Macchiato, cortado, café au lait or latte macchiato: the difference

Four names on a menu, and they all look like “coffee with a little milk.” That’s not right. A macchiato and a latte macchiato even have opposite builds — with the same name in them.

Here’s the overview that lets you choose what to order in ten seconds.

The overview in one table

	Macchiato	Latte macchiato	Cortado	Café au lait
Base	Espresso	Steamed milk	Espresso	Filter coffee
Volume	35–40 ml	180–250 ml	60–80 ml	~150–200 ml
Coffee:milk ratio	Mostly coffee	Mostly milk	1:1	1:2 to 1:3
Foam	Small dollop	Visible layer	Barely any	None (not steamed)
Origin	Italy	Italy	Spain	France / Netherlands
Choose this if…	You want espresso with a small milk accent	You want a large, mild coffee with visible layers	You want espresso without the sharpness	You want a mild, large cup without an espresso machine

Three of the four are built on espresso. One isn’t. That one drink — café au lait, known in Dutch as koffie verkeerd — is also the only one not of Italian or Spanish origin. We’ll come back to that.

Macchiato — when the coffee should take center stage

Macchiato means “stained.” An espresso with a spoonful of milk foam on top, 35 to 40 ml total. The coffee is the main point, the milk only tempers the sharpness.

The catch: there’s also a latte macchiato, and it’s almost the reverse. In cafés, “macchiato” almost always means this small, espresso-driven version.

Full explanation + FAQ: macchiato in the glossary.

Latte macchiato — same name, different drink

Here you flip the build: steamed milk, stained with espresso poured through it. Volume: 180 to 250 ml, with visible layering in the glass. Closer to a latte than to a macchiato.

The confusion is understandable. Both are called “macchiato,” both use the same verb — to stain — but with reversed ratios. Want a large, mild coffee with a nice layered effect? This is the one.

Cortado — the middle ground between espresso and cappuccino

A cortado is equal parts espresso and steamed milk, 60 to 80 ml. The name comes from Spanish: cortar, to cut. The milk cuts the intensity of the espresso — that’s all it does.

No thick foam layer like a cappuccino, no large volume like a latte. Right in between. Choose a cortado when an espresso feels too intense but a cappuccino is too big.

Full explanation + difference from a flat white: cortado in the glossary.

Café au lait (koffie verkeerd) — the odd one out

Café au lait is coffee turned around: more milk than coffee, ratio 1:2 to 1:3. The Dutch name, koffie verkeerd (“wrong coffee”), assumes that “real” coffee is black — so anything with milk in it is by definition wrong. Meant kindly, not literally.

The big difference from the other three: café au lait is traditionally built on filter coffee, not espresso. Add hot, un-steamed milk, done. No espresso machine needed.

In many cafés you now get served an espresso version. That’s technically a latte — whether you mind is a matter of taste.

Full explanation + difference from a latte: café au lait in the glossary.

Which one should you order?

Want to taste mostly coffee, with a small milk accent?
→ Macchiato (espresso macchiato)

Want a large, mild coffee with visible layers?
→ Latte macchiato

Want espresso intensity but a little softer, in a small glass?
→ Cortado

No espresso machine and want a large, mild cup?
→ Café au lait (with filter coffee)

None of the four is “better” than the others. They just do something different. The question isn’t which is the best drink — the question is what you want to taste at that moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a macchiato and a latte macchiato?

With a macchiato (espresso macchiato) the espresso takes center stage with a small dollop of milk foam on top — 35 to 40 ml. With a latte macchiato it’s the reverse: steamed milk with a shot of espresso poured through it, 180 to 250 ml. Same name, opposite build.

Is a café au lait the same as a latte?

No. A café au lait is traditionally filter coffee with hot, un-steamed milk. A latte uses espresso and steamed milk with a foam layer. Many cafés now serve an espresso version that is technically a latte — the traditional café au lait stays milder in flavor.

Which of the four has the least milk?

The macchiato. Almost entirely espresso with a small dollop of milk foam, 35 to 40 ml total. The cortado is next with its 1:1 ratio, followed by the café au lait and finally the latte macchiato with the most milk volume.

Can I make a cortado or macchiato at home without an espresso machine?

Not in the classic form — both are built on espresso. The café au lait is the only one of the four you make without an espresso machine: strong filter coffee with hot milk works fine.

In closing

Four names that look alike, four different experiences. The core is always in two things: the base (espresso or filter coffee) and the coffee-to-milk ratio.

Want to learn to make the espresso-based versions yourself — including the milk technique that goes with them? Becoming a home barista: the complete guide is the next step.

No starting point for your espresso yet? Calculate your recipe at /startpunt →