What Is a Cortado? Cortado vs Latte and Cappuccino Explained

A cortado is an espresso-based drink built on a 1:1 ratio: one part espresso, one part steamed milk, about 2 oz of each for a roughly 4 oz total. A cortado gets only a thin layer of microfoam on top, not the thick foam cap you'd find on a cappuccino. That's the whole recipe, and it's why a cortado is often the simplest drink on a specialty menu once you know what to look for.

A cortado gets its name from the Spanish verb cortar, meaning to cut. The steamed milk cuts the espresso's acidity and sharp edge without diluting its strength the way a larger milk drink would. A cortado is traditionally served in a small glass, usually 4 to 4.5 oz, so the barista can see the layers of espresso and milk before they're stirred together.

A cortado's origins trace back to Spain and Portugal, where a short milk drink like this is a normal midday order rather than a specialty item. American specialty coffee shops picked up the cortado name in the 2010s as a way to describe a drink that already existed on menus under other labels, like the Cuban cortadito or the flat white's smaller cousin. Today, a cortado shows up on nearly every specialty menu that also serves a flat white or a macchiato.

The small glass is practical, too. Because the ratio is 1:1, a barista needs a vessel small enough that 2 oz of espresso and 2 oz of milk fill it close to the rim. A latte mug would leave a cortado looking half empty, so cafes default to a 4 to 4.5 oz glass built for this drink.

The difference between a cortado and a latte is milk volume, nothing else. A cortado is a 4 oz drink with equal parts espresso and steamed milk. A latte is a 10 to 12 oz drink built on the same one or two espresso shots, but with 8 to 10 oz of steamed milk poured in.

A cortado tastes bold and espresso-forward because there's so little milk to dilute it. A latte tastes milder and creamier because the same espresso gets spread across far more liquid. A latte also carries a thin layer of silky microfoam that baristas use as a canvas for latte art, while a cortado's glass is too small and its foam layer too thin for that kind of design work.

A cortado is the better order if you want the taste of espresso to lead every sip and you're not looking to linger over a big cup. A latte is the better order if you want a milkier, longer drink you can sip slowly over twenty minutes. Both use identical espresso, so neither is a stronger or weaker version of the other in caffeine, only in how concentrated that caffeine tastes.

The difference between a cortado and a cappuccino comes down to foam and milk texture. A cappuccino is built on equal thirds: about 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 thick, airy foam, served in a 5 to 6 oz cup. A cortado skips the thick foam cap entirely and uses a 1:1 ratio of espresso to silky steamed milk in a smaller 4 oz glass, with only a thin microfoam layer on top.

A cortado tastes smoother and more espresso-forward than a cappuccino, because its milk is fully steamed rather than aerated into a dry foam. A cappuccino tastes lighter and foamier, and its thick foam cap holds cocoa powder or cinnamon the way a cortado's thin microfoam can't.

A barista controls this with the steam wand alone. For a cappuccino, they stretch the milk longer to pull in more air and build a dry, spoonable foam. For a cortado, they steam the milk only briefly, so it stays silky and pours in as a liquid rather than a foam cap. Same wand, same pitcher, different steaming time.

A flat white is bigger than a cortado, usually 5 to 6 oz, and uses more steamed milk and more microfoam, so it tastes milkier and smoother while still staying stronger than a latte. A macchiato is the opposite: just a shot of espresso with a small dollop of foam on top and almost no steamed milk. That makes it the strongest and smallest drink of the group.

A Gibraltar is essentially a cortado. The name comes from the Libbey Gibraltar glass it's traditionally served in, a name popularized by specialty cafes in San Francisco rather than a separate recipe. Line all four drinks up by how much milk each one holds and the order runs macchiato, cortado, flat white, then latte.

A macchiato also splits into two versions worth knowing. A traditional (dry) macchiato is espresso with just a spoonful of foam, the version described above. A latte macchiato flips the pour and adds far more milk, closer to a latte in volume. When a menu just says "macchiato" without qualifying it, assume the traditional dry version unless the cafe tells you otherwise.

A single-shot cortado has around 63 mg of caffeine, the same as any other single-shot espresso drink. A double-shot cortado, which many specialty cafes pour by default, has roughly 125 mg. The milk in a cortado changes its taste and volume, not its caffeine.

A cortado's caffeine depends entirely on how many espresso shots go into it, not on the drink's name or size. Ask your barista whether their standard cortado uses one shot or two if you're tracking your intake closely.

A cortado's caffeine also compares closely to its neighbors. A single-shot cortado, latte, and cappuccino all land around 63 mg, because all three start from the same one-shot pull. A decaf cortado is possible too, and it swaps the espresso shot for a decaf shot without changing the milk ratio or foam at all.

Any espresso machine with a steam wand can make a cortado at home. Pull a shot of espresso, steam an equal amount of milk to a thin microfoam, and pour it in. Because a cortado is small and needs only a little textured milk, a compact machine is often easier to work with than a large one built around bigger pitchers.

Start with a standard double shot, roughly 2 oz of espresso pulled in 25 to 30 seconds. Steam about 2 oz of cold whole milk, holding the steam wand tip just below the surface for only a few seconds so the milk stays glossy instead of foaming up. Pour the milk in slowly so the microfoam sits as a thin cap rather than a thick layer, and the whole drink is done in under a minute.

The Breville Bambino Plus is a good fit for a cortado routine because its automatic milk texturing and compact steam wand make it fast to steam a small 2 oz pour without wasting milk. The Breville Barista Express is a step up if you also want to grind your own beans, and it's covered in our Bambino vs Bambino Plus comparison alongside the Bambino Plus.

If you're shopping around instead of set on Breville, our best espresso machines for small kitchens guide covers compact options that suit a cortado-sized pour, and the Specialty Coffee Association's milk-texturing research explains why a short steam time produces microfoam instead of the thicker foam a cappuccino needs. Our best espresso machines for beginners guide is a good starting point if this is your first machine.