"Hi my name is Cam, that's Mac backwards." That's how Cameron from Sister Fox first introduced himself to me and I thought it was classic and remember it to this day. Cam is lovely guy and has been a Sister Fox barista for ages. He’s the one in the hat, so say hi to him next time you're there. This post about how to make a magic Macchiato is dedicated to Cam.

The Macchiato

The macchiato is a fanatically supported beverage although it is enjoyed by only a small percentage of the specialty coffee drinking community. But those who do drink macchiato's have a deep unwavering love for this little golden dynamite of a beverage. When a macchiato is perfectly executed it can be a time stopping moment. Really. Imagine a coffee that expresses the soft mouthfeel of toasted marshmallow over a campfire, mixed with toasted hazelnut and a maple syrup finish. I've won you over already haven't I! The macchiato is traditionally served in the Italian demitasse cup, however in Australia it is common to see them in glassware. At White Horse Coffee we're traditionalists and serve them in the demitasse.

Where the name came from

The word “Macchiato” means a stain or mark in Italian. Simply by marking or staining the espresso coffee with milk we are allowing the maximum amount of flavour from both the milk and coffee to shine. The Macchiato is a magical experience as this beautiful little beverage allows us to fully experience the creamy silky texture of cow's milk along with the extravagance of coffea arabica's stunning nuances.

This is how we make it

Serve in a demitasse cup. If you don’t own one, purchase here.

• Start with our standard brewing recipe of grinding and dosing 23g into your double portafilter basket. This will make two Mac’s perfect for you and your friend.
• Place the Demi’s on a scale on your espresso machine. If you don’t have one we sell them here for $25.
• Extract the coffee into the cup and stop the extraction at around 30g, (15g in each glass).
• If you can manage two tasks at once heat milk (60-70 degrees) in a small 300ml pitcher at the same time.
• Then, wait a moment, around 5 seconds for the milk to thicken, then pour the milk in the centre of the crema, try and finish between half and three quarters full in a demitasse cup, depending on how you like it. (Our white horse standard is half full.)

You can read about heating and texturing milk in our guide here. I really enjoy making Macchiatos, and I Iove chain-smashing them on Saturday mornings after staying up all night watching the Sydney Kings lose another game.

Next week

Next week we show you how to make The Double Mac! Another wonderful coffee beverage. What's better than a Mac, a Double Mac! So stay tuned.

Get the gear

• In this article we mention weighing your coffee. We use a simple $25 scale that you can get here.
• We also mention demitasse cups, which you can get here
• And you can get other brewing gear as well.