I was watching a short ‘documentary’ the other day about coffee. It was a video from ThrashLabs, exploring the coffee subculture of today. I (naturally) found it to be one of the most satisfying things I had seen… Until at one very pivotal moment, one of the owners of Handsome Coffee Roasters said they only have two options on their menu, espresso and espresso & milk. Now, here’s what threw me off: “Everyone has a slightly different concept of what a cappuccino is, or a macchiato is, or a latte is…” blah blah blah, “…all those different names just mean coffee with milk.” 

This quote was a mere few seconds compared to the actual documentary itself, but it brought me to a new world of realization. I had a written a chemistry paper, investigating the science behind extracting an espresso (a paraphrased summary), and all those weeks spent researching coffee, the National Espresso Institute of Italy, American Coffee Association, even the DSM-V of the American Psychiatric association. After brainwashing myself with almost every piece of coffee-related information, I found that piece of the video a little annoying. 

The different types of coffee are objective. Why else would they give them names that are specific to them? Very simply, a Cappuccino is a shot of espresso (1 fl. oz.) with around 7 fl. oz. milk, with a thick, dry froth layer (total is 8 fl. oz). Not microfoam; froth. A caffè latte (When my mother was in Italy, she made the mistake of ordering a ‘cold latte’. I had told her many times before her departure to make sure she says caffè latte, and she received a very nice cold glass of milk.) is served with the same amount of milk as the cappuccino, however the milk needs to be steamed to create microfoam, the sweet, glossy, light layer of silky foam which should not dominate the cup like that of the cappuccino. A macchiato is a shot of espresso with a dollop of froth on top. The word macchiato means stained in Italian. In the case of Handsome Coffee Roasters, I'll assume they meant Latte Macchiatto (which would fit better). A latte macchiato is basically a latte, with the espresso poured over. You steam the milk just as you would make a latte, pour it into a cup (usually a clear glass), and then slowly pour the espresso over it. This creates a gradient, referring back to the name 'Macchiato'. 

What really bothered me the most about this, is that it made me realize that I had not had a decently made cup of 'espresso & milk' in a very long time. There were (two, to be exact) places in particular who never disappointed me; no matter the sub-genre of my espresso and milk order. Don't forget about the simple latte who's treated like a sad flat white (like a latte, but with barely any microfoam in comparison). Why is it so hard to get- not a decent, no, a good cup of coffee can be easily made- a correct cup of coffee?

Most places treat a cappuccino as an overly strong, bitter, burnt liquid with hints of milk, and a terrible froth barrier you have to fight to get to the drink. For some reason some baristas think a cappuccino has a unique espresso, one that has been transformed into an emulsion of carbon and soot. I've been so worried about not being able to finish a cappuccino that I've been ordering lattes. Saddest thing: even the latte is inedible.

I was out one night with my dad, when we found a cafe to relax in. We opened their coffee and desert menu and saw a range of beans. Guatemala, Brazil, Jamaica, Sumatra, and flavors, hazelnut, chocolate, etc. Naturally, I was excited. The waiter came, I ordered a cappuccino- since I assumed such a professional display of beans would mean a professionally crafted drink- with Guatemalan beans. The response? 'We only have hazelnut left.' Confused, my father and I asked him what he meant. 

'Only hazelnut's left.' 

'Wait so you don't have a regular espresso?'

'Yes we do.'

'Alright, so what beans do you use?'

'The coffee.'

'No, where is it from?'

'Lavazza.'

'So you do have something besides hazelnut?'

'No. Only the hazelnut's left.'

After a lot of arguing back and forth on what the waiter meant, we realized that those incredibly professional regional coffees listed...were capsules. We got up to to see their machines, one was a capsule machine, the other a standard steam powered (gorgeous) Breville machine. My dad ordered a café noir (black coffee made in a french press) and I stuck to my order of a cappuccino. First thing I notice is the thick crema on my dad's coffee, which should not be there by absolutely no means. Second thing I notice? The dreaded over-extracted espresso-milk emulsion, hidden under the foam barrier. 

Comment your coffee mishaps or why you think the 'craft of coffee' is deteriorating so.