Caffè macchiato

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Not to be confused with a similar drink, latte macchiato.

A Caffè Macchiato as being served in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Caffè macchiato (IPA: [maʔˈkja(ː)to], anglicised variously as IPA: /məˈ(t)ʃjætəʊ/, /məˈ(t)ʃjɑːtəʊ/, etc., sometimes Espresso macchiato), an Italian beverage, is espresso with a tiny dollop of foamed milk on top. "Macchiato" simply means "marked" or "stained," and in the case of caffè macchiato, this means literally "espresso stained/marked with milk." Traditionally it is made with one shot of espresso, and the "mark" or "stain" of milk was traditionally put there to indicate the beverage has a little milk in it (usually about a teaspoon).

The reason was for the baristas to show the serving waiters the difference between an espresso and an espresso with a little milk in it; the latter was marked.

However, some newer cafes tend to add steamed milk to the espresso in a 1:1 ratio, as well as mixing the milk into the espresso, making it more like a miniature caffè latte.

Another variant of the drink, latte macchiato, conversely means "milk stained/marked (with espresso)", and indicates milk with just a little espresso in it (always less than in a caffè llatte). However, in certain preparations (which differ from place to place), latte macchiato has not much difference in milk-to-espresso ratio when compared to the caffè latte; caffè lattes are normally one-third espresso to two-thirds steamed milk.