Get Brewing

You know what’s great? Espresso. You know what’s not so great? Giving up a quarter of your counter space to an espresso machine. That’s what makes this such a great option. It’s small and straightforward, with a screen for setting brew temperature, choosing single or double shots, and controlling the steam and hot water.

Given how simple and easy it is to use, you’ll soon be brewing all sorts of deliciously bitter frothy beverages. But if you ask us, it’s not just about knowing how to make espresso drinks; it’s also important to understand the history behind them, specifically why they’re called what they are.

But don’t worry. We’ve put together a handy guide explaining the origin stories of a few espresso drinks’ names.

Check it out!

Cappuccino

While filming Dog Day Afternoon, leading man Al Pacino grew increasingly tired and sad. The long hours on set accounted for the exhaustion, whereas his down mood could only be explained by the fact that he’d left his beloved white cat back in New York while making the movie. The director happened to mention this to a barista at a coffee shop close to the set one day, and that barista set about creating a drink that not only packed a nice wallop of caffeine, but was, like the faraway feline, fluffy and white. Hence, the ‘cat-of-Pacino’ was born. Over time, the origin of the drink was forgotten and the spelling altered.

Latte

The barista was at a loss for what to call her newest creation, a drink containing espresso, steamed milk, and a bit of foam on top. She discussed it with her mother, making the mistake of claiming the concoction was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted. “Better than my famous latkes?” her mother cried. The barista apologized, but decided to use this as a naming inspiration. She took the first syllable but adhered a different, softer ending to imply the smooth, creamy nature of the drink in contrast to latke’s harsh k-sound, which called to mind the crispiness of the potato pancake.

Flat white

As the story goes, a barista made the first-ever flat white. He slid this to a coworker within the coffee shop and then retrieved a pen and paper, so that he might write out some tasting notes and advertise the new drink in the coffee shop’s front window. “How would you describe this?” he asked, but his colleague misunderstood, thinking the barista meant the piece of paper rather than the drink, and said, “Flat, white.” And the rest was history!

Cafe au lait

If you can believe it, the latte was not the only espresso drink whose name is inspired by a crispy potato treat. The creator of the cafe au lait set out to make a hot coffee drink as creamy and flavorful as the soft inside of a Taco John’s Potato Olé, but ultimately decided to change the spelling in order to avoid litigation.

There’s a few to get you started. But, of course, if you’re a fellow espresso scholar, feel free to post your own drink name origin story in the comments!