Unpopular espresso knowledge sharing: the difference between Cortado and Piccolo Coffee

Steamed milk, the most common matching role in fancy coffee. There is a very mouthful espresso that can be done by mixing milk into espresso in proportion. It is Cortado. It is very rare in domestic cafes, but it is popular in Spain, Portugal, Cuba and other places.

"Cortado", derived from the Spanish word "cortar", means "cut" and "cut". In the coffee industry, Cortado is a characteristic milk coffee that originated in the Basque region of Spain. Unlike other lattes, cappuccinos and other milk coffees, the espresso and hot milk used to make Cotadot is exactly 1:1, that is, half of the drink is coffee and the other half is milk.

In Spain, the most traditional Cortado production features are three, a very small cup size (about 100ml), a ratio of 1:1 concentrate to hot milk, no beating or only an ultra-thin layer of foam. Such a small cup of coffee means that you can "dazzle" in two or three mouthfuls, and it is also a mini Italian coffee drink. Cortdo adds only a small amount of milk, reducing the weight of espresso without losing too much coffee concentration, resulting in a more balanced and sweeter flavor, so Tadot has a stronger coffee aroma than lattes, cappuccinos and other milk coffees.

Because of its simple production and wide recognition in taste, Cortado soon became the first choice for many coffee lovers in Spain, and quickly spread to neighboring countries and even the world under its geographical advantages. As a result, the formula of Cortado has been "changed" according to the taste of food in different places.

In Saudi Arabia, for example, Cortado is interpreted as espresso containing a drop of milk, which is not too particular in proportion, hot and cold; in Costa Rica, Cortado is a small cup of coffee made by adding a single serving of Espresso to 1 ounce of hot milk; and heavy-mouthed Italians prefer to make it with single concentrated and milk, using 50ml coffee cups.

When Cortado spread to Malaysia, which has a more diverse food culture, it became more likely to make recipes. Some cafes mix cream and milk in proportion and mix them into double Espresso; some use double Ristretto;, some use milk close to Australian white, and some even make it in macchiato style. As a result, local Cortado cups range from 3 ounces to more than ten ounces.

When it comes to Cotadot's innovative formula, Front Street has to mention a classic variant of Blue Bottle Coffee's "Gibraltar" (Gibraltar Coffee), which appeared in San Francisco in 2005. It is usually made from twice the condensed steamed milk (80ml) mixed with a double concentrate (40ml) and filled with a cup of 130ml, thick lips and short ridges in a Gibraltar glass. As a result, after the third wave of boutique coffee, Cortado is often linked to this glass. (ps: Gibraltar Cup; a glass made by Libbey Company in the United States)

If you see here, you should know that the traditional Cotadot is just a blend of steamed milk and concentrate, without adding other excipients to enhance the flavor. Under the 1:1 milk and coffee ratio, you will get a fuller coffee flavor. But if you don't like to get used to such a strong flavor, try the Cuban version of Cortado, called "Cortadito". That is, on the base of the deep-baked concentrate, add a spoonful of sugar or a little condensed milk to sweeten it, and finally pour in the whipped milk foam to get a balanced and sweeter drink.

Because Cortado does not necessarily focus on appearance or style, but the relative harmony between tastes, it is usually not decorated by "crazy" pull art like lattes and cabs (some coffee shops are even made of hot milk, much less). At the same time, because of its small cup size, it is often confused with other heavy coffee coffee, such as Piccolo Coffee.

(pictured Piccolo Coffee)

Qianjie will take out two glasses with the same capacity as 100ml and make a cup of Cortado and a cup of Piccolo coffee respectively for comparison. Using warm sun to mix coffee beans, today's extraction parameters are 20g coffee powder for 28 seconds to extract 40g coffee liquid.

But Tadot is hot milk (60ml) with a double concentrate (40ml) and ultra-thin foam. 40ml concentrated into the coffee cup accounted for more than 3 of the capacity of 1 raceme, as mentioned earlier, the traditional Kotadow is the pursuit of taste balance, so Qianjie is not difficult to pull flowers, directly injected into the integration!

Piccolo is made from a single concentrated liquid (20ml) mixed with about 60~75ml with a thin foam (less than 0.5cm in thickness), and finally pulled on a good-looking pattern.

In terms of color, the Cotadot made of double Espresso and milk at 1:1 is obviously dark, while the golden fat Crema of the upper layer remains intact. Under the right taste, Cotadot showed a richer flavor of sunny coffee and beans, and at 1:1 milk, it tasted more like espresso with milk, smooth and sweet with a drop of milk. Piccolo coffee is more like butter cookies, a higher proportion of milk foam, resulting in a more dense and smooth taste, compared with the coffee flavor is not as thick as Cotadot.

If you want a drink with milk and coffee, and you are looking for a fancy coffee with a stronger coffee flavor and an easier way to make it, try this Cotado "Cortado" from Spain.

-END-

Front Street Cafe

No. 10 Baoqian street, Yandun road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu district, Guangzhou, Guangdong province