Kinds of Coffee | Your Go-to Guide to 50 Different Coffee Drinks

How many times do you go to a coffee shop and start analyzing the types of coffees? Well, now you don’t need a manual to know all the ingredients that are in the fancy named drinks! We’ve compiled all kinds of coffee drinks around the world for you! Let’s check ’em out!

Hey there! We all love coffee. Don’t we?! If you don’t agree, well then you’re forbidden to enter any coffee shop. I’m telling this behalf of all coffee lovers. Haha! But how many times do you get confused with different kinds of coffee at a coffee shop? Whether you’re a coffeeholic or not, the trendy new names of drinks always confuse us. But worry not! We’ve listed out different kinds of coffee drinks for you! Increase your vocabulary and become an official know-it-all or SlubTeam-approved coffeeholic!!

I’m a coffee lover. If you’ve read my previous coffee articles, I’m sure by now you guys must know how much addicted I’m to caffeine. But even with my regular visits to coffee shops and trying different varieties, I found out that there are almost 50 types of different coffee drinks to try! Woohoo! Now that’s a big number. All you tea drinkers, better listen up because coffee, too, has a zillion options to try. Also, each of these drinks may vary specific to a place and taste. And we didn’t leave even a single one out in our coffee guide!

Also, read: Types of Tea

So, what are we waiting for?! Let’s dig into the world of caffeine!

Different Types of Coffee Beans

Well, if you’re wondering, “how many types of coffee beans are there?” There are almost 25 variety of coffee beans. But only two types are cultivated for commercial coffee consumption. And they are Arabica and Robusta. There is also a third type known as blended type, which is a combination of these two. Also, read more about the coffee beans and gourmet coffee!

Kinds of Coffee | List Different Types of Coffee Drinks

If you thought latte, cappuccino or Americano are the only drinks and other variants of these, well, think again! We’ve compiled 50 types of coffee drinks from all over the world. From the basic drinks to the unique ones, no more confusion with different kinds of coffee. Go grab a cup of coffee and check ’em out!

1. Hot Espresso

The very famous espresso from Italy is one of the most basic forms of coffee that forms the base for many other drinks, but it is also consumed just by itself. Espresso is brewed by expressing or forcing out a small amount of boiling water under pressure through fine ground coffee beans in the espresso machine. It is generally thicker and most highly concentrated compared to other types of coffee.

2. Americano Coffee

Americano is a type of coffee drink prepared by diluting espresso with hot water. The taste is similar to an espresso but with distinguished flavors to traditionally brewed coffee. The strength of Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added.

 

Usually, Americano is consumed just like that or you can add milk, sweetener or cream, too! However, traditionally Americano coffee with milk is not so popular. The history behind Americano is that Americans love their coffee in long cups and hence they diluted the classic espresso with hot water! Ah! Americans!!

3. Long Black Coffee

A long black coffee is famous in New Zealand and Australia. It is similar to an Americano but has stronger taste and aroma. It is made by single or double shot of espresso poured over hot water. Also, check out everything about long black coffee here, and how it’s different than other types of black coffee.

4. Latté Coffee/ Flat White

Latté or caffè latte means milk coffee in Italian. The shortened English term is known as latté coffee. In Italy, Caffè latte is commonly had with breakfast. The coffee is brewed with a stovetop in a moka pot and poured into a cup containing heated milk.

Flat white is similar to latte and is quite popular in New Zealand and Australia. It is usually served in a small ceramic cup with foamed milk. Also, an interesting fact is that in America, it is referred to as wet cappuccino. The amount of coffee is greater than milk compared to a latte. And hence the flavor of espresso dominates in a flat white coffee.

5. Cappucino

Cappucino is the most common drink one can find. It is also a drink that originated in Italy. It’s prepared with a double espresso shot or coffee and steamed milk foam. The volume is lesser than caffé latte and this is because it’s topped with foamed milk. Typically, a cappuccino is one-third milk, one-third foam and one-third coffee (or espresso). Sometimes beautiful art is created on the foam – a typical tradition in most coffee shops!

6. Mocha Coffee

Mocha is also called mocaccino and is a chocolate flavored variant of caffé latte. A mocha is prepared by a shot of espresso, steamed milk and chocolate syrup. And sometimes they are served with whipped cream, too! They are usually topped with a dusting of cinnamon powder or cocoa powder. There are other variants of mocha, too, like white chocolate may be used instead of dark and coffee base can be used instead of espresso.

7. Macchiato

Macchiato is an Italian word, meaning marked or stained. So, when you take the literal translation of caffe macchiato, it’s a stained coffee or coffee with a spot of milk. Just like a flat white, caffe macchiato, too, has a higher proportion of espresso to milk. It’s also a good option for those who find espresso too strong and a cappuccino too milky and light.

There are two types – short and long macchiato coffee. The term short and long are referred to the amount of coffee used. A short macchiato means one shot of espresso with a very tiny amount of milk and in a long macchiato, two shots of espresso are used.

8. Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee originated in Turkey as the name suggests. It is usually prepared by brewing finely ground unfiltered coffee. Usually, Arabica coffee beans and variants are used but Robusta beans, too, are used in some cases. The coffee is so fine that it’s left in the coffee even when served. Traditionally, it’s prepared in a special pot known as cezve, which is a small long-handled pot with a pouring rim designed to prepare Turkish coffee.

It is prepared by bringing finely ground coffee powder with water and sugar to boil. As soon as the mixture begins to froth, about one-third of coffee is transferred to cups. The remaining amount is returned to the fire and when it boils, it’s distributed to the cups.

It’s also believed that the leftover grounds in the cup are used for fortune telling. Turkish coffee also belongs to the kinds of coffee that are popular in Britain and France.

9. Café Cubano

There are so many kinds of coffee drinks and yet most of them root back to espresso! Italians surely must be proud as the entire world enjoys variants of espresso. Café Cubano is also known as Cuban espresso or Cuban coffee. It originated in Cuba and is prepared by using either Italian or Spanish roasts. The sugar is directly added to the pot during the preparation unlike the Italian espresso, in which it is added after the preparation.

10. Cortado Coffee

Cortado is a Spanish-origin term for beverages consisting of espresso mixed with an equal amount of warm milk.

11. Café au Lait

Café au lait is a French-origin coffee with hot milk added. It is usually drip brewed or French-pressed coffee to which steamed milk is added. It is similar to caffé latte but not the same, since latté uses espresso as the base.

There are variations of this drink, too. For example, in Europe, it is mixed with steamed milk whereas in the United States it is served with steamed milk.

12. Ethiopian Coffee

There may be different kinds of coffee but Ethiopian coffee should be on top of our list. This is because Ethiopia is one of the coffee bean growing countries. They produce the maximum amount of Arabica beans! In fact, coffee originated in Ethiopia. Usually, African coffees are known for their fruity and floral taste.

13. Kopi Luwak

Okay, you can note down kopi luwak under funny coffee drink names. Well, apart from the hilarious name, the preparation is also quite gross! Well, kopi luwak is cultivated in Indonesia and is also considered as the world’s most expensive coffee beverages.

It’s produced from the coffee beans, which have been digested by a certain Indonesian cat-like animal called palm civet. The cat is also known as civet cat. And this is the reason kopi luwak is also called as cat poop coffee or civet cat coffee. Um! I know gross but it’s quite common to find it in Indonesia! The feces of this cat are collected, dried and sold.

Kopi luwak is brewed like any other coffee but try to brew it with only water and have it without sugar or milk. The taste depends on the type of coffee beans fed to the cat.

14. Indo Kopi Tubruk

Kopi Tubruk is also an Indonesian style coffee where coarse coffee grounds are boiled with solid sugar. It’s quite similar to Turkish coffee. Usually, kopi tubruk is mixed with hot water. The water is boiled for some time and is turned off before it reaches boiling point. This is because it meddles with the coffee taste if boiled too much.

And is mixed with the coffee grounds. Usually, it is served in beer mugs in Indonesia as tea is usually flavorless and over-watered but they drink coffee, too, in the same mugs. It’s had just like that without sugar or milk.

15. Galao Coffee from Portugal

Galao from Portugal is a hot drink made of espresso and foamed milk. It’s usually milky and foamy and this is because of the proportions of milk to coffee. It consists of about one-quarter coffee and three quarters foamed milk. It is usually served in a tall glass.

16. Café con Leche

Café con Leche is a Spanish coffee beverage consisting of a 1:1 ratio of espresso and scalded milk, which is the milk steamed, before reaching the boiling point. Sometimes, the amount of milk can be higher. These types of coffee blends are similar to Italian caffe latte and French cafe au lait. but it’s most similar to latte because an espresso is used over drip coffee.

17. Espressino

Espressino is an Italian based coffee drink. It’s prepared with equal parts of espresso, steamed milk, Nutella all over the wall of the cup and some cocoa powder at the top and bottom of the drink. Sounds yum!

18. Ristretto

Ristretto is traditionally a short shot of espresso coffee. It is prepared with the normal amount of ground coffee but extracted with about half the amount of water in the same amount of time by using a finer grind. This produces a highly concentrated coffee.

19. Doppio

Doppio is a double shot espresso that is extracted using a double coffee filter. So, this results in 60 ml of espresso, double the amount of a single shot. And because of the usage of a different type of coffee filter, it is referred to as doppio.

20. Café Zorro

Café zorro is quite similar to an Americano. Basically, it’s a double espresso or a doppio added to hot water with a 1:1 ratio.

21. Guillermo

Guillermo is believed to have originated from Spain. Espresso poured over a couple of slices of lime is called a Guillermo. Sometimes it’s served over with ice and a bit of milk to sweeten the taste. The double acidity of lemon and coffee works well.

22. Kopi Susu Panas

Kopi susu panas is a Malaysian drink. It’s prepared by pouring one part condensed milk and another very strong brewed coffee. The coffee is mixed well with the milk and sugar is added to it. Its thick consistency and sweet taste is to die for.

23. Bombon Coffee

Café bombon was popularised in Valencia, Spain and later spread to the rest of the country. An espresso is served with sweetened condensed milk in a 1:1 ratio. It’s quite similar to the Asian version, Kopi Susu Panas, but it uses ground coffee.

24. Irish Coffee Drink Names

Irish coffee is a cocktail that’s made from hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and topped with thick cream. Also, they are addressed by different names like Irish Goodbye, Irish Joe, Irish Stout and many more, which are variations of Irish coffee in different places.

25. Vienna Coffee

Vienna coffee originated in Vienna. It’s prepared by two shots of espresso in a standard coffee cup. And is filled with whipped cream as a replacement for sugar and milk until the cup is full. The cream is twirled and topped with chocolate sprinklings, which is optional.

26. Cafe Borgia Drink

Cafe Borgia is an Italian based coffee drink. It is basically a mocha topped with orange peel gratings. It is often served with whipped cream and topped with cinnamon.

27. Red Eye Coffee

A regular coffee is sometimes combined with espresso to increase the flavor or the caffeine content. This is referred to by many names, but most commonly known as red-eye coffee. However, this name is trademarked by Caribou Coffee Company and hence the usage is restricted. But however, a few coffee house chains may have their own names like turbo at Dunkin Donuts.

28. Black Eye Coffee

A double espresso shot in the coffee is usually termed as a black eye.

29. Lazy Eye Coffee

A lazy eye coffee is similar to black eye coffee. The only difference being the coffee used is decaffeinated.

30. Dead Eye Coffee

A triple espresso shot mixed in coffee is referred to as dead eye coffee.

31. Caffé Tobio

Caffé tobio is a version of coffee where equal amounts of coffee to espresso are mixed.

32. Breve Coffee Drink

Caffe breve is an American variation of a latte, which is a milk-based espresso drink using steamed half and half mixture of milk and cream instead of milk.

33. Chai Latté

Inspired by the Indian masala tea, and Starbucks’ chai latté, a chai latte is a famous coffee drink. It’s one of the most popular kinds of coffee based on an Indian drink that didn’t originate in India!

A chai latté is black coffee infused with cinnamon, clove and other warming spices, and maybe combined with steamed milk and sugar.

34. Piccolo Latté

The piccolo latté originated in Sydney, Australia almost ten years back. So, a piccolo is a ristretto shot topped with warm milk served in a glass demitasse (small latté glass).

35. Romano Espresso

An espresso Romano or Romano espresso is either a long or short shot espresso mixed with sugar and served with a lemon peel to accentuate espresso’s taste. It originated in Italy and is common in Spain, too.

36. Drip Type of Filtered Coffee

Drip brewed coffee is a type of filtered coffee, which is brewed by hot water passing slowly over the roasted coffee beans in a filter. As water passes through the filter, it absorbs its oils, flavors and essence. And then passes through the bottom of the filter with the liquid falling into the collecting vessel while the used coffee grounds are retained in the filter.

Its preparation is quite similar to espresso, however, it’s a more traditional method of preparation since no pressurized water is used, and no machine is necessary. Also known as filter coffee, this is a traditional after-meal drink here in Chennai.

Names of Iced Coffee Drinks

Who wouldn’t love to drink iced coffee drinks in the hottest of summers?! I was extremely happy while including kinds of coffee drinks that are iced because here in Chennai, it’s almost like staying on Venus! 😉 So, let’s check out a few variants of iced drinks!

37. Cold Brewed Coffee

Cold brewed coffee is popular from past 10-12 years. And most health-conscious people are opting for cold brewed coffee as it’s less acidic. Of course, the iced coffees are popular in most countries but hot brewed coffee is used and then ice or cold milk or water is added. But with cold brewed, coffee and water at room temperature are mixed in a jar or a French press and allowed to brew for 24 hours. Then it’s filtered out by the machine or you can use a mesh sieve.

The water to coffee ratio is 1:1 or you can half the amount of water for a stronger taste. This method of cold brewing is believed to be originated in Japan in 16th century.

38. Mazagran

Mazagran or café mazagran is a cold sweetened coffee drink that originated in Algeria. This drink got its name from a fortress named Mazagran in Algiers, Algeria. Portuguese version uses espresso, lemon, mint and rum.

And Austrian versions are served with an ice cube and include rum. Sometimes, to prepare it quickly, ice cubes are added to a previously prepared sweetened espresso in a cup. This drink is also described as the original iced coffee.

39. Ca Phe Sua Da

Ca phe sua da or cafe sua da is a traditional Vietnamese coffee. It’s also called as ca phe nau da in Northern Vietnam. It is made with finely ground Vietnamese grown dark roast coffee, which is brewed with a small French drip filter into a cup containing about a quarter to a half as much sweetened condensed milk. And it’s stirred and poured over ice.

40. Café del Tiempo

Café del Tiempo is a Valencian drink and is usually had during the hot months of Summer. A long espresso coffee is served in a glass and mixed with sugar. After stirring it, ice and lemon are added and is drunk as a refreshing drink.

41. Café con Hielo

Café con Hielo means coffee with ice in Spanish. The coffee is mixed with frozen food like dairy (cream, milk, yogurt etc.) or various flavors of sorbets. While preparing the coffee, sugar is added once it’s hot or when added after ice cubes, the sugar may dissolve slowly.

42. Affogato

If one wants to define affogato, one can simply say it’s an Italian coffee-based dessert. It is prepared by topping a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream with a shot of hot espresso. Though some desserts address it as a dessert, a few categorized it as a beverage.

43. Café Frappe

Café frappe is a very popular drink in Greece, especially during summers. But now it’s quite popular in other countries, too! Basically, it’s a foam-covered iced coffee drink made from spray-dried instant coffee.

44. Frappuccino

Frappuccino is a trademarked Starbucks drink. These are a line of iced, blended coffee drinks. It consists of coffee or crème base, blended with ice and other various ingredients, usually topped with whipped cream and chocolate or other sauces. These kinds of coffee drinks from Starbucks often have a large number of variations to try!

Also, read: Starbucks vs CCD

Starbucks

45. Freddo Espresso

The kinds of coffee drinks in Greece are mostly cold. This is because of the hot summers they experience. So, a Freddo espresso is a foam-covered coffee made from espresso. It usually consists of two shots of espresso, sugar and ice. The ratio of espresso shots to ice is 1:2. The ingredients are mixed in a frapièra (a drink mixer). It mixes the coffee well by producing foams.

46. Freddo Cappuccino

Freddo cappuccino is another version of cappuccino in kinds of coffee drinks. It follows the same preparation method as of Freddo Espresso but at the foamed and creamed milk is added in the end. The ratio of espresso to creamed milk is 1:2.

47. Palazzo

A Palazzo is an iced-coffee type that’s popular in Southern California. It’s prepared by two shots of espresso, chilled immediately after preparing and mixed with sweetened cream. It’s made using a Moka pot.

48. Shakerato

Most kinds of coffee drinks that are served cold are shaken in a shaker. And the most basic type of cold coffee, Shakerato is prepared by shaking espresso and ice cubes.

49. Ice Shot

An ice shot coffee is similar to Mazagran. It originated in Australia. Australians surely love to have their own kinds of coffee drinks! Ice Shot is a single shot of fresh espresso poured into an ordinary latté glass that has been filled with ice. No milk, sugar or any other flavoring is involved. A popular variant is adding a scoop of ice cream. The hot coffee poured over the ice cubes gives a rich taste.

50. Iced Cappuccino

With iced cappuccino, we end our list of different kinds of coffee. This is Shilpa’s personal favorite and when she explained the process involved, I felt as if I’m listening to an encyclopedia. Duh! But I’m impressed and I know what to order on my next visit to Starbucks. An iced cappuccino is the iced version of a hot cappuccino, using the same proportions – one-third part espresso, one-third part cold milk and one-third part ice and topped with foam. Even though it’s an iced drink, it uses hot foam.

So, that was all about different kinds of coffee. We hope you can keep this guide handy when you visit a coffee shop in any part of the world. Also, did we miss out any other type of drink? If, yes, please add them in the comments below and do share your thoughts by tweeting @shilpa1ahuja!

Also, read:

– Gourmet Coffee: Your Complete Guide to Taste, Selection & Recipes
– Coffee Nap: Can Caffeine Actually Help Improve Power Naps?
– Top 10 Coffee Festival & Shows Around the World: Celebrate the Caffeine!