Cortado

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Café Cortado

Look up Cortado in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A cortado is an espresso "cut" (from the Spanish and Portuguese cortar) with a small amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. The ratio of milk to coffe is between 1:1 - 1:2, and the milk is added after the espresso. The steamed milk hasn't much foam, but many baristas make some micro foam to make latte art. It is popular in Spain and Portugal, as well as throughout Latin America, where it is drunk in the afternoon. In Cuba, it is known as a cortadito, and in Catalan it's called a tallat. It's usually served in a special glass, often with a metal ring base and a metal wire handle. There are several variations, including cortado condensada (espresso with condensed milk) and leche y leche (with condensed milk and cream on top).

However a cortado is made, it is important to distinguish it from the Italian caffe macchiato, which is an espresso with a small amount of foam/steamed milk added. The cortado should always be served in a 150–200 ml (5–7 fl oz) glass and the milk should only be steamed; maybe a little foam settles to the top but the essence of the drink must be steamed milk. Distinguished from American variation of cafe au lait, which is a regular coffee base and warm milk, cortado is made with espresso and steamed milk.

This coffee-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.