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What do I order?

Figure out your tastes! Do you prefer sweet or bitter? Strong coffee flavor or light? Hot or iced?
Don't be intimidated... There's always your coffee-expert Professor Steinberg who goes up and recites the most complicated order you've ever heard. If you have no idea what a drink is, ask your friendly barista.
It takes time to figure out your favorite drink, and you don't have to stick to one! Head over to the "Quick Guide" page to get started.

Why is it important to understand coffee?

From impressing your friends to impressing your interviewer, there's plenty of reasons to briefly understand the different kinds of coffee. Others pick drinks based on caffeine content, to keep them awake and motivated through long workdays. Coffee is a part of your lifestyle. Understanding coffee is similar to knowing the most popular songs and movies. It has a cultural aspect!

Where does coffee come from?

Coffee is a result of ground coffee beans. These coffee beans were native to tropical Africa, and Madagascar, and various parts near the Indian Ocean. Since then, it has been imported to many parts of the Americas and South Americas for optimal production.

Can coffee cause allergic reactions?

Common ingredients in certain drinks are soy, cream, and milk. Make sure to watch out for these. Coffee itself is not a tree nut, but it is often packaged/seasoned without tree nuts and in some cases can causes allergies. If you are lactose intolerant, you can ask for soy or almond substitutes in place of milk for many drinks.

Does coffee affect your health?

Coffee is a stimulant. Research debates whether there are long-term benefits or harms of coffee. The media loves to tote a correlation between coffee and various big diseases (cancer, AIDS, heart disease, etc) but in reality there are few conclusive studies. Correlation is not causation! However, there is a general conclusion that coffee is safe to drink (but remember, everything in moderation!)

How do baristas make pretty designs in my coffee?

What you are seeing is probably known as latte art! It comes with a lot of experience. It involves the height and speed of pouring steamed milk into coffee. Heart and leaf shapes are often made this way. More intricate parts of designs are often "etched" with a tool after pouring.

What is the chemical formula for caffeine?

1,3,7-Trimethylpurine-2,6-dione is a slightly acidic, white crystalline purine:

what's in my cup?

Just 1 shot espresso

Espresso

1 cup filtered coffee

Iced Coffee

1 shot espresso
1/2 milk
1/4 milk foam

Cafe Latte

2 shots espresso
1/4 milk
1/4 milk foam

Cappucino

1 shot espresso
2/3 hot water

Americano

1 shot espresso with milk foam

Cafe Macchiato

1/6 filtered coffee
3/6 ice cubes and sugar water
2/6 coffee foam

Frappucino

1/4 espresso
1/4 chocolate
1/4 milk
1/4 whipped cream

Cafe Mocha

1/2 espresso
1/4 half and half
1/4 milk foam

Cafe Breva

2 shots espresso
1/2 whipped cream

Vienna Coffee

1 shot espresso
1 scoop ice cream

Affogato

2 shots espresso
rest filled with milk

Flat White

1 shot espresso
3/4 hot water

Long Black

Name	Ingredients
Espresso	A shot of espresso is made by pressurizing water without finely ground coffee beans. Espresso is often used as a base for other drinks. It is a lot more concetrated than other brewing methods such as drip coffee.
Iced Coffee	Iced coffee generally does not contain an espresso shot. It can be drip brewed or brewed with other methods. Regardless, it is then chilled with ice and often diluted by iced water. Syrup, milk, and other sweeteners may be added before it is iced.
Cafe Latte	Probably one of the most common and popular drinks in modern culture, the Cafe Latte is made with a shot of espresso and steamed milk. Milk can also be replaced by soy or almond milk. This drink originiated in Italy and and later popularized in France.
Cappuccino	The cappuccino is traditionally prepared with two shots of espresso, milk, and milk foam. Generally it is smaller in volume than the latte and stronger in caffeine content. While the drink originiated in Italy, it became popular largely in Vietnam and spread from there, so many people consider the Vietnamese-style "Kapuziner" as the early cappuccino.
Americano	The Americano is a single or double shot of espresso, filled to a cup with hot water. The intention is to provide a similar strenghth to drip coffee, but with the much more concentrated taste of espresso. A popular but unproven belief is that it originated in WWII when American GI's would dilute espresso with hot water to match the coffee they were accustomed to at home.
Macchiato	The name "macchiato" in Italian means "spotted" or "stained." This drink has the largest espresso to milk ratio. Some macchiato drinks do not even have milk, but instead use a small touch of milk foam. This drink is good for those who enjoy the strong flavor of coffee and enjoy milk or milk foam as a topping rather than a base.
Frappucino	The frappucino is more of a product of modernization and pop culture than most other drinks you will encounter. Largely associated with Starbucks, they contain low coffee content infused with whipped cream, syrup, ice, and various flavors (strawberry, caramel, chocolate, etc). It is a blended cold beverage with a similar texture to smoothies.
Cafe Mocha	Originally a kind of latte, the cafe mocha was made for those with more of a sweet tooth. In addition to a shot of espresso, milk foam, and milk, chocolate or chocolate syrup is added. Marshmellows are also a popular decoration, similar to hot chocolate.
Cafe Breva	The Cafe Breva is often categorized as a kind of cappucino. It contains same ingredients, however, with half-and-half instead of whole milk. This drink deserves its own name because half-and-half is much more difficult to foam than milk, and thus more difficult to prepare.
Vienna Coffee	Vienna Coffee is a fancy drink that when broken down, is just espresso and whipped cream. It provides a lighter and creamier taste than lattes, which use milk. The whipped cream is often decorated with chocolate sprinkles, caramel, or syrups.
Affogado	The Affogato has become more of a desert than a beverage. Hot espresso is topped with a scoop of cold gelato or ice cream. Other toppings such as chocolate, cherries, and various ice cream toppings are popular with this drink.
Flat White	Another similar drink to the caffe latte, it is a smaller volune and has a larger proportion of coffee to milk. This allows for espresso to dominate the flavor. It is named after thin layer of milk foam having a 'flat' texture, in contrast with the thick milk foam in cappucinos.
Long Black	While not super popular in the United States, the Long Black is common in New Zealand and Australia. It is simply espresso with hot water, resulting in a dilution of the espresso but not altering the taste with other additions. The Long Black is more concentrated than the Americano.

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