Cortado
Also café cortado
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 milkServed hotFrom Spain
- Volume
- 60ml2.0 US fl oz
- Espresso
- 1shot
- Caffeine
- 64mgderived, USDA FDC
- Coffee to milk
- 1:1.0
The build
Watch it made, step by step- Espresso30 ml50%
- Milk30 ml50%
- Volume
- 60ml
- Caffeine
- 64mg
- Espresso
- 1shot
Scales every component together, so the ratio holds; caffeine scales with the coffee.
Close to 1:1 espresso to milk; the milk is steamed with minimal texture.
Caffeine
Derivedin a 60 ml cortado
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
3| Name | Country | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| gibraltar | United States | Double shot in a 4.5 oz Libbey Gibraltar glass, popularised in San Francisco. |
| cortadito | Cuba | Pre-sweetened Cuban espresso cut with milk. |
| garoto | Portugal | Portuguese version with more milk in a small cup. |
History
Popular accountA Spanish and Latin American bar staple; Wikidata records Spain as its country of origin and milk and espresso as its parts. The small 'gibraltar' glass version emerged in San Francisco specialty cafés in the 2000s (popular account).
Spanish 'cortar', to cut: the milk cuts the coffee's acidity.
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
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 mgCuba's sweetened cortado: café cubano with a splash of steamed or evaporated milk in a small cup.
Espresso and milk Garoto 70 ml · 64 mgA Portuguese espresso cup of mostly hot milk with a little coffee, the mild small milk drink.
Espresso and milk Espressino 75 ml · 64 mgA small Apulian coffee of espresso, a little steamed milk and cocoa in an espresso cup. Bari's take on the mini-mocha.
Espresso and milk Long Macchiato 75 ml · 127 mgThe Australian and New Zealand double macchiato: two shots marked with a little textured milk in a small glass.
Espresso and milk Café Noisette 45 ml · 64 mgA French espresso 'stained' with a little milk, named for its hazelnut colour. The French counterpart of the Italian macchiato.