If you need a cup of coffee in the morning to wake you up, you may be someone who stumbles into a café in the morning and orders the same drink every time. But what about branching out and trying something new? It just may surprise you.
Below are 6 coffee orders you can try that are not a latte or a black coffee.
1. A flat white
Let’s start with something that still resembles a latte: a flat white. A flat white consists of espresso and milk, but it has a higher proportion of espresso than milk compared to a standard latte. While a latte is served with steamed milk and an additional layer of micro-foam, a flat white is served only by a very thin layer of steamed milk at the top. This makes the drink stronger, more aromatic, and richer. If your daily lattes are not cutting it anymore, you may find it interesting to switch to a flat white.
2. A cortado
Another popular but not quite mainstream coffee order is a cortado. The cortado is a much smaller drink and comes in a short-sized cup, and it is creamy and concentrated. In many ways, it is like a latte – it contains espresso and milk. However, the ratio of espresso to milk is about one to one. The small volume served each time (around 4 oz) also allows the espresso to shine through. Depending on the coffee bean used, it can be a strong and aromatic drink without filling up your bladder within thirty minutes of getting to work.
3. Your Go-To Coffee: A Macchiato
A macchiato – sometimes called an espresso macchiato – is another kind of coffee that is a mix of espresso and milk. In Italian, ‘macchiato’ means stained or spotted, and the literal translation of an espresso macchiato is stained coffee. In other words, it is brewed black coffee with a dash of milk, and it is typically served in a smaller glass or mug.
4. Add Some Awesomeness: An Espresso & Tonic
Perhaps not the best choice for a weekday pick-me-up, but an espresso & tonic is another alternative to a regular latte. It is made with a double shot of espresso in tonic water with ice. This drink can certainly wake you up in the morning, but if you are a staunch latte drinker, you may have to build yourself up to it, because of how different from the creamy drink you are used to having. This one packs a punch, and the sweetness of the tonic water really brings out the bitterness of the espresso. It is also a bubbly drink, which makes it stand out from the rest of the lineup.
5. Underrated Coffee Selection- A Cold Brew
A cold brew may look like an iced black coffee, but it is not the same. Iced black coffee is made by brewing coffee and chilling it with ice cubes. A cold brew, on the other hand, is made from steeping ground coffee in room temperature water for up to 20 hours and then further chilled with ice cubes. A cold brew is typically much stronger than a regular iced black coffee, as it has almost double the concentration of caffeine.
If you are not one to stomach black coffee, you can also add a dash of milk to decrease the bitterness of the taste and lower the coffee’s acidity. Alternatively, you can add a splash of sweetened cream and mix it well with the drink.
6. Underrated Coffee Selection – A Café Con Miel
A café con miel is Spanish, and it means a coffee with honey. (In French, it is called a Café Miel.) In other words, this is a cup of freshly brewed coffee with milk, honey, and vanilla extract. This is also a close match to a regular latte. However, it is slightly sweeter. To spice things up further, it is usually prepared with a generous helping of cinnamon and ground nutmeg. It is a perfectly Autumnal drink, but it can be enjoyed all year round. It is also great when paired with dessert.
Bonus: A Hot Chocolate
If you are not a caffeine lover and you have it this far into the article, we recommend a cup of hot chocolate for you to enjoy. If you have been swayed by some of the orders on the list and want to dive into this world, you can take your first step with a mocha – a chocolate-flavored cocoa bean that can ease you gently into the bitterness.