Macchiato vs Cortado: What Is the Difference?
Macchiato vs Cortado: What Is the Difference?
What is a cortado?
A cortado is espresso cut with an equal amount of steamed milk, usually served in a small glass around four ounces. The milk is warm and barely textured, not foamy.
The name comes from the Spanish cortar, to cut. The milk is there to cut the acidity of the shot, not to make a milk drink.
For this, Spectre is the dark espresso roast we developed against a shot rather than a filter.
A good one tastes like espresso that has been rounded off, not diluted. You should still clearly taste the coffee.
Once you know the difference, the only question left is which bag.
The names matter less than what you actually like. Both are worth drinking. Neither is worth overpaying for.
What decides whether either is any good is the coffee you started with.
See what people order most →What is a macchiato?
A traditional macchiato is a shot of espresso marked with a small spoon of foam. It is roughly ninety percent espresso, served in a demitasse, and it drinks almost like a straight shot.
Macchiato means stained or marked. The foam is a mark on the surface, not an ingredient.
The large caramel drink sold under that name at chains is a different product entirely. It is a flavoured latte, and it is where most of the confusion comes from.
| Cortado | Macchiato | Latte | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso to milk | 1:1 | About 9:1 | 1:3 or more |
| Typical size | 4 oz | 2 to 3 oz | 8 to 16 oz |
| Milk texture | Warm, barely foamed | A spoon of foam | Steamed, silky |
| Tastes like | Balanced espresso | Nearly straight espresso | Mostly milk |
| Served in | Small glass | Demitasse | Mug or tall glass |
Most bad versions of either are just bad coffee underneath.
Milk hides a lot but it does not fix a roast that was scorched. If yours tastes flat at home, the recipe is not the problem.
A roast with real body cuts through. A thin one disappears.
Roasts with body →Which should you order?
Order a cortado if you want to taste the coffee but not be hit by it. Order a macchiato if you basically want espresso and just want the sharpest edge removed.
If you normally drink black coffee and find espresso too intense, the cortado is the natural step.
If you drink espresso already and just want a softer finish, the macchiato is the smaller adjustment.
Why does the chain version taste nothing like a real macchiato?
Because it is not one. The large caramel version is espresso, a lot of steamed milk, vanilla syrup and caramel sauce, which makes it closer to a flavoured latte than to a marked shot.
That drink is fine on its own terms. It is just named after something it does not resemble.
If you order a macchiato at an independent shop expecting the chain version, you will get a two ounce cup and a surprise.
Pick one bag, learn it, and stop guessing.
You do not need a shelf of options. You need one roast you know how to use and a reason to never be out of it.
- Pick the roast that suits how you actually brew.
- Set it to resupply on a schedule that matches what you drink.
- Stop thinking about it. You do not hit zero again.
What coffee works best in either?
Both are espresso forward, so the roast carries the drink. A medium-dark or dark espresso roast gives you body and chocolate that survives the milk in a cortado and holds up on its own in a macchiato.
Light roasts in either drink tend to read as sour, because there is not enough milk to round them out.
This is the one place where the bean is doing almost all of the work, so it is worth using something you would happily drink black.
Great coffee for people who have somewhere to be.
However you take it, the day goes better when the coffee was worth making.
Subscriptions take 30% off the first order automatically. No code, nothing to remember. One time orders take 15% with WELCOME15.
Shop the lineup →Questions people actually ask
Is a cortado stronger than a macchiato?
A macchiato is stronger tasting because it is almost entirely espresso. A cortado contains the same espresso but with equal milk, so it tastes softer while carrying the same caffeine.
How much caffeine is in a cortado?
Usually one or two shots, so roughly sixty-three to one hundred and twenty-six milligrams. The milk changes the taste, not the caffeine.
Is a cortado the same as a flat white?
No, though they are close. A flat white is larger, typically six ounces, with more milk and a thin microfoam layer. A cortado is smaller and closer to one to one.
Why is a macchiato served so small?
Because it is essentially espresso. The foam is a garnish rather than an ingredient, so the drink stays at the volume of the shot underneath it.
Can you make a cortado without an espresso machine?
You can approximate one with a moka pot. Brew it strong, heat an equal amount of milk, and combine. It will not have crema but the ratio and the balance carry over.
