What exactly is a Macchiato?

Is there any more confusing word in the world of coffee than macchiato? Depending on where you are, the word macchiato could be used to describe any one of these following drinks. So let's clear a few things up, beginning with the original espresso macchiato. This part is actually pretty simple. The name espresso macchiato literally means espresso stained and that's exactly how we make it. Take a single shot of espresso, add a stain of around 10 mils of steam milk and we're done. That's it. The idea is that the milk takes the edge off the intensity of the espresso. You know, if you like that sort of thing. Now when I'm working as a barista, if a customer walks in and simply asks for a macchiato, then this is what I'll serve. It's a classy choice. But while the basic recipe is simple enough, there are still a couple variations that you might want to be aware of. Some places will use a double shot of espresso instead of a single. This is sometimes called a double macchiato or a long macchiato. It is essentially the same as a traditional macchiato, just more of it. The other variation you might come across is with the amount of milk. Some people add more than a stain of milk to the point where it becomes like a mini latte. In some cases, this ends up pretty similar to what's known as a or about a thousand other hip local names that I'm not going to bother you with today. But as a rough guide, if you're adding more milk than espresso, you should probably call it something different than a macchiato. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments. Speaking of more milk, that brings us to the next drink, the latte macchiato. Things get a little more confusing because it looks and tastes nothing at all like the espresso classic and that's because the order is reversed. This time, the espresso is staining the milk. To make it, you take a large cup. I'm going to use a 220 ml glass. You fill it around two-thirds full of seamed milk. Pour a shot of espresso carefully over the back of the spoon so that it creates an espresso layer and then slowly scrape out some milk foam onto the top. Ooh, fancy! Now, if you look at the ingredients, it's really just a cafe latte doing a bit of a party trick, but it does look kind of cool and apparently Brad loves it, so who am I to disagree? That brings us to possibly the most confusing use of the word macchiato, the Starbucks caramel macchiato. Okay, it's safe to say we are a long way from the Italian classic espresso macchiato with this one. The caramel macchiato has four ingredients, espresso, milk, caramel sauce and vanilla syrup because sugar is fun. The idea is that the drizzle of caramel is the stain marking the rest of the ingredients. To make it, I'm going to take a large glass, add 15 ml of vanilla syrup, a shot of espresso and fill with steamed milk. Wait for a moment until the milk foam has drained out some of that milk and then we can top it off with a crisscross of caramel sauce without letting it sink into the foam. It's pretty sweet and that's because the original version of this drink uses a dark roast coffee which offsets some of the sweetness. So, you can either try using a dark roast coffee too or substitute a double espresso if you want to try it with a lighter roast coffee. So, the macchiato is hardly the first time we've ever taken an Italian classic and made a whole lot of confusing variations but as a barista, I can tell you that it has caused a whole lot of confusion when customers try to order it. For me, if I'm not serving a regular customer then I would generally give them a quick description of the way that we serve it and that is the classic espresso macchiato and that gives them the opportunity to clarify what they really want even if I might call it by a different name. In the end, getting hung up about the names of these drinks is less important than finding a balance of coffee and milk that actually tastes good. So, use your skills to craft what the customer desires. That is the real secret sauce to being an exceptional barista and I'll show you how to do that in this video right here and please leave a comment. I want to know what you think. Do you love the macchiato? How do you make it? Let me know down below. Until next time, enjoy your drink and stay stoked!