Macchiato: What It Is, Types and How to Make One

The macchiato is the smallest milk drink on an Italian menu and the most misunderstood one on an American counter. Order it in Rome and you get a shot of espresso with a spoonful of foam on top. Order it at a US chain and you may get a 16 oz caramel drink built the other way around.

Both exist. This explains what each one actually is, and how to make them at home.

What a macchiato is

Macchiato means "marked" or "stained." The name describes exactly what happens: a shot of espresso, marked with a small amount of milk. Nothing else.

It exists because baristas needed a way to tell an espresso from an espresso-with-a-drop-of-milk when both were sitting on the pass. The mark was a label before it was a recipe.

The classic build is roughly 1 oz (30 ml) of espresso and 0.3 to 0.5 oz (10–15 ml) of textured milk. That is it. A cappuccino has about five times as much milk; a latte has ten times as much.

The three drinks called macchiato

Espresso macchiato (caffè macchiato)

The original. A shot of espresso with a spoonful of milk foam dropped on top, served in a demitasse. The milk softens the sharpest edge of the shot without hiding it. Drink it in two or three sips, standing up, the way it was designed to be drunk.

Latte macchiato

The inverse, and a different drink entirely. Here the milk is marked with coffee: a tall glass of steamed milk, with a shot poured slowly through the foam so it settles in a visible layer. Much milkier, much sweeter, and traditionally what you order for a child or for yourself at 9 p.m.

The difference is the order of assembly. Espresso macchiato: coffee first. Latte macchiato: milk first.

Caramel macchiato

A US chain invention, and closer to a latte with vanilla syrup and caramel sauce than to anything Italian. Vanilla syrup, steamed milk, espresso poured over the top, caramel drizzle. If that is what you like, that is what you like — but it answers a different question than the other two.

Macchiato vs cortado vs cappuccino vs latte

• Macchiato — 1 oz espresso + a spoon of foam. Roughly 1:0.5 coffee to milk.
• Cortado — 1 oz espresso + 1 oz warm milk, barely any foam. 1:1.
• Cappuccino — 1 oz espresso + about 2 oz milk + 2 oz foam. 1:4. See how to make a cappuccino.
• Flat white — double espresso + about 5 oz microfoam, no foam layer. See what a flat white is.
• Latte — 1 oz espresso + 8 to 10 oz milk. 1:10.

Read down that list and you are watching one shot of espresso get progressively buried. The macchiato is the point on the scale where the coffee is still clearly in charge.

How to make an espresso macchiato at home

You need an espresso machine or a stovetop moka pot, and a way to texture a small amount of milk.

1. Pull a shot. 1 oz (30 ml), 25 to 30 seconds. If you are using a moka pot, brew about 1 oz of the concentrate it produces.
2. Texture 2 oz (60 ml) of milk. You only need a spoonful, but less than 2 oz is very hard to steam evenly. Heat to about 140 °F (60 °C) — hot to the hand, not scalding. Past 160 °F (70 °C) milk proteins break down and the sweetness goes.
3. Spoon, do not pour. Take a spoonful of foam and place it on the center of the shot. You want a visible white mark, not a mixed drink.
4. Serve immediately, in a warmed demitasse.

Without a machine

A French press makes usable microfoam: pour 2 oz of warm milk in, plunge rapidly 20 to 30 times, then tap the carafe on the counter to settle the large bubbles. A handheld frother works too. Neither matches a steam wand, but both are fine for a spoonful.

How to make a latte macchiato

1. Steam 6 oz (180 ml) of milk to about 140 °F (60 °C), with a thicker foam layer than you would use for a latte.
2. Pour it into a tall clear glass and let it settle for 30 seconds so the foam separates.
3. Pour a 1 oz shot slowly through the center of the foam. It should sink through the foam and sit on top of the milk, giving three visible layers.

The layering only works in a clear glass, with milk that has genuinely separated. Rushing step two is why home versions come out uniformly beige.

Which coffee to use

A macchiato is mostly espresso, so the beans are most of the flavor. Two things matter: enough body to stand up to milk, and enough sweetness that you do not want sugar.

• Tradition ($14.99) — washed and balanced. The safe, clean choice under milk.
• Honey ($16.99) — honey process, with the natural sweetness that makes added sugar unnecessary.
• Silver ($26.99) — if you want a premium lot that still reads clearly through foam.

Grind fine and fresh. Espresso is unforgiving about stale coffee in a way that filter brewing is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is a macchiato stronger than a latte?

In taste, yes — far less milk, so the espresso dominates. In caffeine, no: both are usually built on the same one or two shots. A 16 oz latte and a 2 oz macchiato made with a single shot contain the same caffeine.

How much caffeine is in a macchiato?

About 65 mg for a single shot and 130 mg for a double, depending on the beans, the dose and the extraction.

Why is a caramel macchiato so big?

Because it is a flavored latte that borrowed the name. The "macchiato" part refers to the espresso poured on top marking the milk, which is the latte macchiato build, not the espresso macchiato.

Can I make a macchiato with a moka pot?

Yes. A moka pot produces a concentrate that is not technically espresso — lower pressure, no real crema — but it is strong enough that a spoonful of foam works the same way. See how to use a moka pot.

What milk works best?

Whole dairy milk foams most reliably and tastes sweetest. Among plant milks, oat barista blends are the closest; almond and rice milk foam poorly and thin out fast.

Better espresso starts with the beans

All six of our lots come from one farm in Antioquia and are roasted after you order, whole bean or ground for espresso. See them in the specialty coffee collection. Shipping is calculated at checkout.