Differences between types of Italian coffee

Question

What is the difference between the following types of Italian coffee?

• Caffè lungo (long coffee)

• Caffè corto (short coffee)

• Caffè macchiato (coffee with milk)

• Espresso

• Cappuccino

Answer 1

This image (from visual.ly) shows the difference between the mixture of ingredients and (possible) cup sizes of various sorts of coffee, including the ones you asked for:

A (caffè) lungo is 'just' an espresso prepared with more (twice as much) water than usual, making it less intense.

A caffè corto, more commonly called ristretto, is the opposite: less water (half as much) is used in preparation than with a normal espresso, making it even more intense.

For the macchiato, milk foam is added to an espresso; a cappucino has milk foam and steamed milk added to it.

Another important difference, when you're in Italy, is that you don't order a cappuccino after 10am.