Not much is known about the cortado’s origins, apart from the fact that it comes from Spain’s Basque Country. The term cortado , or cut, refers to the milk cutting through the intensity of the espresso, toning down its acidity while retaining the coffee’s flavour. As the cortado spread from Spain to cafés around the world, its recipe evolved to meet the needs of local consumers. A significant change it underwent occurred when it reached the USA. Here, serving sizes for coffee beverages have steadily crept up over the past half-century, and it’s not uncommon to find 20-ounce beverages on offer at US coffee shops. This drink can also be easily confused with a latte. However, though this coffee drink does have the same amount of espresso, it has much more milk. Since the larger amount of steamed milk further dilutes the espresso, lattes are not as potent in caffeine content as the cortado. Cortado vs Gibraltar

The recipe for a cortado always starts with fresh shots of espresso. Credit: Rea Café The Cortado Around the World The cortado is an espresso drink with the perfect balance of milk and espresso! It’s a uniquely smooth pairing that’s silky and robust. A famous variation of the cortado is the Gibraltar, which Time Out USA says was invented by the Blue Bottle Coffee Company in San Francisco in 2005 . This variation is served in a four and a half ounce Libbey Gibraltar glass tumbler, and features two shots of espresso and two shots of steamed milk. For this reason, many third-wave coffee shops find the Cortado synonymous with this glass.

Like a macchiato, it’s hard to steam the small amount of milk required for a cortado. When steaming milk, try pairing it with another milk drink to reduce waste. Grind coffee beans and use an espresso machine to extract 2 shots of espresso into a small cup that holds at least 4 ounces. A gibraltar glass is the perfect size for a cortado at 4.5 ounces. The best milk for a cortado? Whole milk. It’s the ideal richness for pairing with the bittersweet coffee, and it steams the easiest. Want to make a vegan cortado? Oat milk is your best bet: it’s the best dairy-free milk for steaming. Steaming or frothing the milk

Cortados have 2 ounces of lightly textured milk. Cappuccinos have 5 ounces of lighter, frothier milk. Below are a few notes on the methods for how to make espresso and how to steam or froth the milk. How to make the espresso After espresso extraction, steam your desired milk of choice (our go-to is whole milk, but you can use almond, coconut, oak, etc.) An important component of the cortado is steamed milk. Credit: Red Band Academy Mainstream Adoption of The Cortado & Its FutureFor others, it’s all about the ratio. Paula Chaverri Echandi, the owner of Café Sikëwa in Costa Rica, says “[The] cortado as I know it is one espresso plus one ounce of hot milk.” Bruno Danese is the owner of Japan’s Hoccino Coffees , and says it’s “1:1 espresso and steamed milk… a cortado can be as small as three ounces or as big as 16 ounces, as long the coffee to milk ratio remains the same.” If dairy consumption continues to plummet as it’s been doing for the past few years, it may fall out of favour with customers and coffee shops alike. Cargill, an international company in the food, agriculture, nutrition, and risk management sector, released a White Paper in 2018 stating, “Consumer attitudes about dairy are changing around the world… usage… has been in decline over the past two decades as consumers – particularly in dairy’s most prominent markets – act in response to worries over allergens, hormone usage and perceived unhealthfulness of some dairy products.” Steamed dairy milk gives the cortado its silky texture, low viscosity , and creamy mouthfeel, which means that cortados made with alternative milk could fall short. Cortados have lightly textured milk, about 2 ounces. Lattes can have anywhere from 8 ounces of milk or more.Both cortados and lattes have a thin layer of microfoam on top. Peleg, Oren (June 8, 2017), "So, What's The Difference Between A Flat White, A Cortado And A Cappuccino?", LAist A Cortado is always served in a 4.5 ounce glass cup, making it easy to pour in the exact quantities. When it’s served in a special glass called a Gibraltar glass that tapers at the bottom, it’s called a Gibraltar. This tradition started at a coffeehouse in San Francisco and persists to this day! Some people say there are slight differences but the drinks are essentially the same. Cortado vs latte