Olive oil coffee sounds like a gimmick. But after Starbucks launched its Oleato line globally in 2023 — and café culture in the Middle East and Italy had been doing it for decades — it became clear this isn’t just a trend. The combination of high-quality extra virgin olive oil and espresso creates something genuinely surprising: a silky, rich drink with a flavor that’s hard to describe until you’ve tried it. ...
Order a “white espresso” at a specialty café and you’ll get a shot that looks pale golden, smells like almonds, and packs a significantly larger caffeine punch than your usual double espresso. It’s one of the more unusual corners of specialty coffee — and genuinely different from anything most home espresso drinkers have tried. Here’s what white espresso actually is, how it tastes, and how to work with it at home. ...
You’ve probably seen “breve” as an option at the milk customization section of your coffee order — or noticed it on specialty café menus next to lattes and cappuccinos. It sounds unfamiliar, but the concept is simple: swap the milk for half-and-half and you get a dramatically richer, creamier espresso drink. This guide covers everything you need to know about breve coffee and how to make one at home. What Is Breve Coffee? Breve coffee (pronounced BREV-ay) is an espresso-based drink made with steamed half-and-half instead of steamed whole milk. The word “breve” is Italian for “short” or “brief,” though in American coffee culture it simply means the half-and-half version of a drink. ...
If you’ve visited a specialty coffee bar in San Francisco, Portland, or New York in the past decade, you’ve likely seen a small glass of strong, layered coffee with a thin cap of steamed milk. That’s a gibraltar — one of the most beloved insider drinks in third-wave coffee culture, and one that’s been quietly spreading from barista culture to café menus worldwide. Here’s everything you need to know about what it is, where it came from, and how to make one at home. ...
A cortado is one of the most satisfying drinks in espresso — small, balanced, and honest about what it is: espresso and milk in equal measure. It’s not a latte. It’s not a cappuccino. It’s its own thing, with a philosophy behind it. Here’s everything you need to know about cortado coffee, how it compares to other drinks, and how to make it at home. (For the Cuban version of this drink — the cortadito, which is a smaller, sweeter variation that uses sugar-whipped Cuban-style espresso with espumita foam instead of plain Spanish espresso — see our What Is a Cuban Coffee? guide. The cortadito is part of the four-drink Cuban coffee family along with cafecito, colada, and Cuban café con leche, and the guide covers exactly how the Cuban cortadito differs from the Spanish cortado in size, sweetness, and ingredient sourcing.) ...
If you’ve seen “lungo” on a coffee menu or as a button on your espresso machine and weren’t sure what it means, you’re not alone. Lungo is one of the classic espresso drinks — right alongside ristretto and normale — but it’s the least commonly ordered of the three. This guide covers everything: what lungo is, how it differs from espresso, how to make it, and when you’d actually want to drink one. ...
If you’ve ever needed coffee that actually wakes you up, red eye coffee might be exactly what you’re looking for. It’s a simple concept — drip coffee plus a shot of espresso — but the result is something far more powerful and nuanced than either drink alone. Here’s everything you need to know about red eye coffee, including its equally potent cousins the black eye and dead eye, plus exactly how to make each one at home. ...
Cold brew is one of the smoothest, most forgiving coffees you can make at home. No heat means no bitterness — just clean, naturally sweet coffee that keeps in your fridge for two weeks and takes about 5 minutes of actual effort. The rest is waiting. This guide covers the complete cold brew process: ratios, grind size, brew time, two easy methods (mason jar and French press), filtering, storage, and how to serve it. ...
Cold foam turns any iced coffee or cold brew into a barista-style drink — that creamy, cloud-like layer you sip through that slowly folds into the drink as you go. The good news: you don’t need a steam wand or any special equipment. A cheap handheld frother (or even a French press) is all it takes. (For the full definitional context on the cold brew that pairs with cold foam — what cold brew actually is, the 17th-century Japanese mizudashi origin, how it differs from iced coffee and nitro, and the chemistry of cold-water extraction — see our What Is Cold Brew? guide.) ...
Iced coffee is one of those drinks that sounds simple but hides surprising depth. Why does iced coffee sometimes taste watery and weak? Why does cold brew taste so different from chilled drip? And what’s actually the difference between an iced coffee and an iced latte? This guide covers every method for making iced coffee at home — ranked by effort, flavor, and practicality — plus the honest breakdown of iced coffee vs iced latte so you can make the one you actually want. ...