Differences between types of coffee

[CarrierPigeon]

So I've been banned from drinking coffee ever since I was young. Now that I'm finally old enough to live by myself and make my own choices I would like to give coffee a shot. I've had some coffee with my friends, especially during my teenage years. But I was, and I still am, baffled by all the different labels out there. o.O So can someone give me a quick lesson on the different types of coffee?? Like expresso, cafe au ait, cappuccino, frappuccino, mocha, latte, etc etc.
I tried searching up the web but they just confused me?? O__O Added pictures with explanation with be greatly appreciated!!!!

[Dareos]

Dont go overboard on it mate, my folks banned me from Acid, Cocaine and Ecstasy, the result wasn't pretty..


As far as coffee goes, Latte is milky, espresso is very strong and comes in shots, cafe au lait is also milky (lait is french for milk iirc), Mocha is a chocolate thingy i think, cappuccino has lotsa cream and chocolate sprinkles (possibly watch Blackadder Goes Forth for a fuller description) and I think that Frappuccino is frozen or cold, but never had one so could be wrong.

Personally I like Douwe Egberts Le Cafe, its nice.

[kalniel]

We couldn't possibly. You'll have to try them all. Then once you know the basics, you'll have to try them all again from different vendors, then start making your own, then spend hundreds on the best equipment and a whole adventure of finding your favourite beans and roasts...

But seriously, to start your adventure find a local independent coffee shop and ask the barista for an introduction - one worth his/her salt will be more than happy to introduce you to the world of coffees.

[Smudger]

Basically, Espresso is the base for any 'proper' coffee. It's the 'shot' of coffee that you add other bits to in order to make your drink. Espresso on its own is quite strong, and is nice after a meal. Latte is milky with a bit of foam, and cappuccino is frothy with a bit of milk. You them get Americano, which is Espresso with more water added, like we would have 'black coffee'. After that, it's all bells and whistles... Just try them all, it won't take long.

[Butcher]

If you want a starter coffee, try a latte and go from there.

[Saracen]

As you've discovered, and as this thread illustrates already, there's a vast choice.

But I'll complicate it by making another point .... the actual taste of a cup, even of a given type (like espresso, or "standard" black "Americano or whatever poncy name a shop gives it) varies a LOT according to the beans used.

Some are quite mild, some quite bitter, some in-between, and there is no right or wrong, just personal preference.

So I'd suggest starting out with the basics, trying a few different brands and starting middle of the road, and moving on to various types from there. If you try a particularly strong or bitter coffee to start with, you could end up putting yourself off for life.

My recommendation would be to get a simple, cheap cafetiere, and a packet of cafetiere coffee from a supermarket. The cafetiere can be anything from about £5 to £50, depending on :-

- size
- build quality.

For a starter, get a cheap one from Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, etc. They still do the job. They aren't built as well, and the filter won't last as long, but it should give you a couple of years of decent use. So, it's down to size.

A small one will do one cup at a time. And larger ones up to about 4 cups. My current one does 3 cups, came from Morrisons and cost, IIRC, £8. And by "cup", I mean a decent mug, or a largish tea cup.

And, other than a way of boiling water, that's the ONLY equipment you need, at this point.

Add to that some coffee. A good starting point, IMHO, is "LaVazza". I tend to use two, being "Espresso" (black pack) and "Decaffeinato" (blue pack), with the latter (obviously) being decaf, which we use in the evening, so as to not be kept awake by caffeine.

All you do is :-

1) Boil water
2) put a little in the cafetiere to warm it
3) empty it out, add coffee (one portion per cup)
4) Add water, but NOT boiling, but just off the boil
5) Put top in place
6) Leave to stand (3-5 mins, to taste)
7) Push down the plunger
8) Pour
9) Decide if you want milk, and if so, add it.
10) Rinse cafetiere, to get grounds out.


The "portion" per poerson is to taste, but I use one scoop from a coffee scoop. A little more for stronger, and a little less for weaker. The same applies to the 3-5 minutes. i.e. you experimemt, and do what you like the taste of.

Were I you, I'd forget the espressos, frappa-whatev ers, etc, for the moment. Just do the above, try various brands of coffee (those Lavazzos are decent brand, and middle-of-the-road on taste, not too bland, not too bitter.

But by all means try others. It's very much a personal taste thing. I've got some medium-ground "Akbar" blend here right now, from Fortnum and Mason, and to be honest, I prefer the Lavazza (about £3.50 for a 250g pack) .... compared to the £12.50 for the Akbar, in the same size tin).

Just remember, the difference in taste between beans, or blends, even of the same type of coffee, can be large.


And once you've got used to something basic, like above, then start experimenting with fancy variations, espresso machines, etc..

[kalniel]

Yeah, I'm still on cafetiere's for coffee at home and in the office - by far the quickest and most cost effective way of getting a drinkable cup. Easy to taste the difference between beans and roasts as well (current affordable favourite is Taylors Guatemala Cloud Forests fairtrade)

[abaxas]

Current fashion is for espresso style Italian coffees.

Other methods of preparation are available (and may be superior !)

[Zak33]

rule one: you'll only ever get rubbish coffee from high st chains
rule two: you'll only ever get rubbish coffee from high st chains

I know rule 2 seems very similar to rule one, but i think it's such a good rule, it's worth repeating.

A good coffee house, with a good barrista who knows his/her beans and styles of foaming of the milk is, in my opinion, only slightly lower down the god ratings than Steve Redgrave or Steven Tyler.

ie demi god status

If I am ever within 40 miles of somewhere like this
http://www.newenglandcoffeehouse.co.uk/
I go there.

If you ever see this bloke in a field, at a show, by a football pitch... queue up and buy
http://www.monkshoodcoffee.com/

You can't miss the bloke... he's hyper, and "flys" the coffee machine like it's a Space Ship....

Because when coffee is really good... really very good... even my wife who HATES coffee, drinks it.

Espresso, the intense, concentrated dark tiny thimble full of lovelyness, (that most restaurants do so badly it makes me weep)... when done well, with good beans, roasted by a good person.... is like angels singing, and then gently pulling on the back of your eyeballs.

[peterb]

P.S. Zak likes coffee!

[CarrierPigeon]

Ah thanks for all those definitions aforementioned I really appreciate it. They are a bit shorter and easier to understand than the sources I found otherwise on web.
As far as trying them all goes, I think that will be a bit hard, consider I'm only a starter and I pretty much starting due to two reasons A. I really like it ever since I first tried them, even though coffee can at times taste a bit bitter to me B. the caffeine really keeps me awake at work. I swear I really don't like the idea of getting fired because of falling asleep on my job.
In addition, trying them all at stores will mean spending more money and making them myself will mean spending more time. Also, I don't want to get addicted to it, not just yet. (the idea of addiction kind of scares me...)

@Dareos: frozen?? O___O I thought it has cream on the top... -__-
@kalniel: see the paragraph above for trying all types. the idea of finding a local coffee store and asking the barista for more info seems like a legitimate idea. I like your enthusiasm about spending lots of money and time on coffee making, but I think I will be troubled if I ever turn out to be like that
@Smudger: thanks for the clarification. I don't want to drink black coffee... I remember once in a restaurant I accidentally forgot to add sugar and cream and the taste of black coffee is worse than any medicine I've ever taken (no offense to any black coffee drinker, this is just my opinion. Although black coffee is more healthy)
@Butcher: had one the other day at Starbucks.
@Saracen: that was a VERY detailed post about brewing coffee. haha thanks! But isn't expresso the base of all variations o.O? You are confusing me a bit here.
@abaxas: I'm a bit lost here
@Zak33: by high st chains do you mean places like starbucks? well, since I haven't really tried the coffee shops around my area I can't really compare the two, but I think starbucks is pretty good. P.S. I like your enthusiasm. And thanks for the links
@peterb: I see your point.

Because quoting everyone will be a pain so I decided to put everything in one post. Once again thanks for the help here.

Question:
How much milk/cream/sugar can I add before I hit a level of rotting my health of sweet? I'm not a big fan of bitter stuff but I don't want too much sweet to damage my health either. I'm trying to keep my daily consumption of coffee at 1 to 2 teacups. In that case how much sugar/cream/milk/sweeteners would you recommend?

[Rob_B]

I hate 'normal' coffee i.e instant or made with a cafetiere, I like lattes but only with syrup for sweetnesss but I absolutely adore espresso.

You would prob be best going into *ahem* Starbucks or Costa, trying one of everything then get the better kit/blends from there.

I have a Nespresso pixie at home and it makes (what I think is) a lovely espresso. Chain shop espresso is much poorer in comparison but I'd imagine someone like Zak would still say my machine isn't 'proper' coffee (sorry if I put words in your mouth there Matt)

As for the amount of sugar/cream, I'd not worry, just do it to taste. I'm sure there are things in your life that are cutting it short more than 2 cups of coffee with a bit of sugar will

[Butcher]

Good espresso is something I'm yet to have in a high street chain (like starbucks or similar). I've had it in cafes abroad and at home though (I have a Gaggia classic, it's reasonably proper).

[pipTheGeek]

We couldn't possibly. You'll have to try them all.

But not all at once.

[Smudger]

@Smudger: thanks for the clarification. I don't want to drink black coffee... I remember once in a restaurant I accidentally forgot to add sugar and cream and the taste of black coffee is worse than any medicine I've ever taken (no offense to any black coffee drinker, this is just my opinion. Although black coffee is more healthy)

I didn't used to like black coffee either, but a good espresso (you can put sugar in...) is a mighty fine thing.
I would suggest finding a friend with an espresso machine, and get them to make you loads of coffees until you get the mix you like. If they've just bought said machine, they'll probably be more willing...

[Butcher]

Part of the problem with places like starbucks is their bean blend produces espresso that's good for putting into milk to make other drinks, but not great for drinking on its own.