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Are you think of branching out from your regular order at the local coffee shop but aren’t sure what the different drinks are? Help is at hand. I’m answering all of your coffee-related questions, starting with: What is a macchiato coffee?
What is a Macchiato Coffee?
These days, the term ‘macchiato’ has been adopted by so many different coffee-based drinks, it’s difficult to know which one is the “true” one. Let’s go through the different terms, one-by-one, and explain them all.
Sadly, the answer to this question is not exactly a simple one.
Macchiato Coffee Types:
Traditionally, there are two main types of this coffee beverage:
- Caffee macchiato, also known as espresso macchiato
- Latte macchiato
These days, a macchiato drink can be both hot and cold, and you can even order it flavoured, such as the very popular caramel macchiato.
What is a True Macchiato?
A “true” macchiato is generally used to describe a caffee macchiato/espresso macchiato.
This hot drink only contains two ingredients: one shot of espresso plus a small amount of dry, frothy milk foam. Most recipes recommend one or two teaspoons of milk and milk froth (together).
The little bit of milk wouldn’t always make a lot of difference to the colour or appearance of the drink (especially in a cup), so a waiter wouldn’t easily know the difference between a plain espresso and an espresso with a tiny splash of milk. The foam on the top – the marking – enabled a waiter to tell the difference between the two drinks with ease.
Macchiato is an Italian word. It means marked or stained.
A “true” macchiato is an espresso that has been marked or stained with a splash of milk.
What is a Latte Macchiato?
The latte version of the hot drink is the one that often comes in layers – a layer of milk, then a layer of espresso, then a layer of foam. There is much more milk and/or milk froth in a latte macchiato than a caffee (or true) macchiato.
If macchiato means marked or stained in Italian, then latte macchiato means marked or stained milk – which gives you some idea of the differences between the two types.
Caffee macchiato is marked espresso, and latte macchiato is marked milk.
Similar to a caffè latte, the latte macchiato focuses more on the steamed and frothy milk. A latte has more ‘fluid’ milk than foamy.
The coffee world is a confusing one, I know. I was just as confused as you were.
Where Does Macchiato Coffee Come From?
As you might’ve guessed, the macchiato coffee originates in Italy.
The word is Italian, and the drink is Italian.
Why is a Macchiato Layered?
A caffè macchiato is not served layered. There aren’t enough ingredients to layer the drink. The addition of frothy milk on the top is not usually enough to make a ‘layer’ as such. It is also usually served in a cup rather than a glass.
A latte macchiato is often served layered, on the other hand. It’s served in a glass, so you get the full benefit of the layers.
How Strong is a Macchiato?
If you’re looking for something that’s in-between a cappuccino and an espresso in terms of caffeine content, the caffè macchiato might just tick all the right boxes for you.
Are You Supposed to Mix a Macchiato?
The drink is served in layers, but that doesn’t mean you need to drink it that way. At the same time, you can totally drink it that way if that’s your preference.
I’m personally on the stir-it-all-together team. I always add sugar to coffee, so I wouldn’t get the benefits if I didn’t stir it all up. There’s nothing worse than the mouthful of sugar you get at the end of a drink when it all hasn’t been mixed properly.
Remember: A caffè macchiato is not usually layered, but a latte macchiato is.
Are Macchiato Coffees Sweet?
Unless you add sugar to your caffè macchiato, it will be bitter and strong instead of sweet.
There is only a tiny bit of milk, which doesn’t detract from or overwhelm the bold espresso flavour.
A latte macchiato will usually be a tad sweeter, because it contains more milk. Again, without added sugar or sweeteners, it’s still not going to be overly sweet.
Why is Starbucks Macchiato Different?
This is a very good question that no one knows the answer to. Starbucks changes well-known drinks fairly frequently, adding or removing ingredients so the drink looks far removed from the original.
In reality, Starbucks offers various twists on the latte macchiato rather than the original caffè macchiato. The three ‘macchiato’ drinks are named:
- Latte macchiato
- Caramel macchiato
- Iced caramel macchiato
They are all latte macchiato-based drinks.
Which is Stronger: Macchiato or Latte?
A macchiato contains a lot less milk than a latte, so it would be stronger.
In the base size, they both contain the same amount of espresso, but the abundance of milk in the latte dilutes it.
In terms of flavour, it will be less strong.
Which is Stronger: Macchiato or Mocha?
Again, at a base level, in a ‘regular’ size, these two drinks would be the same in terms of caffeine content – but the milk content, along with other ingredients, is what sets them apart.
Because of the chocolate syrup and milk in the mocha, the bold flavour of the espresso will be neutralised, so it will seem less strong.
