the tube much like you’d administer an injection and the coffee is forced through a metallic filter into the cup.
Milk-Based Coffee
Not everyone is a fan of the straight-up bitter notes of black coffee. There are a number of milk-based coffee drinks favored by baristas because of the opportunity for them to add a little flair to their foamed-milk creations.
Latte
The Latte is the milkiest of the milky. It is an espresso shot with a lot of milk and then foamed milk on top. The Latte gave rise to Latte art and saw baristas competing for the most beautiful foamed-milk creations. Due to the amount of milk, it is often served in a tall glass.
Cappucino
A cappuccino is equal parts espresso, foamed milk, and steamed milk. Think of it as a stronger, less milky latte. There are a number of different types of cappuccino including iced, dry (made with less milk), and wet (made with more hot milk and less foamed milk).
Flat White
A flat white stands somewhere in between a Latte and a Cappucino although it’s usually made stronger by using two shots of Espresso or Ristretto. It has become a hugely popular coffee choice over the last decade.
Macchiato
A Macchiato is an espresso with the edge taken off! Traditionally it is just an espresso shot with a tiny bit of steamed milk, but recently people have started ordering it ‘topped up’ with foamed milk making a tiny flat white.
The Weird and the Wonderful
In addition to the coffees listed, there are a number of coffees that have crept up from around the world that offer a very unique spin on coffee. Let’s take a look at three of them
Bulletproof Coffee
Bulletproof coffee became a star in the fitness world as a pre-workout drink. It is brewed coffee that is blended with coconut oil and unsalted butter. The butter supplies healthy fats whilst the coconut oil adds energizing ketones to your morning coffee.
Affogato
The Affogato is a special coffee from Italy. It involves a scoop of gelato (ice cream) placed in a cold glass beaker and then a hot shot of espresso is slowly poured over it.
Kopi Luwak
Last and probably least is the Kopi Luwak, and its certainly not for everyone! The Asian Palm Civet is quite closely related to the weasel. This animal eats the coffee cherries, and they become fermented when they pass through the civet’s intestines. Once defecated they are collected, bagged, and sold to you for up to $80 a cup.
Get Your Brew On
This is only the beginning of your coffee journey. Coffee is such a huge part of cultures all over the world, and as a result, there are so many different types of coffee drinks out there for you to discover. Whether you like your coffee cold, hot, black, white, sweet, or straight from the inside of a weasel-like animal, hopefully, we’ve offered you some new ways to start your day.
Be sure to take a look at the rest of our site for more food and culinary insights.
