Macchiato

A traditional espresso macchiato is a shot of espresso “marked” with a small spoonful of steamed milk or milk foam. It’s much smaller and more coffee-forward than a latte macchiato.

Make a single espresso, then spoon on a teaspoon or two of dense steamed milk foam. Without an espresso machine, a moka pot makes a strong coffee base, though the result won’t be quite the same as espresso.

An espresso macchiato starts with espresso and gets a little milk on top. A latte macchiato starts with a glass of steamed milk, with espresso poured in to mark it; it’s larger and milkier.

A macchiato has much less milk, so the espresso taste comes through more strongly. A cortado is usually made with roughly equal amounts of espresso and warm milk.

Yes. Barista-style oat milk is usually easiest to foam; heat it gently and spoon just a little foam over the espresso so it doesn’t overwhelm the coffee.

A traditional espresso macchiato is served hot. For a cold version, pour espresso over ice and add a little cold frothed milk; with more milk, it becomes closer to an iced latte macchiato.

Drink it straight away: the milk foam soon settles and the espresso loses its aroma, so a prepared macchiato doesn’t keep well.

Its small size and bold coffee flavour work well with a little biscuit, such as a shortbread finger or an amaretti. A large, very sweet cake can easily overpower it.