A cortado coffee is an espresso drink with the perfect balance of milk and espresso! It’s a uniquely smooth pairing that’s silky and robust.
Looking for an espresso drink that’s even better than a latte or a cappuccino? In my opinion, it’s the Cortado! This Spanish coffee drink is intensely smooth, the ideal balance between espresso and milk.
It’s rich, robust, and silky, each component bringing out the best in the other. As an espresso drink lover, I love how I get more espresso and less milk than a latte (I like the flavor better and my stomach thanks me!) Many espresso drinks are Italian in origin, but this Spanish-style one takes it to a whole new level.
5 Star Reader Review
“Just made this with my Rocket Appartmento and it was delicious!… Perfectly acidic, and the yummy creaminess of my morning latte without all the calories and afternoon bloating. It’s so yummy that I think I might be brave next time and not add anything flavored/sweet at all!” -Christian
What Is a Cortado?
The Cortado is an espresso drink of equal parts espresso and steamed milk. It’s Spanish in origin: “cortado” means “cut” in Spanish, indicating that the espresso is cut with the milk. In contrast to other coffee drinks, a Cortado is always the same volume: one doubleshot of espresso and 2 ounces milk.
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
Wait: what makes it a cortado vs a latte? Here are the key differences:
- Cortado vs. latte: A cortado is a 1:1 milk-to-espresso ratio in a 4-ounce glass; a latte is 2:1 milk to espresso in a 6-ounce mug. The cortado tastes stronger with a bold espresso flavor.
- Cortado vs. cappuccino: A cappuccino has a thick cap of airy foam. A cortado has almost none, just smooth steamed milk.
- Cortado vs. flat white: A flat white is a bit larger with a thin layer of microfoam; a cortado is smaller with less foam. If you like the flat white, the cortado is similar: somewhere between it and a macchiatto (espresso + foam).
Because it has less milk, the cortado allows the bold espresso flavor to shine through more than a latte. To me, the cortado is like an elevated latte: in fact, I much prefer its flavor! The cortado also has less calories than a latte since it uses less milk.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Espresso roast coffee: The roast is important to get the right dark, bitter flavor. Use a fine grind on the espresso beans. Some brands I recommend: Illy Intenso Bold Roast, Starbucks Espresso Roast or Intelligentsia Black Cat.
- Whole milk: Whole milk has the ideal richness for pairing with the bittersweet coffee, and it steams the easiest. For a a vegan cortado, oat milk is your best bet: it’s the best dairy-free milk for steaming.
How to Make a Cortado
Ready to get sipping? Here’s the outline of how to make a cortado at home:
- Make a double shot of espresso. Go to How to Make Espresso for instructions: you can make it with or without a machine. Our favorite espresso machine is this one, but it’s pricey. A manual espresso maker is much cheaper and portable, or French press espresso also works well.
- Steam or froth ¼ cup whole milk using the instructions below.
- Pour the espresso into a small glass, then top with the milk.
Below are a few notes on the methods for how to make espresso and how to steam or froth the milk.
Tips for Steaming or Frothing The Milk
One advantage to the cortado over the latte is that the quality of the steamed milk is less important. You don’t need the perfect microfoam texture like you need when making latte art. The milk is steamed but not textured. You can use the frothing process here and it works great! Here’s what to do:
- Froth the milk with a hand-held frother, French press, or whisk. The best tool is a frother if you have it, but a French press also works well. (We’d advise against a whisk here, but use it if it’s all you have.) Go to How to Froth Milk.
- Steam the milk using an espresso machine. Of course, the best cortado uses milk that’s steamed with an espresso machine! Go to How to Steam Milk and use the instructions for stretching the milk to 20 to 25% in height.
Where To Find Cortado Glasses
It’s not a cortado if it’s not in a cortado glass! Of course, you can use whatever small glass you like but here are the types of glasses that are typical for this drink:
- Cortado glass: Try this small tumbler glass
- Gibraltar glass: Opt for a Gibraltar glass, which narrows at the bottom (and technically, that makes it a Gibraltar)
Cortado
Pin RecipeThe cortado is an espresso drink with the perfect balance of milk and espresso! It’s a uniquely smooth pairing that’s silky and robust.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Espresso
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 ounces* espresso (1 doubleshot)
- 2 ounces steamed milk (see steps)
- Cortado glass or Gibraltar glass
Instructions
- Make the espresso: Go to How to Make Espresso.
- Steam the milk: Steam the milk with an espresso machine (stretching the milk to 20 to 25% in height), or froth the milk with a frother, French press or whisk. Use ½ cup milk for this process: discard the leftovers or make two drinks.
- Serve: Pour 2 ounces espresso into the cortado glass, then top with the steamed milk. Drink immediately.
Notes
*To convert to tablespoons, 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
More Coffee Drinks to Try
The cortado is one of my favorite coffee drinks; here are a few more to try:
- Try the perfect Pour Over or French Press
- Opt for Cold Brew, Iced Coffee or Iced Vanilla Latte
- Try Spanish Cafe con leche or French Cafe au lait
- Grab an espresso drink like an Americano, Macchiato, Cappuccino, Flat White, Gibraltar, Breve, Mocha, Mocha Cappuccino or Iced Latte
- Go bubbly with a Coffee Soda
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