What is a cortado? It is a delicious, smaller coffee that is delightful on any occasion. You don’t want a big mug of black coffee? Fine. Not a full-size latte? Or a cappuccino? Cortado is the way to go. Served in a glass, yes, a glass, it is properly 2 shots of espresso to 1-2 ounces steamed milk. Basically a mini-latte. Awesome!
Not frothed milk, that would be a macchiato; steamed, and with just that li’l bit of texture that makes everything better. Seriously, everything is more satisfying with the addition of steamed milk.
See, it has to be in a glass because that’s what the cortado is named after. You put it in a demitasse? Wrong! Glass. I have been making them for years in this little guy from Bodum and it is the perfect size. And double-walled so it’s insulated too! Engineering!
Another way of looking at it is cortado is Spanish, while the macchiato is Italian. Geography!
You gotta get the milk just right or it turns out to be a flat white or a macchiato. Both are nice in their own way, but there’s just something transcendent about the cortado. It might just be my go-to drink of choice. Sometimes I’ll break out the super-cool NotNeutral cup (read about it here), and then NOPE! put it back on top of the espresso machine where all cups live and stay nice and toasty, and pull out the Bodum cup and cortado it up. Just remarkable.
“Whoa whoa whoa, WHAT is a flat white?” Nutshell? Basically a cortado, except the milk is more “velvety” and it’s served in a regular cup. Oh, and a macchiato is a mini-cappuccino. Served in a demitasse, with a dollop of foam atop 2 shots of espresso.
We all have our preferences and desires when it comes to coffee. Mebbe you like a lighter-weight foam that always gives you a milk-mustache? Cappuccino. Or you might like a straight-up doppio (2 shots). Yum! Really, as long as you gotta coffee in your hand, you’re doing alright.
But I’ll definitely stick with the cortado. ‘Nuff said.