In the world of coffee, there’s almost an endless list of how the drinks can be prepared. But, most drinks rely on certain brew preparations as the basis for their drinks. Take a look at these most popular ways to brew coffee.
| Drink Type | Description | Common Method of Preparation |
| Espresso | Purest form of coffee | Water is forced through the coffee either by steam pressure or pump pressure in shot form. Shots of espresso are the most common form of brewed coffee that is used as a coffee drink base. |
| Long Espresso | Watered down espresso | An espresso shot is prepared, then 30-40 ml’s of boiling water is added. This is also referred to as an ‘Americano’. |
| Double Espresso | Brewed under Pressure. Pure form of coffee double strength and volume. | In making a true double espresso, the trick is using double the amount of espresso as usual and no more than 120ml of water. |
| Ristretto | Short espresso | A short espresso, or Italian, is between 25 and 35ml, and uses a shorter extraction time (as compared to a standard espresso) so as to leave most of the coffee flavor in tact. |
| Cappuccino | Purist form of coffee with frothed milk | A very popular form of brewed coffee that involves brewed espresso and then a topping of frothed milk. This is the type of drink that has attracted a lot of press with the latté art movement. |
| Caffe latté | This is an American take on the Cappuccino | This method uses more milk than a cappuccino. Milk is added first, then espresso, then it’s topped with milk froth. |
| Macchiato | Espresso with froth | Froth some milk, prepare an espresso then add the milk froth only on top of the espresso. |
| Café au lait | Coffee with milk | Equal parts milk and coffee are used in this drink preperation. |
| Black / Filter Coffee | Typically served in a mug | Often referred to as an ‘overly extracted long espresso’, this type of coffee is the most commonly home brewed drink. Beans are ground medium, added to a filter in a drip filter coffee machine, and then hot water is slowly dripped through the ground coffee. The taste can be bitter, and is often referred to as ‘strong coffee’. Can be drink black or with milk added and sugar. |