What Is a Cortado? The Perfect Espresso Drink for Beginners + Recipe

by Editorial Staff | Updated on August 8th, 2022

The cortado is a coffee drink that is popular in Spain. It is also commonly found throughout Italy, Cuba, and the United States. It is made by combining espresso with steamed milk. This creates a concentrated coffee flavor while retaining some of the sweetness of the milk.

The cortado: you’ve likely seen them on the menu of your favorite coffee shop. You may even have contemplated ordering once. And you’ve probably wondered, what’s a cortado?

Keep reading for all the details you’ll need for this perfect coffee drink.

Owing to its simple structure and international notoriety, many coffee fanatics have become increasingly fascinated with the cortado. Owing to its permanently fixed smaller size, it is also a non-negotiable consideration to change or customize a drink’s size. Except in large coffee shops like Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Starbucks, and Costa, most will only deliver the cortado in this pre-determined cup size.

Customarily, they are poured into small glasses made of glass or metal. It’s generally not adorned with foam art or something like lattes, that seems to be, and that’s because the cortado isn’t necessarily a matter of aesthetics or flair but a balance between flavors.

The Cortado origin story

The word “cortado” derives its name from “cortar,” which is the Spanish verb “to cut.” The word “cortado” is rightly dubbed because the milk is supposed to cut through the espresso. The steamed milk is said to “cut” the espresso to reduce the acidity and intensity of the drink.

Also, “cortado” is the past participle of “cortar” and relates to espresso and coffee drinks’ dilution. After its production in the Basque Country of Spain, the beverage made its way in reputation across the entire Galicia region of northern Portugal and Cuba.

Unlike most other popular espresso drinks, the cortado contains little to no foam. Italian coffees contain some froth or foam; however Spanish coffee drinks do not come with “texturized” milk.

The fact that the cortado does not have a lot of foam makes it possible for the milk to slice through the espresso, blending as seamlessly as possible—the outcome? A tasty mix of strong, robust espresso and creamy, light milk.

Cortado spread from Spain to cafés worldwide, such as in Costa Rica, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, etc. Its recipe evolved to meet the needs of the local consumer. Here’s how Starbucks and Cubans make their cortado.

The Best Coffee for a Cortado

The quality of a Cortado is mostly determined by the coffee beans used and the barista’s skill level. Because the coffee beans will be a defining factor in the tastes and flavors in your Cortado, it’s critical to choose the right coffee beans for this type of drink.

To begin, utilize coffees with chocolatey and nutty flavors, such as our house blend or the Brazilian coffee mentioned earlier. This coffee will deliver richness and a substantial body that will ensure your Cortado does not disappoint.

Because a Cortado is made from an espresso shot, choosing a coffee that produces a wonderful espresso is frequently the best option. Consider heavy-bodied coffees rather than delicately flavored ones, as these will be swiftly transformed or reduced by a little milk.

Check out our best espresso coffee beans list

Or our best organic espresso beans

Fruity coffees don’t always go well with milk-based coffee drinks because they can be sour. These coffees are better suited to brew methods such as the V60 or Chemex.

Creating the perfect espresso shot is both a science and an art, so please contact us if you need assistance learning how to make better espresso shots efficiently. Our specialized Coffee Academy was designed specifically to assist folks who enjoy coffee in getting the most out of it.

How to make a Cortado

To brew a cortado, the essential piece of equipment you require is an espresso machine. Since espresso is the cornerstone of a drink, you will need access to a machine to make the coffee properly. In conjunction with this, you will need your favorite milk of preference when you’re ready to add to the cocktail. Here’s a quick way to do it:

• Extract two shots of espresso
• After extracting the espresso, heat your milk of choice (our go-to is whole milk, but you can use almond, coconut, oak, etc.)
• Gradually pour the steamed milk into your espresso. Make sure that the proportion of espresso to milk is 1:1, and voila!

If you’re not a novice to brewing with espresso or have an espresso machine at home, the cortado is a very easy yet tasty drink to master. As far as the delivery is concerned, you can serve it in the standard 5-7 oz or just in the coffee mug of your choice.

And since the key base of the cortado is the ratio between espresso and milk, you can also be a little creative with your cortado by introducing flavoring. You’re good to go if you keep the volume of espresso and milk.

Some also prefer to replace milk with another alternative, turning a cortado into a cortado bombon, a condensada (espresso and condensed milk), or a Leche y Leche (condensed milk and cream on top).

Differences between beverages

It’s important to remember that Cortado is a coffee drink. It’s not similar to any other coffee drink.

We realize there are many different coffee drinks out there to choose from, but there’s no other drink that’s as sassy as the cortado.

Cortado vs Cappuccino

Both Cortado and Cappuccino have espresso and hot milk. But the cappuccino is made up of three parts, while the cortado has two parts.

With a cappuccino, you’re looking at a double shot of espresso at the bottom, followed by a portion of hot milk in the center, with a top made of foamed milk at the top. Cappuccinos are often served in various sizes, while the cortado is a small serving of beverage.

Between the cortado vs. cappuccino, consumers may want more foam in their drink, or they may like an equivalent portion of espresso to milk. These variations will most likely decide what kind of drink you want.

Cortado Vs. Macchiato

Macchiato is an Italian favorite – an espresso shot with milk. Macchiato has a little less milk, which makes it a little bit less in volume. It is served in an espresso glass and is commonly consumed by those who want to experience the richness and taste of the espresso, with a little milk to make it more palatable.

Milk is sweet and fatty in composition, so it is used in these kinds of drinks for people who enjoy the full-bodied essence of the espresso but want the sharpness to be slightly reduced.

It is also worth noting, however, that an acidic espresso shot could be better at dialing in the coffee or simply choosing a more fine blend of coffee.

Anyone who considers an espresso too acidic but who wants to stay away from getting too much milk in their coffee would also appreciate a macchiato.

The time to drink or enjoy the beverages often varies. Sometimes Macchiato is referred to as a morning drink. After a full stomach, many Italians will not drink milky drinks; that’s why they like it in the morning.

Cortado vs. White flat

Another drink that is usually compared to a cortado is a flat white. While they have the same quantity of espresso, the amount of milk differs significantly. In contrast to the cortado, the flat white is more closely related to the latte.

Both beverages have the same espresso volume, but the flat white drink has more milk and is smoother than the cortado. Also, flat whites seem to come with a little more flair when it comes to presentation, most often latte art.

Cortado vs. Latte

This drink can also be effortlessly mistaken for a latte drink. However, while this coffee drink has the same amount of espresso, it has much more milk. As the larger quantity of steamed milk further dilutes the espresso, lattes are not as strong in caffeine content as the cortado.

Cortado vs. Gibraltar

Here’s a bit of a change in things. The Cortado and Gibraltar are the same beverage. The “Gibraltar” is just an underworld term for it. The “Gibraltar” originally stemmed from San Francisco, California, and was formed by the Blue Bottle Coffee Company.

However, unlike Cortado, Gibraltar is named because of the cup in which the 4.5 oz “Gibraltar” glass is served. And instead of the 1-2 ratio from the Cortado, Gibraltar can be up to two parts espresso and 3 parts milk.

Here’s a quote out of his 2012 book The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee:

At Blue Bottle, we serve a drink in a 4.5 ounce rocks glass with an octagonal beveled base made by the Libbey Glass company. The proportion is usually 1.25 fluid ounces of espresso to 2.5 fluid ounces of steamed milk, which fits nicely between the macchiato and the cappuccino. The milk is steamed thinly and elegantly and isn’t very hot– it’s a drink built for immediate quaffing.

James Freeman  The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee

Manufactured by the Libbey Glass Company, Gibraltar’s materials and measurements are the same as the cortado. They are just separated by a different time. The second name emerged simply because of the glass with which Gibraltar is served.

Over time, several third-wave coffee shops have caught the wind of this movement, and the name has circulated mostly along the western coast of the United States.

Conclusion

Now you’ve all you need to know about this tasty and quirky coffee drink! 

Enjoy your cortado, and as always, healthy caffeine!

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Disclosure: No compensation or free products were received in exchange for writing this review.

Editorial Staff

The editorial staff at Crazy Coffee Crave is a team of coffee enthusiasts & Baristas who enjoy the one thing we all think about as soon as we get up in the morning. Trusted by thousands of readers worldwide.

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