The Four Most Popular Café Espresso Drinks

A café is a combination coffee house and delicatessen. Your café needs both a menu of sandwiches and salads and a complete menu of espresso beverages. Espresso, an Italian brewing style for coffee, can be used to make a variety of beverages. These four espresso drinks are the most popular café choices. Most importantly, make sure to serve your espresso delights in a latte mug or cup to complete the European feel of the beverage.

Doppio Espresso

The simplest and most European espresso beverage that is offered at many cafes is known as a doppio espresso, or a double shot espresso. This hot beverage simply consists of two brewed shots of creamy espresso. You'll know when you've made the drink correctly by looking for the thick, caramel colored foam, known as crema, on the surface of the finished double shot. A sweet doppio is espresso that is mixed with raw sugar, flavored syrup, or honey.

Cappuccino

A cappuccino is the king of the espresso beverages. In Europe, cappuccinos are almost exclusively consumed during the morning hours. You won't find an Italian ordering a cappuccino after lunch. In America, however, these rules are much more relaxed. Customers order cappuccinos at all hours of the day. To make this popular café beverage, pour a shot of brewed espresso into a mug. Fill the mug halfway with steamed milk and fill the mug the rest of the way with milk foam.

Latte

Lattes are considered to be the lighter version of a cappuccino. A latte does not have nearly as much milk foam as a cappuccino. Because the espresso is diluted with more steamed milk, the intense coffee flavor is somewhat reduced in this popular beverage. Lattes are topped with a few dollops of foam, though, to add to the creaminess of this popular drink. Many cafes offer flavored mix-ins to sweeten a latte and add variety to the menu.

Iced Espresso Beverages

During the summer months, many of your customers will be hesitant to purchase a steaming mug filled with a thick and frothy beverage. Summer is a time for cooling off with chilled drinks, smoothies, and frappes. That's why offering an iced espresso beverage at your café is so important. Iced coffee drinks are surprisingly easy to make. While it is possible to simply pour brewed coffee over ice and add cream and sugar, many consumers dislike the thin texture and milder flavor of this iced beverage. Instead, use a shot of espresso mixed with cold milk and cubed ice to create iced lattes, or blend these ingredients in a blender to make a frothy frappe. Adding flavors such as chocolate syrup, caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut syrup will guarantee that customers find something that suits their desires. During the summer, customers will be flocking to your café for a tasty, caffeinated treat that is perfect for a hot and sticky day.

Espresso is a distinctive coffee brewing style that will set your café apart from delis and sandwich joints that only offer hot, American-brewed coffee. With these four popular espresso beverages, your café menu will be complete, and you'll be more likely to see satisfied customers walking out your café doors.