• Café au Lait - This drink is simply half brewed coffee and half
warmed milk. You might get a little foam on top, but the essential
idea is thinning the strong coffee with a generous amount of warm,
creamy milk.
• Latté - Similar to a café au lait, lattés are made with a shot (or
three) of espresso poured into the bottom of a mug and topped with
steamed milk and a thin layer of foam. Some people prefer to add the
espresso last so it that sinks through the milk and foam instead, but
the idea is the same.
• Cappuccino - We've always thought of cappuccinos as the opposite of
lattés. A cappuccino also uses shots of espresso, but the proportions
of milk and foam are reversed: a little milk, lots of foam. This gives
you a much stronger coffee flavor. The key to a good cappuccino in our
opinion is really excellent foam.
• Machiatto - If you like really intense coffee flavor, try one of
these! It's simply a shot of espresso topped with a little foam - no
milk! Back in our barista days, we also liked a version where we
replaced the foam with a little dollop of whipped cream. Not a bad way
to wake up in the morning!
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/beverages/whats-the-difference-caf-au-lait...
