Macchiato
In Italian: caffè macchiato
A macchiato, caffè macchiato in Italian, is an espresso with a small amount of milk or milk foam added, just enough to mark it. It is espresso-sized. In many chain cafés, though, a “caramel macchiato” is a large, sweet milk drink, so it helps to know which one a menu means.
At a glance
- In the cup
- Espresso with a spot of milk or foam
- Size
- About an espresso
- Name
- Italian for “stained” or “marked”
- Not to be confused with
- Latte macchiato, caramel macchiato
What does “macchiato” mean?
Treccani’s entry for macchiare, to stain, includes adding a small amount of another liquid to a drink to change its taste or colour: macchiare il caffè with a little milk, or macchiare il latte with a little coffee. That gives two drinks. A caffè macchiato is coffee marked with milk; a latte macchiato is milk marked with coffee.
Source: macchiare, Vocabolario Treccani
Why is a caramel macchiato so different?
Because it is a different drink. Starbucks introduced the Caramel Macchiato in 1996, developed by Hannah Su and a small team for the company’s 25th anniversary. Sprudge describes it as essentially a vanilla latte topped with caramel, called a macchiato because the espresso is poured over the milk, and notes that people who order “a macchiato” elsewhere can be surprised to receive a three-ounce espresso.
Source: What Is A Caramel Macchiato?, Sprudge (2021)
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