61 Different Types of Coffee Drinks: The Definitive Guide

What could be more fun than exploring what makes all kinds of coffees and coffee drinks unique? How about looking at over 60 different types of coffee drinks that you can make at home or order at your favorite cafe.

There’s a lot to cover here, so let’s dive right in.

What Makes the Types of Coffee Drinks Unique?

The beans

Even black coffee can come in a wide range of flavors due to the origin of the beans. The species of coffee bean used (Robusta, Arabica, etc.) is one of the largest impacts, but two Arabica beans grown in different environments will be noticeably unique in their flavor, aroma, and body.

Single-origin Brazilian coffee beans taste different than Sumatran coffee beans or Costa Rican coffee beans. When you consider all of the possible blends that can be made from these beans, the potential variety is staggering. 

The processing of the beans also matters. Different processing and washing methods can adjust the flavor. Lighter or darker roasts will bring out very different flavors from the same beans. Even the way you grind the coffee beans will impact the final brew.

The brewing method

• Filter coffee — This is the standard coffee that most people drink at home, in the office, and at places like diners. It’s typically made with a drip coffee maker, although there are other types of coffee makers that produce similar brews.
• Espresso — Espresso is made by pushing pressurized water through finely-ground coffee beans. It produces a stronger, more concentrated brew than filter coffee methods. This extra strength makes espresso a common base for coffee shop drinks that want to maintain the coffee flavor and a good level of caffeine while still adding large amounts of milk and other additives.
• Cold-brew — Cold brew creates a concentrated coffee by brewing coarsely-ground coffee at a cold temperature. The stronger flavor and higher caffeine content makes cold brew a great base for cold beverages as it can withstand additives and the dilution from ice without losing its coffee taste.
• Other — There are a wide variety of other coffee methods that produce very different styles of brew. French press, Moka Pot, Turkish coffee, and other varieties are sometimes substituted in place of Filter coffee or espresso, but they each have their own impact on the flavor, body, and other characteristics of the coffee.

The additives

• Sweeteners — Different types of sugars, honey, and non-sugar sweeteners are often used to blend with the bitter flavor of coffee.
• Milks — A lot of the variety in espresso-based drinks comes from the milk. You can use different milks (2%, whole milk, soy milk, half-and-half, condensed milk, etc.), prepare it in various ways (cold milk, warm milk, steamed milk, scalded milk, frothed milk, etc.), and mix or layer it in the beverage.
• Alcohols — Any bartender can tell you that there are a near-infinite number of alcohols out there, and each provides a different flair when added to coffee.
• Spices — Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and other spices are quite common in coffee drinks and often vary based on the traditional spices of the culture that created the drink.
• Other — You’ll find all kinds of other additions to coffee drinks, including lemon, butter, and even egg.

The Basics

These common kinds of coffee used as bases for the mixed coffee drinks. Espresso and its variants (doppio, ristretto, lungo) are used for most types of coffee drinks due to their strength and versatility, but filter coffee, instant coffee, and cold brew have found their own unique niches in the coffee world as well.

Filter coffee

This is the standard cup of coffee that you probably drink at home, in the office, and just about anywhere else. It’s typically from a drip coffee maker, but you’ll also find percolator coffee in this category as well as sometimes French press coffee, AeroPress coffee, and a variety of other brewing methods.

Cold brew coffee

Cold brew is — as the name implies — brewed at below room temperature. Cold brewing makes a coffee concentrate that can be diluted with water or mixed with creamers or sweeteners. Compared to iced coffee, it tends to have a stronger flavor and more caffeine.

Espresso

Espresso is the standard type of coffee made using an espresso machine. It is more concentrated than black coffee, making it a common base for drinks that require a heavier dose of coffee flavor. A standard shot of espresso is between 0.85 and 1.25 ounces.

Doppio

This one is pretty boring. It’s just a double shot of espresso, also known simply as a double espresso.

Ristretto

Ristretto is made exactly like espresso, but only uses the early part of the extraction. This results in a shot that is smaller, sweeter, and less bitter than espresso. A standard ristretto is about 0.75 ounces. Ristretto is a common alternative to espresso both as a standalone beverage and in espresso-based drinks.

Lungo

Where ristretto is a short shot of espresso, lungo is a long one. Lungos are made by using more water than espresso, resulting in a roughly 2-ounce brew that has a milder flavor than normal espresso. The milder flavor makes lungo better as a standalone drink rather than a base for espresso beverages.

Instant coffee

Instant coffee isn’t made of coffee grounds at all. It’s actually dehydrated already-brewed filter coffee, generally heavier in Robusta beans than most drip coffee. It is re-hydrated with hot water and consumed as-is or with milk and sugar.

Coffee Drinks

These drinks are made with filter coffee, cold brew coffee, or some other non-espresso coffee as their base.

Iced coffee

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Ice

 Iced coffee is made by taking hot coffee and adding ice. It’s generally made with a slightly stronger brew than regular coffee to avoid the flavor being drowned out by the melting ice. Other than that, it might have cream or sweeteners or it can just be coffee with ice.

Nitro cold brew coffee

• Base: Cold brew coffee
• Additives: Nitrogen

Nitro cold brew is a cold brew that has had pressurized nitrogen infused into it, giving it a frothier consistency.

Vietnamese iced coffee (Ca phe sua da)

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Ice and condensed milk

Vietnamese iced coffee is a sweet drink traditionally made with strong, filter coffee from a Vietnamese coffee maker (phin cà phê) that is similar to a cross between a French press and a pour-over funnel. However, you’ll often find it made with strongly brewed drip coffee instead.

Traditionally, Vietnamese coffee uses pure Robusta beans or Robusta-heavy blends instead of the Arabica beans or Arabica-heavy blends used in most other coffee drinks.

The coffee is mixed with condensed milk at varying ratios and served over ice. 

Thai iced coffee (Oliang)

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Ice and condensed milk

Thai iced coffee is a sweet, iced beverage traditionally made from coffee brewed using a sock filter, but it can be made with strong drip coffee as well. Especially in the US, Thai iced coffee is often indistinguishable from Vietnamese iced coffee, but you may also find Thai iced coffee with additional additives blended in, including corn, sesame, and cardamom.

While Thai iced coffee is typically mixed with condensed milk and served over ice, you may find evaporated milk or even regular milk and sugar used in place of the condensed milk.

Turkish coffee

• Base: Turkish coffee
• Additives: Sugar, cardamom

Turkish coffee is made by boiling extra-fine coffee grounds in water along with sugar and cardamom. The result is a strong, bitter brew that is typically served unfiltered — meaning that the grounds are left in the bottom of the cup and often drunk as part of the beverage.

Indonesian coffee (Kopi tubruk)

• Base: Indonesian coffee
• Additives: Sugar and sometimes condensed milk

Indonesian coffee is made using fine coffee grounds boiled into a thick, strong brew that is left unfiltered — much like Turkish coffee. Unlike Turkish coffee, the sugar is added after the brewing process along with, optionally, condensed milk. In some cases, instant coffee is used in place of coffee grounds.

Dalgona coffee

• Base: Instant coffee
• Additives: White or brown sugar, Milk, and ice

Dalgona coffee, also known as whipped coffee, frothy coffee rose to popularity when it became known as the TikTok coffee drink from a 2020 trend that originated in South Korea. The drink is made by whipping together sugar, instant coffee crystals, and water and serving it over ice and milk.

Frappé coffee

• Base: Instant coffee
• Additives: Sugar and ice

The Frappe is a Greek iced coffee drink made by adding sugar and ice to re-hydrated instant coffee. Milk is sometimes also added to the beverage.

Café au lait

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Scalded or Steamed milk

A cafe au lait is a less intense alternative to espresso-style drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. It involves adding scalded (heated to just below boiling) or steamed milk to regular black coffee.

Vietnamese Egg coffee (Cà Phê Trung)

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Egg cream (egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and condensed milk)

Vietnamese egg coffee is made with coffee (typically heavy in Robusta) from a Vietnamese coffee maker that is topped with a layer of foamy egg cream. By sipping the coffee through the egg cream, it provides a bittersweet flavor that is reminiscent of tiramisu.

Irish coffee

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Whiskey, sugar

Irish coffee is a dessert drink made by adding whiskey and sugar to coffee (or sometimes espresso). Sometimes, cream or Irish cream is also added and the drink may be topped with whipped cream.

Arabic coffee (Mirra)

• Base: Arabic coffee
• Additives: Cardamom

Mirra is a bitter coffee made from doubly-roasted coffee beans that are ground and boiled with water and cardamom to make a thick, dark liquid. It is served similarly to espresso.

Ipoh white coffee

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Condensed milk

Ipoh white coffee is a Malaysian drink that is set apart primarily by the fact that margarine is added during the bean roasting process. Ipoh white coffee is traditionally served with condensed milk and a bit of froth on top of the drink.

South Indian filter coffee (Madras kaapi)

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Boiled milk

South Indian filter coffee is made using a special type of coffee maker that produces very strong coffee, sometimes even more concentrated than espresso. 1-2 tablespoons of the brew are added to a cup of boiling milk after which it is typically aerated to introduce some milk foam.

Yuenyueng

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Milk tea

Yuenyueng is a Hong Kong beverage made by mixing 3 parts coffee with 7 parts milk tea. The drink can be served either hot or iced.

Café de olla

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Cinnamon and raw cane sugar (piloncillo)

Cafe de olla is a Mexican spiced coffee drink made by adding piloncillo and cinnamon — and optionally orange peel, anise, and clove — to coffee. Traditionally, the coffee was made in an earthen clay pot that gives a special flavor to the coffee itself.

Café mazagran

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Ice and lemon

Mazagran is made by pouring strong, hot coffee over ice and serving it with a slice of lemon. There are a few variants of mazagran depending on whether you are in Portugal, Algeria, or Austria. It may or may not have rum or mint, and some variants are made with espresso instead of filter coffee. 

Cafe Melange

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Whipped cream

Cafe melange is black coffee that is either mixed with or covered with whipped cream. It’s primarily common in Austria, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Eiskaffee

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Ice cream and whipped cream

Eiskaffee is a German dessert that is basically an ice cream float. It’s strong, cold coffee poured over vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream. Sometimes, chocolate shavings are also added.

Café com cheirinho

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Alcohol (wine, bagaço, aguardiente, or medronho)

Cafe com cheirinho is a Portuguese winter drink that involves adding one of the alcohols listed above to coffee. It is often used as a digestif, a drink served after a meal to aid digestion.

Mustang coffee

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Sugar or honey, rice wine (raksi), and butter

Mustang coffee is a Nepalese drink that is 2 parts coffee and 1 part a mixture of honey or sugar, rice wine, and butter.

Red eye

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Espresso

Sometimes you want coffee, and sometimes you want espresso. When those desires overlap, you get a red eye. Red eyes are made with a shot of espresso mixed into a cup of black coffee for an added dose of caffeine.

Black eye

• Base: Filter coffee
• Additives: Espresso

If the red eye doesn’t offer a high enough caffeine content, the black eye is your upgrade. It’s 2 shots of espresso in a cup of black coffee.

Espresso Drinks

Caffè Americano

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Water

An Americano is 1 part espresso diluted with 3 parts near-boiling water. The resulting drink is an alternative to filter coffee with a similar strength but a more espresso-inspired body and flavor.

Long black

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Water

A long black is an Americano-like beverage popular in New Zealand and Australia. It is made with 2 espresso shots to 3 ounces of water, making it somewhat stronger than a standard Americano. 

Caffe Latte

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Steamed Milk and milk foam

Lattes are one of the most popular coffee drinks at any coffee shop. They are a great introductory drink because the shots of espresso are mellowed significantly by a large amount of hot milk.

They’re made by mixing espresso with steamed milk and adding a thin milk foam layer on top. The ratio of espresso to milk varies from the traditional 1:3 all the way to the much milkier 1:9 to 1:11 popular in chains like Starbucks and Dunkin.

Cappuccino

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Steamed milk and milk foam

At first glance, the cappuccino seems like a latte, but it has much more foamed milk. Traditionally, cappuccinos are layered beverages with equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam. Sometimes — especially in Australia — cocoa powder is sprinkled on top of a cappuccino.

Galão

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Foamed milk

Galão is another coffee-with-milk drink made by combining 1 part espresso with 3 parts foamed milk. The milk-to-water ratio is similar to that of a traditional latte, but a galão has much more foam.

Caffè mocha

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Steamed milk, milk foam or whipped cream, and chocolate syrup or chocolate powder

A mocha is basically a chocolatey latte. It’s made from 1 part espresso, 1-2 parts chocolate powder or syrup, and 1-3 parts steamed milk, all topped with a layer of foamed milk or whipped cream.

Caffè macchiato

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Foamed milk

Macchiatos are made by adding just a hint (1-2 teaspoons) of foamed milk to a single shot of espresso. A macchiato is great when you want foam but you don’t want to feel like you are drinking warm milk instead of espresso. 

Long macchiato

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Foamed milk

A long macchiato is a double espresso with 3-4 teaspoons of foamed milk. In other words, it’s a double macchiato.

Affogato

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Vanilla ice cream

Looking for a great dessert coffee? Affogatos are made by pouring a single or double espresso shot over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Café Cubano

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Natural brown sugar

A cafe Cubano is a Cuban coffee drink made by sweetening espresso with natural brown sugar. As with most Cuban espresso drinks, it’s traditionally made using a Moka pot instead of a standard espresso machine. Some or all of the espresso is pre-mixed with the sugar to produce a creamy foam, making the final drink sweeter and more viscous than espresso with sugar would typically be.

Cortado

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Steamed milk

A cortado is made with 1 part espresso and 1 part steamed milk, typically with a very small layer of microfoam.

Cortadito

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Steamed condensed milk

The cortadito is the Cuban version of the cortado, made with condensed milk instead of regular milk. This drink exists largely because condensed milk was more available than fresh milk throughout parts of Cuba’s history.

Café con leche

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: A cup of steamed milk

Cafe con leche is typically served as an espresso with a cup of steamed milk. After serving, the espresso is poured into the milk to the desired strength.

Espressino

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Milk, cocoa powder

Espressino is an Italian drink that has equal parts espresso and milk poured into a cup that is pre-coated with cocoa powder. More cocoa powder is sprinkled on top to finish off the drink.

Caffe marocchino

• Base: Espresso (sometimes ristretto)
• Additives: Cocoa powder and milk froth

Caffe marocchino is an Italian beverage made by dusting a glass with cocoa powder, adding a shot of espresso topped with milk froth, and coating it with another dusting of cocoa powder.

Frappuccino

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Sugar, cream, flavored syrup

Starbucks created the Frappuccino based loosely on the Frappe, but you may not even recognize the similarity anymore. Frappuccinos are blended iced espresso drinks that typically include flavored syrups and covered in whipped cream. They are basically espresso milkshakes.

Caffè corretto

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Alcohol (grappa, sambuca, or brandy)

Italian for corrected, the caffe corretto is espresso mixed with grappa, sambuca, or brandy. 

Ice Shot

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Ice

The ice shot is an Australian take on Mazagran. It’s a shot of espresso poured over a glass of ice, producing a sorbet-like consistency. Sometimes a. scoop of ice cream is added on top of the concoction.

Espresso con panna

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Whipped cream

Literally espresso with cream,  espresso con panna is nothing more than espresso topped with whipped cream. 

Café Vienne

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Whipped cream

Cafe Vienne or Vienna coffee is just the American name for espresso con panna. It’s espresso topped with whipped cream.

Freddo Espresso

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Sugar and ice

Freddo espresso is a a popular summer drink in Greece. It consists of 1 part espresso, 2 parts ice, and some sugar. The espresso is mixed with sugar to form a foam before being poured over the ice.

Freddo Cappuccino

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Sugar, ice, foamed and creamed milk

The freddo cappuccino is a newer Greek summer drink, made the same way as freddo espresso but with foamed and creamed milk added at the end. The typical ratio is 1 part espresso, 2 parts ice, and 2 parts milk.

Cafe Bombon

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Condensed milk

The cafe bombon was the Spanish answer to the popular coffee with condensed milk beverages in eastern Asia. It’s made with equal parts espresso and condensed milk, served in a clear glass to show off the layering of the coffee on top of the milk.

Carajillo

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Hard liquor (brandy, whiskey, anisette, rum)

The name carajillo derives from the Spanish word for courage (coraje) and comes from the use of this drink to bring courage to Spanish troops during the occupation of Cuba. In its simplest form, a carajillo is made by adding the alcohol to hot black coffee. More complicated variants often involve heating the alcohol with cinnamon, sugar, and lemon before adding it to the coffee. 

Asiático

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Condensed milk and cognac

Asiatico is a Spanish drink consisting of three layers. From bottom to top it is condensed milk, cognac (or brandy), and a shot of espresso. It’s also sometimes served with added Licor 43, cinnamon, a lemon slice, and a couple of coffee beans.

Bicerin

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Scalded Milk and drinking chocolate 

Bicerin is an Italian beverage made by layering espresso, drinking chocolate, and scalded milk.

Breve coffee

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Steamed half-and-half

Breve coffee — also known as a cafe breve or breve latte — is an American variant of a cappuccino, made with half-and-half in place of milk. This substitution makes the drink more decadently rich, bringing it closer to a dessert drink. The drink is 1 part espresso, 1 part steamed half-and-half, and 1 part half-and-half foam.

There are also breve variants of other drinks, generally referring to any time half-and-half is used in place of milk.

Palazzo

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Sweetened cream

Palazzos are a popular drink in Southern California, often made with a Moka pot instead of an espresso machine. The drink consists of 2 shots of espresso that is immediately chilled after brewing and mixed with sweetened cream.

Flat white

• Base: Espresso
• Additives: Silky milk

The flat white is a drink so good that  both Australia and New Zealand claim it as their own. A flat white is just a cappuccino made with silky milk — milk that is steamed just long enough to add texture and get a tiny layer of microfoam. This means that the drink has more steamed milk and less foam than a cappuccino.

Piccolo

• Base: Ristretto
• Additives: Steamed milk

From the Italian for tiny, a piccolo is basically a tiny ristretto latte. It’s made with one shot of ristretto and 2-3 ounces of steamed milk. Sometimes it is made with espresso in place of ristretto.

Magic coffee

• Base: Ristretto
• Additives: Silky milk

Magic coffee is an Australian drink that was, until recently, primarily a hipster order. It’s made by adding 130 ml (about 4.5 ounces) of silky milk to 2 shots of ristretto.

Oh, the Coffees You Will Drink

Coffee drinkers will never run out of new concoctions to try. On your road to coffee connoisseur, you’ll certainly want to try several types of coffee drinks and varieties of espresso beverages. Not all of them will appeal to everyone, but that’s why the wide range is so great.

If you have your own unique coffee drink — the more original the better — I’d love to hear about it.