Macchiato

Ingredients

Coffee

• 18 gfinely ground dark-roast coffee, for a double shot

Milk

• 80 mlwhole milk, cold

To serve

• sugar, on the side
• a small glass, not a cup

Equipment

• an espresso machine with a steam wand
• a small metal milk jug

Directions

1. Use a dark Italian-style roast, which is what Asmara bars use. Grind it fine, just before you pull the shot. Stale pre-ground coffee will give a thin sour shot.
2. Let the machine come fully up to temperature before you start. Run a blank shot through the group head to warm it.
3. Rinse the glass with hot water and empty it. A cold glass will kill the crema and cool the drink at once. Use cold whole milk, since it steams better than warm milk.
4. Pour it into a small jug, filling it no more than a third. Now steaming, which needs texture rather than volume. Set the wand tip just under the surface of the milk. You want a fine glossy texture, not a stiff dry foam.
5. Keep spinning it until the jug is too hot to hold comfortably. Turn off the steam and wipe the wand immediately. Swirl it until it looks like glossy wet paint. Pour the espresso into the warmed glass first.
6. Let it settle for a few seconds. Now pouring the milk to keep the layers separate. Hold the glass at a slight angle. Pour the steamed milk slowly down the inside of the glass.
7. Pour it in a thin steady stream rather than dumping it in. Stop while there is still coffee showing at the top. Serve it with sugar on the side rather than stirred in. Most Eritreans take it sweet, and often very sweet.

Technique

• The Eritrean version carries far more milk than an Italian macchiato and is served layered.
• Steam the milk to about sixty-five degrees, since scalded milk tastes flat.
• Pour slowly down the side of a tilted glass so the layers stay separate.

Substitutions

• A moka pot in place of an espresso machine, though the crema is lost.
• A milk frother if you have no steam wand.

Variations

• With a spoon of dry foam on top.
• Made stronger, with less milk, closer to the Italian original.
• Served alongside a slice of himbasha bread.

History

A survival of Italian colonial rule in Eritrea, still poured in Asmara’s 1930s Art Deco bars and pastry shops.

Frequently asked questions

What is Macchiato?

Macchiato is a drink from Eritrea: small espresso stained with steamed milk, sipped in Asmara cafés. A survival of Italian colonial rule in Eritrea, still poured in Asmara’s 1930s Art Deco bars and pastry shops.

How long does Macchiato take to make?

Macchiato takes 5 min of preparation and 5 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Macchiato?

Yes, within limits. A moka pot in place of an espresso machine, though the crema is lost. A milk frother if you have no steam wand.

What is the most important thing to get right in Macchiato?

Pour it into a small jug, filling it no more than a third. Now steaming, which needs texture rather than volume. Set the wand tip just under the surface of the milk. You want a fine glossy texture, not a stiff dry foam.