39 Popular Types of Coffee Drinks

Drip Coffee

Drip coffee, also known as Filter coffee, this is a brewing method that involves using a filter, and it is the most common method that is used in people’s homes. In order to make the coffee, grounds are placed within a filter, and then heated water is processed through the filter. This causes the water to absorb the flavor of the grounds as it drips through to the carafe at the bottom. Read full article about how to use Drip Coffee Maker

✔️ Quick recipe: 2 tbsp. of medium grind coffee + 2 cups of water

Batch Brew

In batch brewing all dependence on the technology. This is the most efficient and the fastest way to serve quality black coffee. The brewing process is very similar to regular coffee machines and involves paper filter, the difference is in volume and quality. Modern batch brew coffee machines can produce lots of tasty black coffee and ideal for coffee shops, caterers, and anything that requires volume.

✔️ Quick recipe: ½ lb. of medium-coarse grind coffee + 1 gal. of water

AeroPress Coffee

AeroPress Coffee is a very popular drink between coffee pros and baristas. If you google for an AeroPress Coffee recipe, you will get tons of them, with all kinds of different approaches. I recommend sticking to the basics to get you started. Later, you might get so addicted to this device, that you might consider creating your own AeroPress recipes. AeroPress How-To

It was invented by a physicist Alan Adler in 2005. He wanted to alter the quality of the regular drip coffee maker and slow speed of a pour-over and came up with the AeroPress. AeroPress is a simple gadget made of chamber tube, plunger tube with the seal and filter cap with the paper filter.

The process of making an AeroPress Coffee looks like this. First, place a paper filter in the filter cap and attach it to the chamber tube. Second, add coffee and hot water, steep it for 10-50 seconds. Third, using the plunger tube, press it through the paper filter. The filter will stop sediment and oils.

As a result, you will get a tasty, clean cup of coffee without any sludge and bitterness!

✔️ Quick recipe: 2 tbsp. of medium-fine grind coffee + ½ cup of hot water

Chemex

The Chemex Coffeemaker has been invented by Peter Schlumbohm in 1941. It has an elegant and stylish hourglass-type shape made of borosilicate glass and uses a special type of filter similar to other alternative brewing methods.

✔️ Quick recipe: 5 tbsp. & ½ tsp. of medium grind coffee + 2 cups of hot water

Pour Over Coffee

This brewing method is very portable and easy for beginners to use. Most pour-over funnels are designed to sit on top of a coffee mug. Using a paper or mesh reusable filter, you pour hot water over coffee grounds in slow, circular motions as the brewed coffee drips into the cup below. Some pour-over makers are made as an all-in-one funnel and carafe so that it’s easier to make more than one cup at a time. Pour Over step-by-step

✔️ Quick recipe: 4 tbsp. of medium-fine grind coffee + 2 cups of hot water

Vacuum Coffee

Also known as siphon coffee, vacuum coffee is made by a two-part brewer where boiling water in the lower chamber pushes water vapor into the upper chamber where the coffee grounds sit. Once the coffee is brewed, it descends back into the bottom chamber through a filter. Then, you pour it and add any milk or sweeteners to it as you please!

✔️ Quick recipe: 3 tbsp. & 2 tsp. of medium-fine grind coffee + 1 & ½ cup of hot water

French Press

Press pots are basically a cross between pour-over and percolated brewing methods. Different countries argue about the origin of the first press pot, but French press is the most popular name for this brew style. Using coarsely ground coffee, you pour boiling water into the cylinder press pot. After you let it sit for about five minutes, use the mesh plunger to filter out the grounds so you can pour your cup and enjoy! Guide to French Press

✔️ Quick recipe: 4 tbsp. & 2 tsp. of coarse grind coffee + 2 cups of hot water

Immersion Coffee

Immersion coffee isn’t specific to one type of device. It’s a type of brew style that many different types of coffee makers use. Any brewing device that allows coffee grounds to be fully submerged by hot water could be considered an immersion coffee maker. This includes the French press, the Aeropress and certain siphon coffee makers.

✔️ Quick recipe: 4 tbsp. & 1 tsp. of medium-fine grind coffee + 2 cups of hot water

Moka Pot

At a glance, the moka pot looks a lot like our friend the siphon coffee maker! They function in a similar way, too. A bottom chamber full of water is placed on a heat source, like a stove top. Once the water reaches the right temperature, it boils up through a filter chamber full of coffee grounds. It keeps on going until spills over the inner spout of the upper chamber. After it’s done, all the water in the bottom chamber is gone and you pour the upper chamber’s coffee into a cup. Most moka pots are designed to brew anywhere between 1 to 12 cups.

✔️ Quick recipe: full basket of medium-coarse grind coffee + water (fill to the line in the bottom of the brewer)

Turkish Coffee

This is a type of immersion coffee where the coffee grounds are never filtered out from the water before serving. You use the finest ground coffee possible and a special, long-handled brewing pot called an ibrik or cezve. You bring the coffee to a boil, pouring the first foamy portion into small serving cups. Then you return it to the heat boil and pour another portion again, twice, before finally drinking it.

✔️ Quick recipe: 4 tsp. of fine grind coffee + 1 cup of water

Instant Coffee

Water-soluble, or instant, coffee has a bad reputation because it’s not freshly ground or freshly brewed, two hallmarks of quality brewing. Instead, instant coffee dissolves in hot water — this means it can be made right in the mug rather than with extra brewing equipment. The ease of use and affordable price of most instant coffees make it a drink of choice for budget-conscious people who need a super fast coffee routine.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 tsp. of instant coffee + 1 cup of hot water

Cascara Coffee

In Spanish, cascara is the word for the husk or skin of products like coffee cherries. Normally, the husks of coffee cherries are discarded, but some people actually make a beverage from steeping these cherry husks! It’s something that looks and tastes more like a cup of tea than a coffee, and is usually described as having a fruity, sweet sort of flavor.

✔️ Quick recipe: 2 tbsp. of Cascara + 1 cup of hot water

Kopi Luwak

You may find it hard to believe, but some of the most expensive coffee in the world comes out of a wild cat’s butt. In Indonesia, the civet cat eats coffee cherries whole, but its body can’t digest the pits, or coffee beans, inside the cherry flesh. It’s thought that the fermentation the beans undergo inside the cat’s stomach impart more citric acid into the bean. They’re collected from civet droppings, washed (thank goodness!) and processed normally thereafter.

✔️ Quick recipe for drip method: 1 & ½ tbsp. of medium grind coffee + 2 cups of water

Frappuccino

The name “Frappuccino” is specific to Starbucks, who have gone so far as to trademark the name for their line of ice-blended coffee drinks. Other cafes may call them frappes, instead. Don’t let the fancy terms fool you, this is just a coffee milkshake! There are a variety of ingredients that can be used to achieve the desired consistency, but it should be a creamy, frozen treat with a strong coffee flavor.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 shot of espresso + 1 cup of ice + ½ cup of milk + 3 tbsp. of brown sugar

Piccolo Latte

As you can see from several descriptions here, a lot of coffee drink names are code for ratios between espresso, milk and milk foam. Many started as regional slang for proportion adjustments on the basic cappuccino. Here, the piccolo latte calls for a single full shot of espresso (approximately 30 milliliters) or a double ristretto (which is approximately 20 milliliters). This is served in a demitasse glass and topped up with steamed milk.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 shot of espresso + 4-5 oz. of steamed milk + milk foam

Caffe Breve

A breve by most standard definitions is the same espresso-to-milk and milk foam as a cappuccino, but the milk in this case is actually half-and-half. Half-and-half, like its name implies, is 50% whole milk and 50% heavy cream. When steamed, this makes a rich, dense milk foam and creamy mix of steamed half-and-half and espresso. Read full article about Breve

✔️ Quick recipe: ⅓ (1 shot) of espresso + ⅔ of steamed mix with cream and milk

Macchiato

Often ordered as an espresso macchiato, this drink is simply espresso with a spot of milk. The word “macchiato” can be translated to mean spotted, stained or marked. If you order this rather than make it at home, take note that some coffee shops will use a dollop of milk foam instead of a drop of steamed milk. If you have a preference between the two, make sure to let the barista know. Read the full article about Macchiato.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 shot of espresso + spot of milk foam

Latte Macchiato

The typical espresso macchiato is made by adding the spot of milk to the espresso once it’s in in the serving cup. A latte macchiato, however, reverses the concept of an espresso macchiato. In this drink, the steamed milk is “stained” with espresso, which means the espresso is poured into the milk. Like the difference between a cappuccino and a latte, the latte macchiato has more milk than an espresso macchiato.

✔️ Quick recipe: 8-10 oz. of steamed milk and milk foam +1 shot of espresso

Affogato

Another Italian-inspired drink that seems more like a dessert, the affogato starts with a scoop of gelato or ice cream in the cup. Then, a shot of espresso is poured on top. This creates an instantly iced, creamy concoction with a bold espresso flavor. Variations on the affogato include splashes of complementary liqueurs alongside the shot of espresso.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 scoop of ice cream + 1 shot of espresso

Cortado

It’s not easy to get all professional and hobbyist baristas to agree on exact measurements for many espresso drinks, but the cortado is roughly assumed to be a 1:1 ratio of espresso to steamed milk. With the cortado, a frothy, foamy or otherwise textured steamed milk isn’t the goal. The milk is steamed for the sake of reaching a desirable serving temperature when mixed with an equal part of freshly brewed espresso. Read full article about Cortado

✔️ Quick recipe: ½ (1 shot) of espresso + ½ of steamed milk

Cafe Au Lait

Cafe Au Lait is a French term meaning “coffee with milk.” While the origin of the term is unknown, the first cafe au lait was likely created in France in the early 1800s. The drink is made by combining French Press coffee (or drip coffee) with scalded milk, and it is typically served in a cup or mug. Cafe au lait has a similar flavor to a latte, but it is typically made with a darker roast coffee and has a higher coffee-to-milk ratio.

✔️ Ratio: 5 oz. black coffee + 5 oz. scalded milk

Gibraltar

Some variations on the classic cappuccino rely on a specific type of serving cup in order to achieve the proportions of espresso and milk that its recipe calls for. In this case, the Gibraltar is a specific cup name served from San Francisco’s Blue Bottle coffee shops. The size of the glass tumbler holds two shots of espresso and a bit steamed milk. This means it tastes somewhere between a flat white and a macchiato in terms of potency.

✔️ Quick recipe: in Gibraltar cup: 2 shots of espresso + steamed milk

Mochaccino/Mocha

I may be one of those coffee enthusiasts who think mochaccino and mocha mean the same thing, but to be fair, it’s not clear if they should or shouldn’t, anyway. Both terms are used to describe an espresso-based drink made with chocolate, but the details can vary from there. A mocha at most coffee shops is a latte with chocolate added as a sweetener and flavor. Others might argue a mochaccino is closer to a cappuccino in terms of steamed milk and espresso ratios. Either way, they’re usually topped with whipped cream instead of froth.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 tbsp. of chocolate syrop + 1 shot of espresso + ⅓ stramed milk + ⅓ whipped cream

Vietnamese Coffee

Coffee can be prepared in many different ways in Vietnam, but its French-inspired coffee culture favors bold brews and inventive additions. It’s common to find coffee made with yogurt or even egg whipped with condensed milk. Their specialty iced coffee is also a world-renowned favorite.

Irish Coffee

This boozy little concoction is a mixture of coffee, Irish whiskey, a bit of sugar and cream. The recipe calls for the cream to be dolloped on top of the coffee and for the coffee to be sipped through the cream. When you order out, most places will make this drink with drip-brew coffee, but others may prefer to serve it with espresso shots, instead.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 tsp. of brown sugar + 1 shot of Irish whiskey + ½ cup of drip brewed coffee + whipped cream

Bulletproof Coffee

There are a lot of health claims associated with bulletproof coffee, but it remains popular for its rich, satisfying flavor. Bulletproof coffee is an inspired take on yak butter tea, but rather than yak butter or tea, it’s coffee and the consumer’s preference when it comes to sources of butter. Bulletproof coffee also uses an MCT oil as an additional health boost.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 cup of brewed coffee + 1-2 tbsp. of butter + 1-2 tsp. of coconut butter.

Iced Americano

As you learned earlier, an Americano is just a shot of espresso served with added hot water. This mellows out the flavor of the espresso considerably. When you put it over ice, it’s not necessary to use hot water. Some Americano drinkers don’t even add water when they want their drink on ice — pouring espresso over a serving of ice melts enough water to make the perfect iced Americano as it is. Ideal iced coffee drink for the summer.

✔️ Quick recipe: 2 shots of espresso + 1 cup of ice + ½ cup of cold water

Iced Latte

Another popular iced coffee drink is the Iced Latte, a coffee drink that is made with espresso and cold milk. It is usually served over ice. Iced latte can be flavored with syrups or other additives. Iced latte is a refreshing and energizing drink that is perfect for hot summer days.

✔️ Ratio: double shot of espresso + ¾ cup whole milk + i cup of ice

Cold Brew Coffee

As the name suggests, this is a type of coffee that’s brewed using a cold method rather than a hot one. Technically speaking, any grind size of coffee can be used to start a cold brew – but frequent fans of this method suggest a coarse grind and a plunger-style filter when it comes time to strain it. Opinions differ on whether it should be left on a counter to brew at room temperature or kept in a fridge, instead, since the “cold” in this definition just means “not hot”.

✔️ Quick recipe: 3 oz of coarse grind coffee + 2 cups of cold water

Espresso Tonic

If you’re like me, you’re used to seeing tonic water used in cocktail-making. So, seeing it on the coffee shop bar is a bit shocking. And intriguing. This is an iced coffee that sports a bolder espresso flavor that bubbles and pops with carbonated goodness. Light roast coffees that feature a brighter flavor profile work great for this drink, especially with a twist of lemon to finish it off.

✔️ Quick recipe: 1 shot of espresso + ½ cup of tonic + ½ cup of ice + 1-2 slice of lemon

Nitro Coffee

This is another innovative take on the balance of potential health benefits and preferred flavor qualities in a cup of coffee. Instead of using CO₂ to carbonate the coffee, nitrogen gas turns coffee into a fizzy, foamy, bubbly brew. People who love this kind of coffee praise the natural sweetness the nitro blast gives the taste of this drink, plus the thick, foamy quality approximates the richness usually found when milk is added.

✔️ Quick recipe: 4 cups of drip brewed coffee + 2 tbsp of brown sugar + 1 chargers of nitrogen or CO₂ gas