Italian coffee, made properly at home
Espresso, ristretto, moka, cappuccino, marocchino, shakerato and bicerin. The Italian bar menu, with the ratios and the mistakes that ruin each one.
Espresso
18 g in, 36 g out, about 28 seconds
Everything else on this list is espresso plus something. Get this dialled and eleven other drinks fix themselves.
Ristretto
Same dose, half the water, twice the body
Restricted, not just short. You stop the shot before the thin, bitter tail arrives.
Lungo
A long pull, not a watered-down shot
The lungo runs longer through the same puck. That is the whole difference from an americano, and it tastes like it.
Caffè con la moka
The kitchen-stove classic, done without the burnt note
Nearly every Italian home coffee is a moka. Most are ruined by the same two habits: cold water and a roaring flame.
Caffè macchiato
Espresso stained with milk — nothing more
Macchiato means stained. One spoon of foam, in an espresso cup. If it comes in a tall glass with caramel, that is a different drink.
Cappuccino
Thirds: espresso, milk, foam
A 150–180 ml cup, drunk before 11am, and never with a meal. The texture target is wet paint, not bubble bath.
Caffè latte
Milk-led, thin foam, big cup
Order a latte in Italy and you get a glass of milk. Say caffè latte. Roughly 1 cm of foam, the rest is silky milk.
Latte macchiato
Milk stained with coffee — the layered one
The reverse of a caffè macchiato and the reason people confuse the two. Milk goes in first, the espresso falls through it.
Marocchino
Cocoa, espresso, foam, cocoa again
A tiny layered glass invented in Piedmont and named after a leather colour. Ten minutes of effort, no chocolate syrup involved.
Caffè shakerato
Shaken espresso with a thick foam head
The Italian answer to iced coffee, and still the most impressive thing you can make in 30 seconds. The head is pure crema whipped into the shake.
Affogato al caffè
Drowned gelato — dessert in 20 seconds
The one recipe where a slightly over-extracted shot is fine, because sugar and fat forgive everything.
Bicerin
Chocolate, espresso and cream in three layers you never stir
Poured in Turin since the 1700s in a small handled glass — bicerin means little glass. The whole point is that it stays layered and you drink down through it.
Espresso romano
Espresso with a strip of lemon peel
Divisive and almost free. The oils in the peel lift the perceived acidity and cut through a dark roast.
Caffè al ginseng
Sweet, creamy, faintly herbal
Everywhere in Italian bars since the 2000s. The commercial mixes are mostly sugar and cream powder — this version is closer to the idea.
Crema di caffè
Frozen whipped coffee cream, eaten with a spoon
The thing sold from a chilled tap at every Italian beach bar in August. It is three ingredients and a freezer.
Caffè americano
Espresso lengthened with hot water — water in the cup first
Not a weak espresso. It is the same shot sitting in more water, which is why a good americano needs a good shot underneath it.