Espresso is the basis for a Cappucino or Latte

Coffee at 5:30 PM
Originally uploaded by aksharpathak

Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans.

As a result of the pressurized brewing process, says Wikipdia, the flavours and chemicals in a typical cup of coffee are very concentrated.

Espresso is the base for other drinks, such as a latte, cappuccino, macchiato, mocha, or americano. Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most beverages, but the usual serving size is smaller.

Espresso machines were developed in Italy about 1900. In Italy, the rise of espresso consumption was associated with urbanization, espresso bars providing a place for socialization.

In the English-speaking world, espresso became popular, particularly in the form of cappuccino, due to the tradition of drinking coffee with milk and the exotic appeal of the foam; in the United States, this was more often in the form of lattes, particularly with flavored syrups added.

The latte is claimed to have been invented in the 1950s by Italian American Lino Meiorin of Caffe Mediterraneum in Berkeley, California, as a long cappuccino, and was then popularized in Seattle,[10] and then nationally and internationally by Seattle-based Starbucks in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Intelligentsia Coffee, Venice, California, is featured in an informative series: http://vimeo.com/8709313.


The typical serving cup? A demi-tasse; literally, a "half cup."

And a video on how a barista (Italian word) uses the steam infuser tube (wand) to froth and warm the milk for a cappucino or latte. How to froth Milk.