Caffè Macchiato

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Caffè macchiato (sometimes Espresso macchiato), an Italian beverage, is espresso with a tiny dollop of steamed milk. "Macchiato" simply means "marked" or "stained," and in the case of caffè macchiato, this means literally "espresso stained/marked with milk." Traditionally it is made with one shot of espresso, and significantly less milk or milk foam. However, some newer cafes tend to add steamed milk to the espresso in a 1:1 ratio, making it more like a miniature caffè latte.

Another variant of the drink, Latte macchiato, conversely means "milk stained/marked (with espresso)", which involves a higher steamed milk-to-espresso ratio. However, in certain preparations (which differ from place to place), latte macchiato has not much difference in milk-to-espresso ratio when compared to the caffè latte; caffè lattes are normally one-third espresso to two-thirds steamed milk.

The "Caramel macchiato" served by Starbucks is actually a Latte macchiato with vanila syrup and caramel topping, leading to some confusion.

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