What is a Cortado?

What is a Cortado?

If you're a coffee junkie like us, you probably consume a fair amount of caffeine daily. It's nice to take a break from repeatedly backing off the caffeine and learn the differences between these delicious drinks.

The cortado: You've probably seen them on the menu of your favourite coffee shop. You may have even considered ordering one at some point. And you've probably wondered: what is a cortado?

Read on to learn why this spicy drink has become so popular worldwide.

Meet the Cortado

A cortado is a popular hot coffee drink with espresso and hot milk. The balance between the espresso and milk is 1:1, (about half the espresso, half the milk). This amount of milk mainly serves to reduce the acidity of the espresso. It's also important to note that the hot milk in the cortado is steamed but doesn't contain as much foam or milk froth as other Italian coffee drinks.

Many coffee aficionados have become increasingly obsessed with the cortado due to its simple structure and international fame. Due to its permanently smaller size, changing or adjusting the size of the drink is often a non-negotiable factor. Even at big chains like Starbucks, most will only serve the cortado in this predetermined cup size.

Traditionally, they are served in a small metal or glass glasses. It is usually not decorated with foam art or anything like that, and this is because the cortado is not necessarily about presentation or flair but about harmony between the flavours.

The Cortado Origin Story

The word "cortado" comes from the word "cortar", which means the Spanish verb "to cut". The cortado is rightly so called because the milk is meant to cut through the espresso. In addition, "cortado" is the past participle of "cortar" and refers to the dilution of coffee and espresso drinks. After its creation in the Basque Country of Spain, the drink began to spread in popularity in the Galicia region of northern Portugal and even in Cuba. The cortado contains little to no foam, which is the main characteristic of most Spanish drinks. If you're a fan of foam, don't worry. The cortado does not contain much foam, making it possible to cut the milk through the espresso and mix it as smoothly as possible. The result? A delicious combination of strong, robust espresso with creamy, light milk. How to make a Cortado

To brew a cortado, the most important piece of equipment you need is an espresso machine. Since espresso is the drink's base, you will need access to a machine to properly brew the coffee. In addition, you need the milk of your choice to add to the drink. Here's a quick way to do this:

• Start by grinding, measuring and tamping your espresso material.
• Place the portafilter with the espresso material in the espresso machine.
• Remove two shots of espresso from the machine.
• After extracting the espresso, steam your preferred milk (our go-to is whole milk, but you can also use almond, coconut, oak, etc.).
• Slowly pour your steamed milk over your espresso. Make sure the espresso to milk ratio is 1:1, and voila!

If you're not a stranger to brewing with espresso, or maybe even if you have an espresso machine at home, the cortado is a very simplistic yet savoury drink to master. As for the presentation, you can serve it in the traditional 5-7oz or simply in a coffee mug of your choice.

And since the primary basis of the cortado is the ratio of espresso to milk, you can also get a little creative with your cortado by adding flavourings. You're good to go if you keep the amount of espresso and milk.

Some even choose to replace milk with another option: turn a cortado into a cortado condensada or bombon (espresso and condensed milk) or a dulce y leche (that's condensed milk and cream on top).