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Espresso Macchiato is espresso served in frothy milk and usually served in a tiny cup. It is referred to as Café Macchiato in Italy. If you like your espresso to carry the flavor of your drink, you will probably enjoy this drink.

In conjunction with espresso and cappuccino, macchiato forms an integral part of Italian coffee culture. While Italians drink a cappuccino in the morning, a macchiato is an afternoon drink filled with sweetness. If you find the cappuccino to be light and milky, espresso macchiato is the best combination.

The Italian word macchiato means to mark or stain. One explanation for the drink's originality is that baristas needed to differentiate between plain espresso and espresso with milk so they could make out the difference, and to do that, they would mark the coffee that contained the milk, hence the word "Macchiato."

The Portuguese version of this espresso drink is called Café pintado, which means coffee with a drop. In Mexico, it is called cortado, which can be confusing because, in other countries, a cortado is a drink that contains more milk than a macchiato.

What is espresso?

Although you might have heard of espresso beans, any coffee bean from dark to light can be used to make espresso. The important thing is that the bean is finely grounded and made with a pressurized brewing process, where almost boiling water is forced through ground beans. This way, the flavor becomes concentrated. As a result of the pressure, espresso is quite thick and syrupy with a dark golden layer on top (crema). Espresso has more concentration of caffeine than regular coffee.

How to make macchiato?

What distinguishes macchiato from numerous espresso-based coffee drinks is the ratio of espresso to milk. The intention is to keep the espresso strong and not add too much, and milk is only added to add some sweetness to the coffee and enhance its flavor. When double shots of espresso are made, it is also referred to as ​doppio macchiato​.

A traditional macchiato is about 1.25 ounces and contains one shot of espresso containing a small amount of milk (1 to 2 teaspoons) that is steamed with thin foam to leave a visible mark. Milk is often heated to 140-150 F, and steam is introduced into the milk causing the fat to expand into a layer of tiny bubbles, which make a micro-foam. This is often done using an espresso machine and a steam wand.

How to order Espresso Macchiato?

If you order from a well-known coffee shop, ordering "macchiato" results in a small drink with foamed milk. It may not even be on the drink menu, but a true barista knows what it is.

Also, espresso or coffee macchiato should not be confused with latte macchiato, which is the exact opposite of espresso macchiato. Latte macchiato means stained milk, which means milk is more, which is stained with espresso.