know your cuppa...

This one’s for those who have a passionate love affair with coffee … myself included. I can’t help but have a love for them and their aroma, the texture of the beans, the smell of freshly ground coffee powder. It’s not so much the caffeine of the coffee but it’s the taste and I think if you’re passionate enough about something you would take time to get to know it like coffee.

Espresso is just the beginning of anyone’s love affair with coffee. It serves as base for a whole variety of coffee but the coffee’s presence is even wider than that .. anyways here is a coffee glossary for us who frequent coffee places and wonder what the heck is that on the menu …

Coffee Glossary

by Deb Donovan

Ordering a cup of coffee in today's coffee houses and restaurants can be a confusing undertaking. Here's a guide to your choices. (Hint: most specialty coffee drinks are based on espresso -- a rich, flavorful brew.)

Cappuccino:

Espresso topped with equal parts foamed and steamed milk.

Cafe Americano:

American drip coffee--Italian style. Made from equal portions of espresso and boiling water. This results in a stronger version of brewed coffee.

Cafe au lait:

This traditionally French drink is made with equal parts of brewed coffee and steamed milk.

Cafe breve:

This is a milk-based espresso where half-and-half is used instead of milk.

Cafe con leche:

1.5 ounces of espresso with steamed milk to fill an eight-ounce cup.

Cafe con panna:

Espresso topped with whipped cream.

Cafe corretto:

Espresso with a shot of brandy, cognac, or liqueur.

Cafe creme:

1.5 ounces of espresso combined with one ounce of heavy cream.

Cafe doppio:

A double shot of espresso with one shot of hot water.

Cafe freddo:

Chilled espresso served in a glass, often iced.

Cafe latte:

1.5 ounces of espresso in a six-ounce cup filled to top with steamed milk, forming a dense drink. This may be topped with foamed milk. • Cafe latte macchiato: A glass of hot milk, with a teaspoon of espresso.

Cafe Latteccino:

Espresso with two parts of steamed milk and one part foamed milk.

Cafe lungo:

A long espresso made by adding boiling water to a 1.5 ounces espresso. (The same as an Americano.)

Cafe macchiato:

1.5 ounces of espresso in a demitasse, topped with a dollop of foamed milk. (Macchiato means marked in Italian.)

Cafe mocha:

Espresso, chocolate syrup, and steamed milk, often topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. (Like a latte with chocolate.)

Cafe ristretto:

This is highly concentrated espresso (3/4 to one ounce of water used for extraction), resulting in a denser, and more aromatic espresso.

Cafe romano:

Regular espresso, served with a twist of lemon or lemon peel.

Here's a simple, make-at-home, recipe idea:

Low-Fat Frapp

4 cups ice

1 1/2cups skim milk

1 cup strong coffee

In a blender, crush ice cubes and then add milk, coffee and process until smooth. Sweeten with sugar or low-fat sweetener to taste.

Source: http://food.ivillage.com/drinks/coffee/0,,fv-1,00.html

I think I went to coffee heaven and back reading through the list. Café Romano really surprised me because of the use of lemon in it. I never thought lemon would be good in coffee. With tea it’s amazing but coffee now that’s new. And as for Café Americano I think its also known as long black. I remembered my days of a Grande triple shot Americano. It was pretty strong stuff and it kept awake during lectures. What truly amazes me is how additions of milk or half and half or just good ole hot water changes the strength the texture and the taste of the drink.

My coffee of choice these days is a double tall soy latte seeing milk makes me sick thanks to the lactose. I wonder if they have a name for that – soy latte that is. Reading about coffee brings me back to my days when I worked as a barista and we would create our own blend of coffee which wasn’t on the menu. My all time favorite was the Irish cream vanilla latte. It was amazing *drools*. It’s basically espresso shots, with vanilla powder and Irish cream syrup. I added only a touch of milk and use water to complete the drink.. Another way of doing this was using freshly brewed Irish cream infused coffee and to that you add the vanilla powder and milk. The smell of the Irish cream mixed with the vanilla powder and espresso shots or Irish cream infused coffee can really get the senses going. It’s possible to make it at home and trust me its good a definite must try.

Experience the world of coffee in its entire splendor with the coffee glossary. Visit a different coffee house everyday and see what they have its amazing what you can discover..