Coffee Lingo: Cortado

Cortado is one of our favorite crafted beverages in the cafes. But what exactly goes into one?

Let’s start by breaking it down a little. The word cortado is derived from the Spanish verb cortar – which means to cut or in this case to dilute with milk. The beverage is popular in parts of Spain and Portugal, as well as various Latin American countries. 

So what exactly is it? A cortado is a full shot of espresso cut with roughly an equal amount of steamed milk. It’s between a 1:1 – 1:2 ratio of coffee to milk. We add milk to sweeten the espresso and thin it’s strength (a properly pulled espresso should be balanced enough to not be too acidic).

For a cortado, we steam the milk roughly 20 degrees cooler than a latte, as it is served in a handle-less vessel and intended for immediate consumption (don’t wanna burn yo’ fingers!)

Cortados can also go by a few different alias’, sometimes being referred to as a “Gibraltars” or “Piccolos.”

Check back soon for the next addition of Coffee 101.