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A cortado is a coffee drink made with an equal 50/50 blend of espresso and steamed milk.
It also happens to be my favorite coffee shop drink. I love its perfect balance of sweet, creamy milk and bold espresso flavor.
In this article, I’ll share everything you need to know about the cortado — from its origins to how it stacks up against other café classics like the latte and flat white. Who knows? It might just become your favorite, too!
What Is A Cortado Espresso?
A cortado is an unsweetened espresso drink that originated in the Basque region of Spain. It’s made with roughly equal parts espresso and lightly steamed milk. Unlike other espresso drinks, the milk isn’t heavily frothed — it’s gently warmed and given a soft, silky texture.
The name cortado comes from the Spanish verb cortar, meaning “to cut,” because the espresso is “cut” with milk. The addition of milk softens the intensity and acidity of the espresso, creating a smooth, balanced drink.
A cortado is typically a 4-ounce beverage made with a 2-ounce double shot of espresso and 2 ounces of milk.
Because of its strong espresso-forward flavor, it’s best made with high-quality beans that produce a rich, flavorful shot. Traditionally, cortados are made with dairy milk, but vegan options like oat milk and almond milk have become increasingly popular.
What Is Gibraltar?
The Gibraltar originated in San Francisco with Blue Bottle Coffee and is simply the name for a cortado served in a Gibraltar glass — a beautiful, ridged clear cup.
Blue Bottle first offered it as an off-menu drink, describing it as a short, strong latte, before realizing they were actually serving a classic cortado (1).
It was really just a cortado — we just didn’t know it at the time.
These days, many new coffee shops serve Gibraltars. Aside from the glass they’re served in, Gibraltars are nearly identical to cortados. In places where both drinks appear on the menu, the Gibraltar usually has a slightly silkier texture and is served at a slightly cooler temperature.
What Is A Cortadito?
The cortadito is a Cuban espresso drink that’s also popular in the U.S. Like the cortado, it’s made with equal parts steamed milk and espresso, served in a small glass. But unlike the cortado, it’s sweetened — often quite generously. When making a cortadito, sugar is either mixed directly into the espresso or the milk is replaced with sweetened condensed milk. This sweeter version is also commonly known as a cortado condensada.
How Does The Cortado Examine With Different Espresso-Based mostly Drinks?
What does a cortado taste like? If you’ve never tried one, the easiest way to imagine it is by comparing its flavor and texture to other espresso drinks you already know. Let’s take a look at a few classics and how they subtly differ from a cortado.
Cortado Vs Espresso
Espresso types the premise of all these drinks, together with the cortado. A cortado is an espresso that has been diluted with an equal quantity of milk, so it has a milder espresso taste, creamier texture, and extra sweetness than a straight shot.
What’s the distinction between a cortado and a macchiato?
Evaluating macchiato vs cortado, the latter is way milkier. A macchiato is an espresso, both one or two pictures, topped with a small dollop of foamed milk, often served in somewhat cup referred to as a demitasse. It’s a smaller drink with a stronger style of espresso.
Is a cortado the identical as a flat white?
The flat white and cortado are usually not the identical, although cortado vs flat white might be the closest comparability. Whereas the cortado has a 1:1 ratio of espresso to exploit, the flat white has a 1:2 ratio. So the cortado is smaller than a flat white, much less creamy, and with a bolder espresso taste.
What’s the distinction between a latte and a cortado?
In terms of cortado vs latte, the latté is a a lot bigger drink. It has the identical quantity of espresso however a considerably bigger proportion of microfoam milk, capped with a skinny layer of foamy milk.
A latte has a really delicate espresso taste in comparison with the cortado, and lattes are sometimes served flavored or sweetened with syrups. Lately, lattes needn’t even embrace espresso, as in chai or matcha lattes.
cortado vs cappuccino?
The cappuccino has the next milk-to-coffee ratio than the cortado, however the greater distinction is the feel of the milk. Whereas the cortado and flat white use primarily velvety micro-foam milk, the cappuccino makes use of steamed milk topped with a thick pillow of milk froth or foam, giving it a a lot airier texture.
Closing Ideas
The Spanish cortado is a half-and-half combination of espresso and calmly steamed milk. It’s a stunning approach to benefit from the daring style of bitter espresso tempered completely by candy and creamy dairy.
Now that you recognize what a cortado is, I hope you determine to attempt one the subsequent time you go to the specialty espresso store. It’s a drink roughly between a flat white and a macchiato—small in measurement however massive in taste!
FAQs
What’s Starbucks’ model of a cortado?
The Starbucks U.S. menu doesn’t have a cortado, however you possibly can order one by asking for a double shot espresso with 2 ounces of steamed milk. Request that the barista layer the steamed milk on prime of the espresso and serve it in a 4-ounce cup. Starbucks U.Ok. has a cortado on the menu, however it isn’t conventional. It consists of two ristretto pictures and 4 ounces of steamed complete milk served in a 6-ounce glass (3).
Can a cortado be iced?
The ratio of espresso and milk in a cortado could make a stunning iced drink to sip. Pour two pictures of espresso over ice cubes in a 6-ounce glass, then prime with 2 ounces of chilly frothed milk. Nonetheless, an “iced cortado” is just not one thing usually seen on espresso bar menus as a result of pouring steamed heat milk and scorching espresso over ice yields an disagreeable drink temperature.
How do you make a cortado?
Making a correct cortado requires that you’ve got an espresso machine at house with a steam wand. Use the espresso machine to brew a double shot of espresso and calmly steam 2 ounces of complete milk. Pour the milk into the espresso, adorning with latte artwork you probably have the abilities.
Take a look at our cortado recipe for a step-by-step information to creating a cortado at house.
References
- Blue Bottle Espresso. (n.d.). The Gibraltar: The Story Behind Our Favourite Off-Menu Drink. Retrieved from https://weblog.bluebottlecoffee.com/posts/gibraltar
- McDonald, S. (2017, July 19). Cuban Espresso Historical past is Simply as Lengthy and Wealthy because the Drink. Retrieved from https://www.keyscoffee.co/cuban-coffee-history/
- Starbucks UK. (2024). Cortado. Retrieved from https://www.starbucks.co.uk/menu/product/2789
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