Coffee 101: Edinburgh Corn Exchange

By Michaela Waddell, Edinburgh Corn Exchange

The dictionary defines coffee as:

A beverage consisting of a decoction or infusion of the roasted ground or crushed seeds (coffee beans) of the two-seeded fruit (coffee berry) of certain coffee trees

Sounds pretty straightforward, doesn’t it?

But when you call into your local coffee shop, how often do you unthinkingly ask the barista for a flat white or cappuccino without really knowing what the difference is, or what the other options are?

There are so many other ways to enjoy your favourite coffee, including some that you may not have heard of yet. Or you might have seen them on the menu board, but not known exactly what they were so decided to stick with your usual latte.

Here at Bert’s Coffee Bar at Edinburgh Corn Exchange, we’ve put together a ‘Coffee 101’ to help you try something different and maybe find the perfect coffee for you:

Latte - 20% foam | 60% steamed milk | 30% coffee
A single or double expresso with steamed milk, topped with foam.

Cappuccino - 30% foam | 30% steamed milk | 40% coffee
This is a single or double shot of espresso, with equal parts steamed milk and foam.

Flat White - 50% steamed milk | 50% coffee
A double shot of espresso with equal part of steamed milk.

Macchiato - 10% steamed milk | 90% coffee
A double shot of espresso with a dash of steamed milk.

Americano – shot of water | 90+% coffee
This is a double shot of espresso, served with hot water.

Espresso - 100% coffee
Single or double shot… nothing else.

Spiced Chai Latte - 90% steamed milk | 10% spiced chai latte syrup
Three generous pumps of spiced chai latte syrup, mixed into steamed milk and sprinkled with cinnamon.

If this blog has given you a thirst for more, you can find Bert’s Coffee Bar in Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange, which is a grade one listed Georgian building with all of the beautiful original wooden flooring, cornices and windows.

Find out more about Bert’s Coffee Bar and Edinburgh Corn Exchange by visiting the website or calling 0131 4773500.  You can also follow Bert's on Twitter @BertsCoffeeBar.