What is a Cortado?

In the world of coffee, where lattes and cappuccinos often take the limelight, the cortado is a quieter classic that has been gaining international appreciation. A cortado is essentially an espresso “cut” with a small amount of warm milk – in fact, the name comes from the Spanish verb cortar, meaning “to cut.” The idea is simple: the intensity and acidity of the espresso are softened (cut) by the addition of milk, creating a balanced, smooth small coffee drink. Typically served in a small glass, a cortado usually has about equal parts espresso and milk, though exact proportions can vary slightly by region or personal taste (often the ratio is somewhere between 1:1 and 1:2 coffee to milk).

What Makes a Cortado Different from Other Coffees?

Unlike a foamy cappuccino or a large milky latte, a cortado has little to no foam and is not diluted with lots of milk – it’s stronger than a flat white, but creamier than a straight shot of espresso. The result is a short, bold coffee with a velvety texture that’s perfect for those who want something in-between a black coffee and a milky drink. In Spain and many Latin American countries, a café cortado is an everyday go-to, the kind of coffee you might sip mid-morning or in the afternoon for a quick caffeine boost without the volume of a big coffee cup.

The Origins of the Cortado: From Spain to the World

The cortado hails from the Iberian tradition of coffee drinking, particularly in Spain and Portugal. Espresso machines became popular in Spanish cafés by the mid-20th century, and with them came a variety of espresso-based drinks. The term cortado in coffee context first took hold in Spain – it simply described espresso “cut” with some milk, and the concept likely emerged organically as patrons who found straight espresso too harsh would ask for a bit of milk to mellow it. Soon, ordering a cortado became as common as ordering a café solo (a plain espresso) in Spanish cafés.

Spain’s culture of leisurely café-sitting and social coffee breaks provided the cortado with a solid home. It spread to neighboring Portugal (where a similar small coffee with milk might be called garoto or pingado) and to Latin America. For instance, in Cuba, a drink called a cortadito became popular – it’s essentially a cortado often made with a sweet twist (using evaporated milk or condensed milk) and usually pre-sweetened espresso. Cuban immigrants brought the cortadito to Miami, where it’s now a staple in the Cuban-American community, often enjoyed in small styrofoam cups from window cafés in Little Havana.

For many years, outside of Spanish-speaking communities, the cortado remained relatively unknown. It wasn’t commonly found on menus of big international coffee chains. However, as the specialty coffee movement grew in the 2000s and 2010s, baristas and coffee aficionados looked to European and global coffee traditions for inspiration beyond the standard Italian-style menu. The cortado began appearing in independent coffee shops, often championed as a connoisseur’s choice that highlights espresso’s flavor with just a touch of milk for balance. An interesting chapter in its modern popularity was in San Francisco: the local coffee company Blue Bottle offered a cortado-like drink they called the “Gibraltar” (named after the glass it was served in). The Gibraltar wasn’t listed on official menus, but it became a cult favorite and helped popularize the idea of a small, balanced coffee-and-milk drink in the U.S.

What Goes Into a Cortado?

A classic cortado has just two components: espresso and milk. But the key lies in the quality and treatment of those components:

• Espresso: A cortado starts with a fresh shot (or double shot) of espresso. The coffee used can be any espresso roast, though in Spain it’s often a medium-dark roast for a robust flavor. The espresso should be well-extracted to bring out its rich flavors without excessive bitterness, because in a cortado there’s not a huge amount of milk to mask a bad shot.
• Milk: The milk in a cortado is steamed, but lightly. It’s heated to a warm temperature (often around 60–65°C / 140–150°F), which is hot enough to be pleasant and to bring out the milk’s natural sweetness, but not so hot as to scald. Crucially, the milk is not heavily frothed as in a cappuccino. You might get a tiny layer of microfoam on top, but overall the milk remains liquid and smoothly integrated. Whole milk is traditionally used, providing the creamiest texture, but baristas can adapt to preferences or dietary needs (some coffee shops offer cortados with oat or almond milk, for example).

In terms of volume, a cortado is usually around 4 to 6 ounces in total (120–180 ml). If a double shot of espresso is about 2 ounces, an equal amount or slightly more steamed milk is added. Because of this small volume, it’s a drink meant to be enjoyed relatively quickly, not nursed over a long period – though one can certainly sip slowly and savor it.

There are no added flavors or syrups in a traditional cortado; it’s all about the pure combination of coffee and milk. That said, people can customize if they wish (it wouldn’t be unheard of to add a sprinkle of sugar, or even a flavored syrup, but that veers into personal preference rather than tradition).

How to Make a Cortado Like a Pro

Making a cortado is straightforward for any barista trained on an espresso machine:

1. Pull the Espresso: Brew a fresh espresso (usually a double shot for strength) into a small glass or cup. The ideal is a concentrated, aromatic espresso base.
2. Steam the Milk: Using the steam wand, heat the milk until it’s silky and just has a light velvety microfoam. The goal is not to create distinct foam layers or stiff froth, but rather a unified creamy milk. The volume of milk is small – just enough to match or slightly exceed the espresso.
3. Combine: Pour the steamed milk into the espresso. Often, this is done slowly, and given the small size, latte art is possible but on a miniature scale (some baristas do etch a tiny heart or pattern on a cortado). The milk and espresso should blend harmoniously, with a light tan crema/microfoam layer on top.

In terms of serving, a cortado is traditionally served in a small glass. In Spain, you might see it in a simple rocks glass or a specific cortado glass. Some cafés use a small glass cup set in a metal holder with a handle (particularly in old-fashioned Spanish cafeterias). The Blue Bottle “Gibraltar” version popularized serving it in a 4.5 oz Libbey Gibraltar glass, which became part of its identity in the U.S. context. If a glass isn’t used, a demitasse cup or small ceramic cup can suffice, but the transparent glass emphasizes the appealing layered look of coffee and milk.

Unlike larger coffee drinks, the cortado is not typically a take-away or to-go drink in a big paper cup. It’s meant to be consumed relatively soon after preparation, to enjoy the balance at its peak. If you’re at a Spanish café and order a cortado, you might stand at the counter and sip it in a few minutes before heading back to work – it provides that quick lift without lingering over a giant mug.

The Cortado’s Role in Spanish and Latin Coffee Life

The cortado is deeply ingrained in Spanish and Latin American coffee culture as an everyday pleasure. In Spain, if you step into a local café or bar in the morning, you’ll likely hear patrons casually order “Un cortado, por favor,” alongside their breakfast pastry or midday sandwich. It’s viewed as a no-fuss, no-frills coffee – not as intense as an espresso, not as filling as a cafe con leche (the Spanish version of a latte). It fits perfectly into the Spanish lifestyle of taking short breaks for coffee. Many Spaniards will have a cortado after lunch to ward off the afternoon slump.

In countries like Argentina or Colombia, you’ll find similar practices under names like cortado or perico (in some parts of Latin America, perico refers to coffee with a little milk). The idea of cutting coffee with a dash of milk is widespread. Each locale might have its slight twist – for example, in Buenos Aires, ordering a cortado will get you a small coffee with a shot of milk, often served in a petite glass on a saucer, sometimes accompanied by a little cookie or a glass of water.

Culturally, the cortado aligns with the preference for coffee breaks as a social or restorative ritual. It’s the kind of coffee you drink while standing at a café bar exchanging a few words with the barista or your companion, rather than a giant flavored concoction you carry around. The simplicity of a cortado is part of its charm – it’s seen as authentic and unpretentious.

The rise of the cortado in international coffee scenes also reflects a cultural cross-pollination. As third-wave coffee shops sought to educate consumers on different coffee styles, the cortado became an ambassador of Spanish coffee culture abroad. Coffee lovers appreciated that it wasn’t just another name for the same old thing; it offered a different balance than the Italian macchiato or the Australian/New Zealand flat white. In many trendy cafes from London to Los Angeles now, you’ll find “cortado” on the menu, appealing to those who want a strong coffee that’s tempered but not drowned in milk.

Why Cortados Are Trending Worldwide

Though the cortado itself is a simple beverage, its growing popularity is notable. In the U.S. and other non-Spanish-speaking markets, the cortado trend represents a shift toward smaller, more coffee-forward drinks, likely a response to years of very large, sometimes overly sweet coffee beverages. Consumers are increasingly interested in the origin of beans, the roasting profile, and the craftsmanship of coffee making – and a cortado is a great format to taste the character of an espresso shot with just enough milk to smooth it out.

Independent coffee shops have led the way in making the cortado fashionable. Often, you’ll find a cortado described on a menu board with some pride (“2 oz espresso + 2 oz steamed milk”) – it’s positioned as a mark of a serious coffee establishment. Social media, too, has played a part: a pretty cortado in a glass, sometimes with latte art, is an Instagrammable coffee moment.

The influence of the cortado has even nudged major chains in subtle ways. While Starbucks and similar chains don’t typically list a “cortado” by name, they have introduced small-size latte options and flat whites that cater to the desire for less milk. In some markets, Starbucks has quietly tested a cortado or something similar under the name “Cortado Blanco,” adapting to local trends.

Beyond just the beverage, cortado culture has come to symbolize an appreciation for global coffee traditions. Just as Italian espresso culture or Turkish coffee culture have their iconic representations, the cortado represents the Spanish café culture. It’s not uncommon now to see coffee-focused events or festivals where tastings include cortados, or barista competitions where preparing a great cortado is a skill test (because getting the balance right in a small drink can be trickier than in a large latte).

In essence, the cortado’s modern “trendiness” in some cities is simply the rest of the world catching up to what Spain and Latin America have enjoyed for generations: a straightforward, delightful coffee break that hits the spot. As more people discover it, the cortado seems less exotic and more like an old friend – a welcome addition to the global coffee lexicon.