How to Make an Espresso Macchiato: Recipe and Ratio
An espresso macchiato is a single or double espresso barely marked with a dash of steamed milk or a spoon of foam. Macchiato means stained in Italian: the coffee stays firmly in charge, and the milk is only there to take the edge off the bitterness. Reckon on about 10 to 30 ml of milk for a total of 40 to 80 ml, served in a small espresso cup. That dot of milk is what sets it apart from the latte macchiato (milk stained with coffee, tall glass), the caramel macchiato (a sweet chain drink) and the cortado (twice as much milk).
- Coffee base: single or double espresso, about 30 to 60 ml
- Milk: 10 to 30 ml of steamed milk or foam, a single stain
- Coffee-to-milk ratio: about 4:1 to 2:1, coffee firmly dominant
- Serving volume: 40 to 80 ml in a small espresso cup
- Milk temperature: 60 to 65 degrees Celsius, never boiled
- Total time: about 4 minutes
What an espresso macchiato is
The espresso macchiato, also called caffè macchiato in Italy, is one of the most minimalist milk drinks in the book. The word macchiato comes from the Italian macchiare, to stain. The whole idea lives in that image: take an espresso and stain it with a drop of milk. The gesture is old, born in Italian bars so that staff could tell at a glance which espresso had been given a touch of milk and which one was still black. The result is a coffee that keeps almost all of its punch, just rounded off by a hint of softness.
What defines an espresso macchiato is that tiny share of milk. You are not after balance, you are after an accent. The coffee stays the hero, the milk is a comma. Reckon on roughly 10 to 30 ml of milk, a spoon of foam or a streak of steamed milk, for an espresso of 30 to 60 ml. The coffee-to-milk ratio therefore leans hard towards the coffee, somewhere between 4:1 and 2:1 depending on whether you start from a single or a double and how generous the stain is. The served volume stays small, 40 to 80 ml, in the same cup you would use for a straight espresso.
The other key point is not to confuse this Italian drink with its distant cousins. The most common trap is the latte macchiato, which flips the whole logic around: it is no longer coffee stained with milk but milk stained with coffee. We come back to that in the table. And do not mix it up with the caramel macchiato from the chains either, a sweet, very milky drink that kept nothing of the macchiato but the name. The real espresso macchiato stays plain, short and intense.
Ingredients and equipment
For an espresso macchiato at home the list runs to three lines. Everything rests on a good shot and fine foam, not on quantity.
- 7 to 9 g of freshly ground coffee for a single shot, or 16 to 18 g for a double, fine grind
- 30 to 50 ml of cold whole milk in the jug (you will only use a dash; whole milk steams to microfoam most easily, a barista oat drink also works)
- Filtered water for the machine
- An espresso machine with a steam wand, a small milk jug and an espresso cup of 40 to 80 ml
- Scales and ideally a thermometer to target 60 to 65 degrees Celsius
The step-by-step method
Success comes down to a clean espresso and a stain of milk laid down with care. Because there is so little milk, the final move asks for a bit of precision rather than force.
- Dial in the grind and dose. Weigh 7 to 9 g of freshly ground coffee for a single shot, or 16 to 18 g for a double, with a fine espresso grind. Spread the grounds evenly and tamp level, without forcing.
- Pull the espresso. Pull a shot, about 30 ml for a single or 60 ml for a double, in 25 to 30 seconds. Catch the coffee straight in the small cup. A dense crema gives the perfect surface to lay the milk stain on.
- Steam a little milk. Pour 30 to 50 ml of cold milk into the jug, more than you need so you can texture it properly. Hold the steam wand just under the surface to add a touch of air, then submerge it slightly to smooth out. Cut the steam at around 60 to 65 degrees Celsius. You want fine, glossy microfoam, not a thick cappuccino-style head.
- Stain the espresso. Tap the jug briefly and swirl the milk smooth. With a spoon or straight from the jug, drop about 10 to 30 ml of foam onto the centre of the espresso to form a clear stain on the crema. Serve at once, while the stain is sharp and the coffee hot.
Espresso macchiato vs latte macchiato vs cortado vs cappuccino: the table
All four drinks start from the same pairing of espresso and milk, but the milk share, the volume and even the pouring order change everything. The figures below are common specialty coffee references.
| Drink | Serving volume | Coffee-to-milk ratio | Pouring order | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso macchiato | 40 to 80 ml | about 4:1 to 2:1 | milk onto coffee | coffee dominant, single milk stain |
| Latte macchiato | 200 to 300 ml | milk strongly dominant | coffee onto milk | milk stained with coffee, layered |
| Cortado | 90 to 130 ml | about 1:1 | milk onto coffee | strong coffee, silky milk in equal parts |
| Cappuccino | 150 to 180 ml | about 1:2 (with foam) | milk onto coffee | thirds of coffee, milk, thick foam |
In short: the espresso macchiato is the tightest and most coffee-led of the lot. At the other end, the latte macchiato is almost entirely milk and comes in a tall glass, with the coffee poured last to build layers. Between the two, the cortado cuts the espresso in equal parts and the cappuccino adds a thick layer of foam. If you like coffee plain and barely softened, the espresso macchiato is your friend.
Frequently asked questions about the espresso macchiato
How much milk goes in an espresso macchiato?
Very little. An espresso macchiato takes just a dash of steamed milk or a spoon of foam, roughly 10 to 30 ml, dropped onto a single or double espresso. Macchiato means stained in Italian: the milk only marks the coffee with a pale spot. The coffee-to-milk ratio stays firmly in favour of the coffee, around 4:1 to 2:1, for a total serve of 40 to 80 ml in a small espresso cup.
What is the difference between an espresso macchiato and a latte macchiato?
The order is reversed and so are the proportions. An espresso macchiato is coffee stained with milk: an espresso in a small cup, marked with a dash of milk, with the coffee leading. A latte macchiato is milk stained with coffee: a tall glass of steamed milk into which the espresso is poured last, sinking through to form layers, with the milk leading. One is 40 to 80 ml, the other 200 to 300 ml.
Is an espresso macchiato the same as a caramel macchiato?
No. The espresso macchiato (or caffè macchiato) is the classic Italian drink: an espresso stained with a little milk, no syrup or sugar added. The caramel macchiato is a coffee-chain creation, far bigger and milkier, with vanilla syrup, caramel and a generous pour of steamed milk. It borrows the word stained but the drink has almost nothing to do with the traditional macchiato.
Do you froth the milk for an espresso macchiato?
A little fine foam is enough, without working it up the way you would for a cappuccino. Steam the milk to about 60 to 65 degrees Celsius with a touch of air for light microfoam, then spoon or pour a small dot of that foam onto the espresso. Some baristas just use a streak of barely textured steamed milk. The aim is the milk stain, not a thick layer of foam.
Go further: How to make a cortado · How to make a cappuccino · Specialty coffee FAQ · Coffee glossary · All guides