River Road Coffeehouse

Often, the drink names and terms used in a coffeehouse can be confusing. However, this is not our intention. Nearly all the drink names used in a coffeehouse are Italian. Here is a list of some drink names and terms:

• Americano – A drink made with espresso and hot water. Essentially the same strength as a cup of coffee, but with the great flavor of espresso.
• Caffe Latte – A drink made with espresso and steamed milk, nearly entirely liquid with a small amount of foam on top. From Italian meaning “coffee milk”.
• Caffe Breve – Similar to a Caffe Latte, but made with cream or half & half instead of milk. From Italian meaning “coffee cream”.
• American Cappuccino – A drink made with espresso and steamed and foamed milk, approximately half foam and half liquid.
• Traditional Cappuccino - A 6 ounce drink made from an espresso ristretto with steamed and foamed milk. Typically, this drink has a ratio of 1 part coffee to 3-5 parts milk by volume.
• Café Au Lait – A drink containing half steamed milk and half drip coffee. From French meaning “coffee with milk”.
• Latte Macchiato – A drink consisting of steamed milk with espresso poured over top. Similar to a Caffe Latte. From Italian meaning “milk marked”.
• Espresso Macchiato – A shot of espresso topped with a dollop of milk foam. From Italian meaning “coffee marked”.
• Espresso Ristretto – An Italian-style espresso. American espresso is usually defined as two 1.5 ounce shots pulled in 25 seconds from a 14-16 gram dose of coffee. An espresso ristretto is usually a single 1 ounce shot pulled in 25 seconds from a 14-16 g dose. A ristretto shot contains mostly the whole sugars, the acidity, and the volatile aromatics of the espresso, as the carbonized sugars and other chemicals come through later in the shot. Because this type of shot requires a different grind, most coffeehouses will simply cut off their american shot at 1 ounce. From Italian meaning “coffee restricted”.
• Steamer – A drink containing steamed milk and a flavoring syrup.
• Wet / Dry – A modifier that changes the amount of foam on a drink. Wet indicates less foam, while dry indicates more foam (i.e., a dry cappuccino).
• Skinny – A modifier indicating the use of skim milk.

There are many other terms that are used. If you’re ever in our shop and don’t understand something you hear, please tell us. We love helping people learn about coffee.