Many coffee shops, particularly chains, seem to have developed entire menus around the macchiato. The most often-seen is the caramel macchiato. It’s a latte macchiato (marked with espresso), with vanilla syrup added and finished with a drizzle of caramel on top of a dollop of foam. This one is also popular when served over ice. 

Purists who don’t really consider anything featuring caramel a macchiato probably hate the many other variations being sold by Starbucks and Dunkin’: chocolate macchiato (made with added chocolate syrup), hazelnut macchiato, vanilla macchiato, marble mocha macchiato – and of course, during the fall, pumpkin macchiato. Most are made just by varying the drizzle on top.

You may even see vegan macchiatos made with oat, coconut or almond milk instead of regular steamed milk. (Oat milk will be more foamy than the other two.) That may seem a bit sacrilegious to devoted coffee drinkers, but obviously, not to vegans. Just don’t even get us started on the hot chocolate “macchiato” mixes you can buy at the supermarket.

Putting flavor aside, the percentages of espresso, steamed milk, foamed milk and/or cold milk can also be changed up.

• A double shot of espresso with a bit of milk on top, served in a latte glass, is known in some shops (and some nations, like Australia) as a long macchiato.
• A short macchiato is another name for an espresso macchiato with just one shot of espresso.
• A topped-up short macchiato is a short macchiato with the glass “topped up” with extra milk.

And there are many other variations found in many other shops, most without fancy names.

You can only alter the macchiato so much, however, before it becomes a different coffee beverage.

It’s easy to get confused when confronting a modern coffee menu. In part, that’s because some of the coffee drinks have long and storied histories, while others are inventions of a marketing department.

For instance, those not fluent in Italian (or coffee) can easily confuse a macchiato with a mochaccino, but the two are very different drinks.

You already know what usually goes into a macchiato: espresso and steamed milk. A mochaccino, however, is one of those beverages recently invented for sale at coffee chains. It’s most often prepared in one of two ways, either as a cappuccino made with chocolate powder or chocolate sauce, or simply as espresso added to hot chocolate milk. You’ll often see whipped cream on top. Delicious, but not exactly traditional.

(Isn’t a mochaccino the same as a mocha, more formally known as a caffè mocha? Some shops use the terms interchangeably, but the more classic mocha is made by adding chocolate syrup to a latte.)

It would probably be helpful at this point to briefly define the other coffee drinks that have some similarities to a macchiato, in order to clear up any other confusion or misconceptions.

• Cappuccino: A layered drink that’s one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, one-third milk foam. Chocolate or cinnamon is often used as a garnish.
• Latte: Similar, but with one-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, and a layer of microfoam on top.
• Flat White: Thank the Aussies for this variation on a latte; it has just has less milk foam on the top. (That’s why it’s “flat.”)
• Cortado: In most parts of the world, a cortado has equal parts espresso and steamed milk, with little or no foam at all. But if you order a cortado in Mexico, you’ll get a macchiato. Go figure.
• Caffè Mocha: We’ve already mentioned this one: it’s usually a latte with chocolate syrup or powder added, with whipped cream instead of milk foam on top. We’re repeating the definition in order to contrast it with the next three drinks.
• Mocha Breve: A mocha with half-and-half replacing the milk.
• White Mocha: A caffè mocha made using white chocolate instead of milk or dark chocolate.
• Mocha Coffee: Make a mocha with brewed coffee instead of espresso, and you have mocha coffee.
• Americano: Very different than any of these other drinks, because there’s no steamed milk. In fact, there’s no milk at all; it’s just layered espresso and hot water with a nice crema on top.
• Long Black: Similar to an Americano but with a double shot of espresso poured over the hot water. It’s particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand.

Believe it or not, that’s not all of them. We haven’t even gotten into ristrettos, café con leches, affogatos (worth checking out, it’s espresso poured over vanilla ice cream), café bombóns, or a number of other fabulous espresso drinks. But that’s why you have Google, right?

There’s nothing like going out to a restaurant and ordering an espresso, latte – or macchiato – after dinner. It’s nice to be able to stop by your local coffee shop and order them, too.

Unfortunately, that gets expensive pretty quickly. It also doesn’t take bad weather or transportation difficulties into account. It’s cheaper and more convenient to make your own espresso drinks at home – and whipping up a macchiato can certainly impress your house guests.

Here’s how to go about it.

Needless to say, it would be best if you have an espresso machine sitting on your kitchen counter. Also needless to say, most people don’t. Those glorious machines can get awfully pricey.

No worries. You can still make a macchiato, or something very close to it, without an appliance that costs many hundreds or thousands of dollars.

The best second choice is to use a Nespresso capsule machine. It doesn’t produce the same quality espresso you’d get from a professional machine, but it produces enough pressure to get the job done. That means the brew it makes from ground coffee is an excellent espresso substitute.

Third choice: Either a French press, or a machine like the Aeropress which does much the same thing but in less time and with less work. It doesn’t produce espresso, but the coffee is extremely strong and potent.

The fourth choice isn’t a bad one, either. Simply use a home drip machine to brew the strongest coffee you can, but with less water than you’d normally use to make an ordinary cup of coffee.

When choosing coffee beans, look for ones which will produce a bitter, dark flavor. Espresso beans are best if you can find them, but definitely use a dark roast. A fine grind will produce the best espresso.

Now, let’s talk steamed milk. Heating is easy – on the stovetop or in the microwave is fine. The best option for creating foam is the frothing wand on an espresso machine but there are several acceptable hacks, particularly since the foam doesn’t have to be as bubbly as the microfoam on a latte. You can use a handheld milk frother (which isn’t too expensive if you’ll be using it a lot), a whisk, or a blender; you can even shake it up really hard in a covered mason jar.

Ready to put your macchiato together? Pour the espresso, mark it with a little of the steamed milk, then spoon a bit of the fluffy milk froth on top. Serve in an espresso or demitasse glass, unless you’re using a double or triple shot of espresso. That may require a latte glass.

Becoming a great barista takes a lot of training and experience. Thankfully, preparing a great macchiato at home is easy.