Coffee Macchiato: features, types and recipes

In the world there are a huge number of types of coffee. Sometimes a true professional and a gourmet can distinguish one from another. Macchiato is not as common as the same espresso or latte.Let's take a closer look at this amazing and fragrant drink.

Like some other types of coffee, this drink comes from Italy. Some compare it with the famous latte, but there are still some differences that make it a unique look.

It is prepared on the basis of espresso and foamed milk. This idea was brought to life in order to allow children to enjoy the mild taste of coffee. A small amount of caffeine, layered structure and milk in the composition came to taste young connoisseurs. Very soon, the macchiato began its triumphant march through Central and Western Europe.

An interesting fact is that no one specifically sat and did not invent this type of coffee. His majesty opened this delicious drink to the world with its bewitching soft transitions in layers and coffee splashes on the skin. And it happened so. Sitting at a table in Italy, the guest ordered coffee with milk. The barista was not informed of the details of the order, and he simply decided to add a portion of espresso to the frothy milk.

Do not be a guest so observant, maybe this view would not have become an independent unit. But the guest, seeing a cup of coffee, cried out: “Macchiato! "In translation, this means nothing more than" spotted. " Indeed, small patches of poured coffee formed on the milk froth. The very same drink turned out layered: at the bottom of the milk, then coffee, and on top - a cap of milk froth with splashes.

Actually, this type of coffee is made special by soft transitions from layer to layer and specks on milk foam. It is easy to see the similarities with the famous latte, but nonetheless connoisseurs say that such a drink has its own character.

As for the caffeine content, in the classic recipe it is relatively small, since one portion of milk accounts for a portion of coffee. But modern Italians believe that the drink should be stronger, because their traditional proportion looks like 2 to 1 (the ratio of coffee and milk). This makes coffee a truly masculine drink. As for the coffee bean varieties, the arabica, known to everybody, is used here in its pure form or with a slight addition of robusta.

Despite the fact that the macchiato itself is not made from any unique sort of coffee and does not have a unique method of preparation, even with time it has its own subspecies and variations. As a result of experiments with proportions and additional ingredients, such subtypes as latte macchiato or caramel macchiato appeared on the light. Let us examine the most famous of them.

• Latte Macchiato The drink has a milder taste by adding three servings of milk per serving of coffee.

• Macchiato Fredo. In cooking macchiato, not only the ingredients themselves are important, but also their temperature. For example, an exceptionally cold frothy milk is added to this type.

• Macchiato Kaldo. Unlike the previous recipe, it uses exclusively heated milk. Actually, both of them are classic macchiato. Divided them into two only to ensure that the barista knew exactly what milk to add temperature.

• Caramel macchiato. If you have time and desire, you can try to make this alluring drink with your sweetness and aroma at home: put on fire 100 ml of water and dissolve 50 g sugar in it. It should turn out caramel liquid mass. Add just a little vanilla extract, heat the milk, whisk it well and fill the mug by about two thirds. Next, pour the caramel syrup and pour in espresso with a small spoon.

Macchiato can not be called a high-calorie drink, because with the classic cooking recipe it contains 54 kcal per 100 ml of drink. However, if you add sugar or other sweets to it, the calorie content will certainly increase. In this embodiment, it is not recommended to use for people who watch their figure.

In Italy, this drink is traditionally preferred to drink in the morning. I must say that in any cooking option it is not recommended to exceed the daily serving of five mugs, since, although there is a lot of milk in it, the basis is still quite strong espresso.

We have already reviewed the method of cooking caramel macchiato. But what rules should be observed in order to see a real macchiato in your circle, we will find out right now. First of all, make sure that you have 6% fat milk in your fridge. However, you can use less fat, but in the classic recipe it is used it. You will also need ground coffee (4 tsp.).

The cooking steps are as follows:

1. Put milk on the stove (150 ml) and heat it to 70-80 degrees. Keep in mind that if it overheats, then it will be difficult to achieve the foam we need. If you like sweet coffee, then sugar must be added at this stage. All this is done in order not to disturb the layers that will be in the end.
2. If you have coffee beans, grind it well - the smaller, the better. Pour coffee into the Turk and add 100 ml of water. It is impossible to move away from the stove because it is important not to overlook the initial boiling stage. If the foam rises in the Turk, the drink may start to taste bitter.
3. While the coffee is settling, let's do some milk. Manually to achieve a thick foam will be extremely difficult, so we use a mixer or blender. Mug fill the milk about 40%. It is important to leave the foam in order to subsequently decorate our drink with it.
4. The next layer will be coffee. In order to achieve a soft gradient between the layers, the espresso must be much hotter than milk. You can pour it with a spoon or gently adding to the center of the cup.
5. The final stage will be laying out the froth cap. For decoration, you can sprinkle our piece of cocoa or grated chocolate.

Any coffee with milk is not recommended to be taken after a hearty meal, since such a combination slows digestion. As already mentioned, the Italians prefer macchiato at breakfast. The ideal time for this would be a break between an early breakfast and lunch.

Such a delicious and aromatic drink will be an excellent accompaniment to a sweet dessert. Agree, it will be difficult to resist such a temptation, but do not get carried away, as this may adversely affect the figure.

They serve the drink in a glass goblet so that guests can enjoy not only its taste, but also its beautiful appearance. A straw is attached to the glass through which it is proposed to drink the drink. It is also acceptable to feed in the amount of 250-300 ml with a long spoon.

For information on how to make caramel macchiato, see the next video.