By Zaid Aboobacker
KUWAIT: Are you interested in learning about the crafting process of a latte or a traditional cappuccino? According to Shenju, working as a barista in Kuwait for the past 16 months, coffees are made with very similar ingredients all around Kuwait. The two main types of coffees are brewed coffees and espresso coffees. Brewed coffee is similar to making tea — ground coffee is mixed with either cold or hot water and left to brew for a specified duration. Then, the infused coffee is separated from the used grounds using a filter.
To achieve the preferred flavor, the extracted coffee can be mixed with various additions like sweeteners and toppings. In contrast, Turkish coffee follows a distinct method, serving the brewed coffee without filtering finely ground coffee beans. Espresso coffee on the other hand always involves at least one shot of espresso. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans and roast degrees, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (90° C) is forced under 9 to 10 bars of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans.
The length of one espresso shot can be a ristretto (reduced), normale (normal) or lungo (long). A double shot espresso is called a doppio. Espresso-based coffees which include milk mostly use steamed milk, which is milk run through steam or water vapor. The milk can be further run with steam, which will produce frothy milk. Some of the most popular espresso coffees include the latte, which is one of the most popular coffee beverages made with a shot of espresso, steamed milk and a thin layer of milk foam. The classic ratio is one-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk.
Iced latte is also a popular drink containing espresso with chilled milk poured over ice. Similar to the latte, flat white is an espresso coffee with less volume and higher proportion of coffee to milk compared to a latte. Moving onto the classics, cappuccino traditionally consists of a single espresso on which the barista pours hot foamy milk, which is a foamier milk compared to steamed milk, usually resulting in a 2 cm thick milk foam on top. Variations can be made by adding another shot of espresso resulting in a double cappuccino.
Americano is another popular espresso drink made by diluting an espresso with hot water. Iced Americano is also a variant where hot water is replaced with cold water and ice. Macchiato, also called espresso macchiato, is an espresso drink with a small amount of milk, usually steamed. This drink has the highest ratio of espresso to milk. For hot chocolate lovers, mocha is an espresso coffee made with a shot of espresso, hot milk and added chocolate flavoring and sweetener, mostly in the form of cocoa powder and sugar.
Variants include white mocha with white chocolate and various chocolate syrups. The most popular drink among youth is frappuccino. Frappuccino is a blended beverage made with espresso or a crème base, ice, flavored syrups and often topped with whipped cream. Available in various flavors like caramel, white chocolate, etc, "Frappuccino” is trademarked by Starbucks, but similar drinks can be found in various cafes.
Another interesting coffee, many call it a dessert, is affogato. It is made with a milk-flavored vanilla gelato or ice cream "drowned” with a shot of espresso. Try this dessert at home if you have a coffee machine that can make espresso. According to a 2022 report by EXCPR, the value of cafes in Kuwait has reached KD 2.8 billion, marking a remarkable growth of 165 percent, with a total of 308 cafes spanning Kuwait.