Cortado

Section: Hot: Espresso Family · espresso · dairy · build · low calorie · under 60 s

Setup

Glass: Short heatproof glass 120-133 ml

Serve volume: 72 ml

Ingredients (as the source specifies)

Double espresso 36 ml
Whole milk 36 ml, steamed

Operating procedure

Applies to: cortado built on a double espresso cut with roughly equal steamed milk (1:1) in a ~120 ml glass, minimal foam.

Target: under 75 seconds from shot start to service.

Pre-warm the ~120 ml glass; a cold glass drops the drink below serving temperature fast.
Use cold fresh milk in a small, clean, cold pitcher.
Purge and wipe the steam wand before texturing.
Set the glass on the bench so the 1:1 espresso-to-milk build is easy to judge by eye.

Pull a double espresso straight into the warm glass.
18 g in / ~36 g out / 25–30 s, hazelnut-gold crema.
Steam a matching volume of milk to a silky texture with almost no air added.
Final milk temperature 60–65°C; foam kept to a bare 2–3 mm skin.
Swirl the pitcher to keep the milk glossy and free of separated foam.
Texture should pour flat and shiny, like thin cream.
Pour the milk to roughly a 1:1 ratio with the espresso, filling the small glass.
Equal parts espresso and steamed milk — the drink stays short and strong.
Serve immediately; the surface should be nearly flat with just a thin foam skin.
No thick foam cap — the cortado is a cut shot, not a mini cappuccino.

Roughly equal espresso and milk with only a thin 2–3 mm foam skin.
Coffee stays bold and forward — milk softens the edge without burying the shot.
Milk is silky and hot to 60–65°C, never bubbly or scalded.

The cortado is about balance in a small format: enough milk to cut acidity and edge, but not enough foam or volume to dilute the espresso — keep the milk flat and the ratio tight at 1:1.

Technique

The procedures this drink is built with. They are the technique, not this drink's own method.

Energy, derived from the ingredient list

Computed line by line against the source's own coefficient table. Nothing here is typed in.

Espresso · 36 × 0.03 = 1.08 kcal
Whole milk 3.5% · 36 × 0.64 = 23.04 kcal

Derived total: ≈ 25 kcal

Caffeine, derived from the ingredient list

Computed line by line at the source's own reference doses. Nothing here is typed in.

Double espresso 36 ml · 130 mg (double espresso reference: 18 g dose = 130 mg)

Derived total: ≈ 130 mg

Recommended adult daily maximum: 400 mg

Allergens, as the source states them: `MILK`

Holding and food safety

These figures are the published guidance, not a house rule. Each carries its source.

Chilled components: hold at or below 5 °C. The legal maximum is 8 °C.
Once a chilled component is out of the fridge, it has 4 hours before it must be discarded.

Your local authority sets the requirement. Confirm these against it before service.

Source: GOV.UK — Food hygiene for businesses (FSA guidance) — retrieved 2026-08-20