Cappuccino, flat white, latte macchiato, café latte, cortado — the list of milk-coffee variants is long and interpreted differently in every café. Here is a clear overview.
Cappuccino — Italian
Classic Italian: 60 ml espresso (doppio), 60 ml steamed milk, 60 ml microfoam. In total 180 ml in a 200 ml porcelain cup with saucer. Foam content is high but fine-pored — not big-bubbled.
Important: in Italy cappuccino is drunk only in the morning, never after 11 am and never after a meal. Order a cappuccino in Rome or Milan after lunch and you've outed yourself as a tourist. In Germany the time of day doesn't matter — cappuccino is ordered all day long.
Flat white — Australian / New Zealand
From Sydney or Auckland (origins disputed), arrived in Europe in the 2010s. Ratio: 60 ml espresso, 120–150 ml steamed milk, a very thin microfoam layer (5–10 mm). In total 180–220 ml in a small tulip cup.
The decisive difference from cappuccino: less foam, more milk, and the foam is microfoam, not cappuccino foam. Flavour profile: more intense than a latte (less milk dilution), rounder than a cappuccino (more milk).
Latte macchiato — German / Austrian
Despite the Italian name, latte macchiato is mainly a Central European invention. Ratio: 200–250 ml steamed milk in a tall glass, with 30 ml espresso poured on top so the espresso forms a layer between milk and foam. Total 300 ml in a latte glass.
Weakest espresso ratio of the three, the espresso is more accent than substance. In Italy 'latte macchiato' does technically exist, but is very rare and looks different — usually just steamed milk with a touch of microfoam, no glass-layering effect.
Café latte — American-shaped
What's called 'latte' in the US is mostly a bigger cappuccino with less foam: 60 ml espresso, 200–250 ml milk, a thin breath of foam. In the US it's sold in 350 ml cups, which brings tears to Italian eyes.
Cortado — Spanish / Portuguese
From Spain: 30 ml espresso, 30 ml steamed milk, very little foam. Total 60 ml in a small glass. The strongest flavour of the milk-coffee family, because the milk only takes the edge off, it doesn't cover the espresso.
Overview in a table
| Drink | Espresso | Milk | Foam | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino | 60 ml | 60 ml | 60 ml thick | 180 ml |
| Flat white | 60 ml | 120 ml | 10 ml thin | 190 ml |
| Latte macchiato | 30 ml | 220 ml | 50 ml medium | 300 ml |
| Café latte | 60 ml | 220 ml | 20 ml thin | 300 ml |
| Cortado | 30 ml | 30 ml | — | 60 ml |
What Berlin often gets wrong
Three common Berlin mix-ups:
- Cappuccino in 350 ml cups. That's not a cappuccino, that's a café latte with a foam cap. A real cappuccino is 200 ml.
- Flat white with cappuccino foam. Anyone serving a flat white with a thick foam cap has missed the concept.
- Latte macchiato in a cappuccino cup. Latte macchiato needs a tall glass so the layers are visible. In a cup it's just a boring café latte.
Which coffee, when?
Pragmatic recommendation: cappuccino when you want espresso flavour with foam. Flat white when you want espresso flavour with a bit more milk, no foam crown. Latte macchiato when espresso is actually too strong for you and you'd rather have hot milk with a hint of coffee. Cortado when you like espresso but want a little milk to round it off. Café latte when you want a big cup of warm milk-coffee and espresso is more aroma than centrepiece.
If you want to make all of this cleanly at home or on the job: Barista Foundation covers all five variants, with side-by-side practice comparison.