Café Pingado

Also pingado, pingo

A Portuguese espresso with a single drop of milk, the local macchiato.

Espresso and milkServed hotFrom Portugal

Volume
35ml1.2 US fl oz
Espresso
1shot
Caffeine
64mgderived, USDA FDC
Coffee to milk
1:0.2

The build

Watch it made, step by step
Demitasse, 70 ml. Layers in pouring order from the bottom, drawn by volume.
  1. Espresso30 ml86%
  2. Milk5 ml14%
Volume
35ml
Caffeine
64mg
Espresso
1shot

Scales every component together, so the ratio holds; caffeine scales with the coffee.

An espresso with a drop of milk.

Caffeine

Derived
64mg

in a 35 ml café pingado

USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee volume in components, assuming 1 g per ml. FDC 171891 (Beverages, coffee, brewed, espresso, restaurant-prepared) 212.0 mg/100 g x 30 ml.

USDA FoodData Central record 171891 · read 2026-10-26

A derived figure: the reference food's caffeine per 100 g scaled to the coffee in this build. Real cups vary with the coffee, the dose and the shot.

Variants by country

2
NameCountryHow it differs
caffè macchiatoItalyItalian equivalent.
noisetteFranceFrench equivalent.

History

Popular account

Portuguese café vocabulary; no primary source documents its origin.

Portugal: 'dripped'.

Popular account

Parts of this story are repeated widely but were not confirmed against a source this atlas accepts. They are kept as the story people tell, not as fact.

Related drinks

Espresso and milk Café Noisette 45 ml · 64 mg

A French espresso 'stained' with a little milk, named for its hazelnut colour. The French counterpart of the Italian macchiato.

 Espresso and milk Kleiner Brauner 45 ml · 64 mg

The Viennese single espresso served with a little milk or cream to brown it; ordered as 'kleiner' or 'großer' for single or double.

 Espresso and milk Antoccino 60 ml · 64 mg

A single espresso with an equal amount of steamed milk in an espresso cup. Recorded here because it appears on menus and lists; its origin is not documented.

 Espresso and milk Cortadito 60 ml · 64 mg

Cuba's sweetened cortado: café cubano with a splash of steamed or evaporated milk in a small cup.

 Espresso and milk Cortado 60 ml · 64 mg

Espresso cut with an equal amount of warm milk, served in a small glass. It keeps the coffee prominent while softening its edge, with almost no foam.

 Espresso and milk Garoto 70 ml · 64 mg

A Portuguese espresso cup of mostly hot milk with a little coffee, the mild small milk drink.