September 18, 2026 Nicolas Di Stefano

50 Types of Coffee Drinks Explained: The Ultimate Coffee Lover's Guide

Most people think they know coffee. Ask them to name more than five ways to drink it, and the list usually runs dry fast. Coffee culture spans continents, brewing methods, and centuries of tradition, and there are far more different types of coffee out there than most people realise. Here's every type worth knowing, from the espresso classics to the ones you've probably never heard of.

Key Takeaways

The bean is only half the story: The same espresso shot becomes five different drinks depending on how much milk, water, or ice you add.
Every country does coffee differently: From Turkish cezve brewing to Vietnamese egg coffee, regional method matters as much as the bean.
You've probably had three of these without knowing their real name: A flat white, a piccolo, and a cortado are all subtly different drinks, not the same thing with different labels.

Espresso-based coffee types

Espresso is the foundation everything else on this list builds from. Get the shot right and everything downstream follows. Here are ten ways it gets served.

Espresso: A single concentrated shot, ideally pulled in 25 to 30 seconds with a rich, reddish-brown crema sitting on top.
Doppio: A double shot of espresso through the same puck of grounds, for a stronger hit without diluting the flavour.
Ristretto: A shorter, more concentrated pull using the same amount of coffee but less water, giving a syrupy, intense shot.
Macchiato: Espresso marked with just a spoonful of milk foam, keeping the coffee dominant. Read our full macchiato guide for the complete breakdown.
Cappuccino: Equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam, traditionally served as a morning drink in Italy.
Latte: Espresso with considerably more steamed milk and a light layer of foam, the mildest of the classic milk drinks.
Flat white: Espresso and velvety microfoam with barely any air in it, an Australian and New Zealand café staple.
Americano: Espresso diluted with hot water for a lighter, longer drink that mimics drip coffee without losing the crema.
Long black: Hot water poured first, then espresso on top, keeping the crema intact rather than drowning it.
Espresso Romano: Espresso served with a slice of lemon on the side, a less common serving style some claim cuts bitterness.

Milk-based coffee types

These drinks lean on milk texture and pouring technique rather than just the ratio of coffee to milk.

Cortado: Espresso cut with an equal amount of steamed milk, with just enough to soften the espresso without masking it.
Breve: A rich, creamy coffee made with steamed half-and-half instead of milk, noticeably heavier in the mouth.
Piccolo latte: A small latte, usually in a 90ml glass, with a stronger espresso-to-milk ratio than a standard latte.
Latte macchiato: Steamed milk stained with a shot of espresso poured last, the reverse build of a regular latte.
Mocha: A chocolate-flavoured latte with a hint of espresso underneath, sitting closer to dessert than a straight coffee.
Vienna coffee: Espresso topped with a generous layer of whipped cream instead of steamed milk, traditionally unstirred.
Gibraltar: A cortado-style coffee served in a small Gibraltar glass, named after the glassware rather than the location.
Espressino: A blend of espresso, cocoa, and foamed milk, somewhere between a mocha and a cappuccino.

Coffee drinks from around the world

Australia's own types of coffee deserve a mention before we head overseas. The flat white and the long black are both widely credited to Australian and New Zealand café culture, built around showing off espresso quality rather than burying it in milk or water. From there, nearly every coffee-drinking country has developed its own signature method.

Café bombón (Spain): Espresso layered with sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar, served in a small glass so you can see the layers.
Café de olla (Mexico): Coffee brewed with cinnamon and piloncillo, an unrefined cane sugar, giving it a warm, spiced sweetness.
Turkish coffee (Turkey): Very finely ground coffee brewed unfiltered in a cezve, served with the grounds settled at the bottom of the cup.
Vietnamese egg coffee (Vietnam): Espresso topped with whipped egg yolk and condensed milk, giving it a custard-like foam.
Cuban coffee (Café Cubano): Sweet espresso brewed directly with sugar, whipped into the shot itself rather than stirred in after.
Café Touba (Senegal): Coffee flavoured with African spices, traditionally Guinea pepper, ground in with the beans before brewing.
Kopi tubruk (Indonesia): A strong, unfiltered Indonesian coffee brewed with the grounds left in the cup, similar in method to Turkish coffee.
Mazagran (Portugal): Iced coffee served with lemon and sugar, originally created for French soldiers stationed in Algeria.
Kopi luwak (Indonesia): Coffee made from beans that have passed through a civet. We don't stock this one. The ethical sourcing behind it is genuinely difficult to verify, so we'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise.
Ca phe sua da (Vietnam): Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk, strong enough to hold its flavour over ice.
Pharisäer (Germany): Coffee with rum, sugar, and whipped cream, traditionally served to disguise the smell of alcohol at church gatherings.
Barraquito (Canary Islands): A layered drink with condensed milk, espresso, a splash of liqueur, and a dusting of cinnamon.

Cold coffee types

Perfect for warm weather, these are all served chilled rather than hot, though the method behind each one varies a lot.

Cold brew: Coffee steeped in cold water for 12 to 24 hours, giving a smoother, less acidic result than iced hot coffee. See our guide to the best beans for cold brew.
Nitro cold brew: Cold brew infused with nitrogen gas, giving it a creamy, beer-like texture and a cascading pour.
Iced coffee: Regular brewed coffee, chilled and served over ice, sometimes with milk added directly rather than diluted with water.
Frappé (Greece): A frothy, shaken iced coffee made with instant coffee, sugar, and water, whipped until it foams.
Shakerato (Italy): Espresso shaken hard with ice in a cocktail shaker, served strained into a chilled glass with a light foam cap.
Coffee soda: Cold brew mixed with sparkling water, closer to a soft drink than a traditional iced coffee.
Black tie (Thailand): A mix of Thai iced tea and coffee, layered rather than mixed, for a distinctly sweet and spiced flavour.
Japanese iced coffee: Hot coffee brewed directly over ice, cooling and locking in aroma faster than chilling a finished brew.
Coffee float: Iced coffee topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, treated as a dessert as much as a drink.
Coconut cold brew: Cold brew infused with coconut milk for a naturally sweet, dairy-free finish. Or try our cold drip method for a different kind of cold, slow-extracted cup entirely.

Dessert coffees

These drinks double as a treat as much as a coffee, and most are built to be sipped slowly rather than rushed.

Irish coffee: Coffee spiked with Irish whiskey, sweetened, and topped with a layer of lightly whipped cream.
Dalgona coffee: Whipped instant coffee, sugar, and hot water folded together, then spooned over milk. Made popular online during lockdown.
Espresso martini: A cocktail combining espresso, vodka, and coffee liqueur, shaken hard for a thick foam cap on top.
Bicerin (Italy): A layered drink of espresso, drinking chocolate, and cream, served in a small glass so the layers stay visible.
Tiramisu coffee: Coffee flavoured with mascarpone and cocoa, built to taste like the dessert it's named after.

Specialty and unique coffee types

A few less conventional coffees worth knowing about, some more genuinely useful than others.

Red eye (USA): Drip coffee boosted with an extra shot of espresso, built purely for the caffeine hit.
White coffee (Malaysia): Beans roasted with margarine instead of a standard roast, giving a milder, sweeter, less bitter flavour.
Golden latte (turmeric coffee): A caffeine-free, spiced turmeric drink with warming spices, despite the name it contains no coffee at all.
Mushroom coffee: Coffee blended with medicinal mushroom extract, marketed for a steadier energy lift with less of a crash.
Matcha coffee: A fusion of matcha green tea and espresso, split roughly half and half for a grassy, caffeinated hybrid.

The bottom line on types of coffee

Coffee isn't one drink with a few variations. It's dozens of genuinely different drinks, built from different ratios, methods, and traditions, and most people have only ever tried a handful of them. Once you know what separates a cortado from a piccolo, or a long black from an Americano, ordering something new stops feeling like a gamble. For more on the methods behind these drinks, our full guide to brewing methods covers the how, not just the what.

Wherever you usually start, whether that's a bold espresso or something milkier and lighter, we've got a bean suited to it.

Shop the Coffee Beans Collection

FAQs about types of coffee

What's the difference between a flat white and a cappuccino?

A flat white uses velvety microfoam and less of it, giving a smoother, more espresso-forward drink with a thinner top layer. A cappuccino has a thicker, more distinct foam layer and a lighter overall taste, since more of the cup is foam rather than liquid milk.

What's the best coffee for beginners?

A latte or a cappuccino is a good starting point. Both have a balanced ratio of coffee to milk, so the espresso comes through without overwhelming a palate that isn't used to it yet.

Which coffee has the most caffeine?

A doppio or a long black, cup for cup, since both are built around a stronger espresso presence with little to no milk diluting the hit. Volume matters too, a large drip coffee can contain more total caffeine than a small, concentrated shot.

Can I make these coffee types at home?

Most of them, yes, with an espresso machine or Moka pot and a milk frother. A few, like nitro cold brew or a properly shaken shakerato, need specific equipment or a bit more practice to get right.

What's the most unique coffee on this list?

Vietnamese egg coffee is hard to beat for sheer surprise value, with whipped egg yolk standing in for cream and sugar. It's a genuinely different texture to anything else on this list, closer to a custard than a coffee.

---

About the Author

Nicolas Di Stefano is a third-generation Master Roaster and Director of Primo Caffe. With decades of family tradition behind him, Nicolas combines time-honoured Italian roasting techniques with a passion for quality, delivering delicious coffee that Australians expect.

Previous article
Making Ground Coffee: A Step-by-Step Guide to Your Perfect Brew

Next article
Tips for the Perfect Long Black Coffee