Stained coffee What is it and how is it done correctly?

The stained coffee It is one of the most popular preparations both in Spain and in many other countries. Although everyone has their personal taste in terms of the type of milk, with or without sugar, or the condiments that season it, the reality is that it has its own original formula and method of preparation.

The “original version” can generate lots of discussions and you will even find different versions in specialized cafes. But, What is stained coffee really? What is the most correct way to make it? Next, from Incapto We analyze the different theories to discover the master formula.

What is stained coffee

Stained coffee is a preparation that has great milk ratio very hot mixed with very little coffee. It is usually served in glass glasses or cups that reveal its characteristic light color, very different from that of a espresso traditional dark brown.

However, the coffee macchiato or espresso macchiato, which would be accurately translated into Spanish as “stained coffee,” has an opposite recipe. It is a cup with generous doses of coffee and a dash of foamy, piping hot milk. In our country, we call this a cut.

is free translation What we do in Spain can lead to great confusion. We can find ourselves ordering a Mando in neighboring countries and receiving the wrong drink (for us) at any establishment outside our borders.

Stained coffee vs caffè macchiato

The reality is that its own name in Italian identifies the original recipe very well. It is called “macchiato”, that is, spotted, because the color of the coffee stains with the clarity of the milk used.

However, this term also evolved in this same country. It began to be used to define those coffees that came with a touch of foamed milk instead of liquid milk, or the simple recipe. The cups with macchiato would become foamy and the baristas would understand this in many Italian establishments.

In Spain we can request it without fear of making a mistake because, commonly, we differentiate the cut of the staining. In this way, we can be clearer about what we are asking for, even if it does not pay homage to the traditional term.

How to make stained coffee correctly

What is stained coffee and how is it made? Well, let's start with what we, in Spain, understand as stained coffee. Here the amount of milk is greater than the amount of coffee, but each establishment ends up adopting its own proportion or serve it to taste of the user.

If we want to find a standard proportion for this drink, the most correct thing would be to make a cup with a 75% milk and 25% coffee. The size usually depends on the time of day or what is requested by the consumer, therefore, at breakfast time the cups tend to be larger.

Coffee can be of any variety of your choice, although there is no debate as to what it tends to be. an espresso. The milk must be very hot and, if we want to get a little closer to the original version, the ideal is for it to be somewhat foamy.

In our stained coffee it will be the milk that has a greater presence in the cup. Taking this into account, it is advisable to first serve the desired amount of milk and then “stain” it with a few drops of coffee.

Why is our stained coffee different?

It may seem surprising that in Spain we use the same term as in Italy for such an opposite combination. However, this it has its logic and part of a confusion in the translation.

The latte macchiato It refers to stained milk, and is exactly the proportion of ingredients that we understand in Spain when ordering a stained milk. However, here the custom of foaming milk also comes into play, which gives identity to this preparation in which three layers of different colors are differentiated: the upper one is a foam, the middle one is milk, and the one at the bottom of the cup is coffee.

The different types of stained coffee: a useful guide

To clarify all these concepts that we have mentioned, we provide you with a little guide of what each one is, so that you can ask more exactly for what you want at every moment, and place!

• Stained coffee (latte macchiato in Italy): a glass or cup with a high percentage of milk and a few drops of coffee.
• Caffè macchiato (Spanish cut coffee): a hunt with a large amount of espresso and a few drops of milk.
• Coffee with milk (in both countries): an identical proportion of milk and coffee at 50%.

In this way, you will avoid confusion both in national territory and in your breakfasts abroad.

Bibliography:

• Puerta, G. I. (2001). How to ensure good quality of coffee drink and avoid defects. National Coffee Research Center (Cenicafé).
• Door, G. I. (2013). Coffee quality. Cenicafe.