A cortado is gone in a few sips. It's strong enough that you taste the coffee and soft enough, with its splash of warm milk, to drink without wincing, and that makes it good with food. Most of the places where people drink one have a pastry they reach for at the same moment. There's some logic to the pairings. Butter and milk soften coffee's bitterness, which is why a flaky, … [Read more...] about What to Eat With a Cortado: Pairings From Pastel de Nata to Palmeras
Spain
Why Cafés Serve Coffee in Glass: From the Gibraltar Tumbler to the Galão
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Order a cortado in a Spanish bar and there's a fair chance it arrives in a small glass, too hot to hold anywhere but the rim. Order a galão in Lisbon and it always comes in a tall one. Glass is an odd choice for a hot drink when you think about it. It gets hot to hold and it shows every drip. Yet plenty of coffee cultures … [Read more...] about Why Cafés Serve Coffee in Glass: From the Gibraltar Tumbler to the Galão
Light vs Dark Roast: How Roasting Changes the Bean, and Which Roast Suits Milk Drinks
At a market stall that sells coffee by weight, two baskets sit side by side under handwritten signs: Colombia Light and Colombia Dark. The beans came from the same country, maybe from the same farm. The only difference is how long they spent in a roaster, and that's enough to make them taste like two different coffees. Roasting turns green coffee, which smells grassy and makes … [Read more...] about Light vs Dark Roast: How Roasting Changes the Bean, and Which Roast Suits Milk Drinks
How to Order Coffee in Spain: Solo, Cortado, Manchado and the Canary Islands Barraquito
Spanish bars run on a short list of coffee words. Learn a handful and you can get exactly the cup you want in any bar from A Coruña to Cádiz. The cortado sits between the black coffee and the milky breakfast one, and it's what a lot of people order after lunch. The Basic Words Un solo: an espresso, black. Un cortado: an espresso cut with a little warm milk, in a small cup … [Read more...] about How to Order Coffee in Spain: Solo, Cortado, Manchado and the Canary Islands Barraquito
Málaga Coffee Names: Nine Ways to Order Espresso and Milk, From Solo to Nube
You can order a cortado in Málaga and get one. Locals usually reach for their own words, though. The city has its own scale for coffee with milk, nine names that run from all coffee to barely any, and once you've learned it you can dial in the exact glass you want. The Scale Each name describes how much coffee goes into the glass, with milk making up the rest. The proportions … [Read more...] about Málaga Coffee Names: Nine Ways to Order Espresso and Milk, From Solo to Nube
What Is a Cortado: Espresso and Warm Milk in Roughly Equal Parts
A cortado is a shot of espresso cut with about the same amount of warm milk. That's the drink. It comes in a small glass or cup, usually around 4 ounces (120 ml or so), and it tastes of coffee first and milk second. The name is Spanish. Cortar means to cut, and cortado means cut: the milk cuts the espresso, softening its acidity and bitterness without burying it. In Spain it's … [Read more...] about What Is a Cortado: Espresso and Warm Milk in Roughly Equal Parts