A Guide to 10 Uncommon Coffee Drinks

Lattes, espressos, cappuccinos - by now, most people who drink coffee know basic coffee drinks. Even if they don't know the technical differences between certain drinks, they've at least heard of them. Still, there's a good chance that daily coffee drinkers haven't heard of all coffee drinks. A red eye, a long black, a breve - do you know what these are? Test your knowledge and see if you recognize any of these less common coffee drinks!

1. Macchiato

There's a good chance you've heard of a caramel macchiato, but do you know what it is? A macchiato is an espresso coffee drink with a small amount of milk, usually foamed. In Italian, macchiato means "stained" or "spotted" so the literal translation of caffè macchiato is "stained” or “marked coffee.”

Ratio: 1 shot of espresso + 1 to 2 teaspoons of steamed milk
Cup: 3 oz. Espresso Glass

2. Long Macchiato

A long macchiato obviously has similarities to a regular macchiato, but this beverage is a taller version and will usually be identifiable by its distinct layers of coffee and steamed milk.

Ratio: 2 shots of espresso + 2 to 4 teaspoons of steamed milk
Cup: 6 oz. Cappuccino Glass

3. Flat White

A flat white has one or two shots of espresso (just like lattes) but microfoamed milk is used to create a velvety texture with no foam topper – the milk runs right through the coffee. So it feels like drinking an espresso, only yummier.

Ratio: 1 shot of espresso + 4 oz. of steamed milk
Cup: 6 oz. Cappuccino Glass

4. Long Black

A long black is a style of coffee commonly found in Australia and New Zealand. It is similar to an Americano, but with a stronger aroma and taste. A long black is made by pouring a double-shot of espresso or ristretto over hot water.

Ratio: 2 shots of espresso + 3 oz. of hot water
Cup: 6-8 oz. Coffee Mug

5. Red Eye

A Red Eye is a drink that consists of brewed coffee topped off with a shot of espresso. Before double shots became the standard espresso pull, a Red Eye usually contained one shot.

Ratio: 1 shot of espresso + 6 oz. of drip brewed coffee
Cup: 8 oz. Coffee Mug

6. Black Eye

A black eye is just the doubled version of a red eye. So if you want a lot of caffeine in your coffee, this is the one for you.

Ratio: 2 shots of espresso + 6 oz. of drip brewed coffee
Cup: 8-10 oz. Coffee Mug

7. Cortado

There's a good chance you've at least heard of a cortado. This drink consists of espresso mixed with a roughly equal amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. The milk in a cortado is steamed, but not frothy.

Ratio: 1 shot of espresso + 1 ounce of warm milk + 1 cm of foam
Cup: 6 oz. Cappuccino Glass

8. Breve

One of the very less common drinks on the list is a breve. A caffè breve is an espresso-based drink that’s made like a cappuccino, but with steamed half-and-half instead of milk. This produces a very creamy foam. Try it if you want a decadently rich (but sugarless) espresso drink.

Ratio: 1 shot of espresso + 3 oz. of steamed half-and-half + 1 cm of foam
Cup: 8-10 oz. Coffee Mug

9. Vienna

A Vienna is another less common beverage. It is made by preparing two shots of strong black espresso in a standard sized coffee cup and infusing the coffee with whipped cream (as a replacement for milk and sugar) until the cup is full.

Ratio: 1-2 shots of espresso + 2 oz. of whipped cream
Cup: 3-5 oz. Espresso Mug

10. Café au Lait

This beverage is A café au lait is created using brewed coffee and steamed milk. The drink is made up of one part coffee, and one part steamed milk. Café au lait typically doesn’t have foam on top, and is never to be confused with “white coffee,” which is simply brewed coffee made using cold milk or with powdered whitener added.

Ratio: 5 oz. french press coffee + 5 oz. scalded milk
Cup: 12 oz. Coffee Mug