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A short equal-weight milk drink

How to make a cortado.

A cortado softens espresso with a small amount of warm textured milk. It stays compact, coffee-forward and less foamy than a cappuccino.

Starting ratio36 g espresso + about 60 g textured milk
Serve in100–140 ml glass or cup
Ingredients

Measure the drink before adjusting it.

  • One 36 g double espresso
  • About 75 g cold milk before steaming
Method

One repeatable sequence.

  1. 01

    Brew the espresso into a small heat-safe glass or cup.

  2. 02

    Steam a small milk quantity with minimal added air.

  3. 03

    Texture until glossy, keeping the milk fluid rather than thick.

  4. 04

    Pour roughly equal liquid volumes of espresso and milk, adjusting by taste.

What changes the result

Small milk volumes heat quickly

Use a suitably small jug if available

Keep the drink coffee-forward

Choose the workflow

Use a recipe to test the machine—not only the spec sheet.

See how an indexed machine handles the heat-up, espresso, milk and cleaning steps behind this drink.

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