Everyone has there favourite among the many different coffee beverages now on sale in coffee shops and restaurants the world over. Some may be more interesting the others. Some are certainly more traditional. The following is a quick look at some of the more popular coffee beverages that you'll like see on the menu at a coffee shop near you:



1. Espresso: probably the oldest and most traditional of coffee beverages sold in coffee shops round the world, the espresso has a huge and loyal following. Invented by the Italians in the early part of the 20th Century, the original method of brewing an espresso involved use of steam pressure. The more modern method, however, is to force hot (note: should not be boiling) water under high pressure through coffee that has been ground to a fine powder. Generally you'll find this most popular of coffee beverages sold in small sizes due to the general thickness of it consistency. Importantly, an espresso is not an espresso if there is no 'crema', which is the reddish-brown foam that floats on the top of this coffee. For the fans among you, nearly every single one of the multitude of coffee beverages sold in coffee shops owes its origins in some part to the espresso! Hence the espresso really can claim the title of king of all coffee beverages.

2. Caffe au lait (or cafe con leche as it is also known in Spanish): probably one of the few coffee beverages you can buy in a coffee shop that does not have a direct link to the espresso. Caffe au lait is made by taking a one to one ratio of coffee and scalded (but not steamed) milk and then mixing the result with cinnamon and sugar. Although cinnamon is known to play a role in other coffee beverages available for sale, it is probably most famous with this little French invention.

3. Cappuccino: aside from the espresso, the cappuccino is probably Italy's biggest exported version of coffee beverages. It'll likely come as no surprise to learn then that the cappuccino owes its origins to the espresso. Composed on one-third part espresso, one-third part steamed milk and one-third part frothed milk, the cappuccino is Italy's favourite breakfast coffee beverage. In short, this is nothing more than espresso with a foamy steamed milk topping as it is normally sold in a large portion to the espresso. But as the saying goes, it's the steamed milk that makes all the difference.

4. Latte: another Italian word in the world of coffee beverages! Latte is literally Italian for 'milk' and that's what this is, a milky coffee. Not too far different from a cappuccino, the latte has a two-thirds steamed milk ingredient.

5. Mocha: the last on our list the mocha is a variation of the latte. A mocha shares exactly all the same ingredients as a Latte, one-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, but it has a naughty additional extra - chocolate! Although a completely American invention, the mocha gets its name from Mocha, Yemen - where they were previously able to make coffee that tasted as if it had coca in it, without using any coca beans at all in the brewing process.