Cortado Recipe

Before you start

A cortado is espresso cut with a roughly equal amount of warm, lightly steamed milk. The word comes from the Spanish for cut, and the milk softens the espresso's acidity and bitterness without hiding it. Served in a small glass, usually around 120 to 135 ml, it sits between a macchiato, which has only a spoonful of foam, and a flat white, which has more milk.

The milk here is barely aerated. You want warm, smooth milk with only a very thin layer of foam, not a stretched, airy texture. Because the drink is so small, the quality of the espresso matters a great deal. Pull a balanced double shot and pour about the same volume of milk, then drink it while warm.

Ingredients

• 18 g finely ground espresso coffee — for a double shot of about 36 to 40 g (around 60 ml with crema)
• 90 ml (3 oz) cold whole milk — you will pour about 60 ml

Method

1. Warm the glass with hot water and empty it. A small drink loses heat very quickly in a cold glass.
2. Pull a double shot of espresso: 18 g of coffee yielding about 36 to 40 g of liquid in 25 to 30 seconds, directly into the warmed glass.
3. Steam the milk with the tip almost fully submerged, adding only a second or two of air. You are warming and smoothing the milk rather than building foam.
4. Stop heating at about 55 to 60°C (130 to 140°F). The milk should feel hot but not scalding through the pitcher, and the surface should look smooth.
5. Pour about 60 ml of milk into the espresso, roughly equal to the volume of coffee, so only a thin layer of foam forms on top. Serve right away.

Tips for success

• Use a small pitcher. Steaming a small amount of milk in a big pitcher makes it hard to control texture.
• Keep the milk a little cooler than for a latte. The drink is meant to be drunk quickly and the lower temperature keeps it sweet.
• Taste the espresso alone once in a while. Any harshness will show clearly through so little milk.

Substitutions

Whole milk

Barista oat milk gives a sweeter, rounder cortado. Skim milk is thinner and lets more of the espresso's acidity through.

Double espresso

A single shot with about 30 ml of milk makes a smaller, more traditional Spanish-style cortado.

Variations

Cortado condensada

Add 10 to 15 ml sweetened condensed milk to the glass before the espresso for a sweet, Spanish-style café bombón twist.

Iced cortado

Pour the double shot over a few ice cubes in a small glass and add an equal amount of cold milk.

Troubleshooting

The cortado is foamy like a cappuccino

Too much air was added. Keep the steam tip deeper so the milk warms and smooths without stretching.

It tastes too bitter or sour

Adjust the espresso extraction first. Grind finer if sour, coarser if bitter, aiming for 25 to 30 seconds.

It goes cold quickly

Warm the glass beforehand and drink promptly. A cortado is a short, quick drink by design.

Storage

Drink immediately; a cortado is meant to be consumed in a few sips while warm. Keep milk refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below and do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Contains caffeine from a double shot of espresso. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults, but individual sensitivity varies widely.