Does the thought of a hot espresso shot infusing a rich, creamy coffee drink send you running to your local barista? If it does, you should order an affogato shot.
Affogato shot is a fancy term for a simple drink order. It doesn’t require any professional level of barista skills, and you can easily make one at home.
However, there is some confusion between an affogato shot and an affogato. Order one instead of the other, and you’ll get a big surprise.
Read on to discover everything you need to know about an affogato shot.
WHAT IS AN AFFOGATO SHOT?
Not to be confused with an affogato dessert, an affogato shot refers to the order in which your espresso shot is poured. Basically, it’s poured last, or over, your drink for the finishing touch.
Since it’s poured last, it creates this dazzling display of rich espresso cascading down into your beverage. Think of an iced caramel macchiato, and you’ll get the picture.
The shot was named after a popular Italian coffee dessert. The word “affogato” itself means drowned in Italian. So you can see how this term is fitting for this style of espresso.
SO WHAT IS AN AFFOGATO DESSERT?
An affogato dessert is a simple yet sensational Italian delicacy. To make one, you place a scoop of gelato into a small bowl and pour a shot of hot espresso over it.
The warm espresso drowns the gelato as the worlds of hot and cold collide into a decadent dessert. Only the finest quality coffee beans should be used while the shot itself remains unsweetened.
HOW IS AFFOGATO PRONOUNCED?
Affogato isn’t the most straightforward Italian word to pronounce. But if you’re going to be ordering one, you should know how to say it right.
Phonetically, you pronounce affogato as a-fuh-gaa-toh. Now when you walk into the coffee shop, you can order one up like a well-seasoned affogato pro.
WHAT’S AN AFFOGATO SHOT VS. ESPRESSO SHOT?
An affogato shot and regular espresso shot are essentially the same things. You grind, tamp, and brew the shot the same whether you’re using an automatic or manual espresso machine.
The main difference is how you pour the shot. A regular shot will be the first thing to enter your coffee cup, whereas an affogato shot will be the last.
HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS IN AN AFFOGATO SHOT?
Since you brew an affogato shot the same as a regular espresso shot, it will have the same amount of caffeine. However, the caffeine content can vary.
What it boils down to is the roasting and brewing process. This can increase or decrease the overall amount of caffeine you get when you pull a single, regular shot of espresso.
In general, a one-ounce shot of espresso contains about 63 mg of caffeine. So when you pour an affogato shot on your specialty coffee drink of choice, you get an affogato shot caffeine content that’s the same as a regular shot.
WHAT DRINKS COME WITH AN AFFOGATO SHOT?
Anything! Name a coffee drink, and you can pour an affogato shot on it.
Hot or cold, foamy or silky, heavy cream or non-dairy milk, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s meant to be a coffee drink, you can add an affogato shot.
Keep in mind, this works better for some drinks than others. Similar to trying different flavored coffee syrups, I say experiment.
Mix up your usual coffee routine and try an affogato shot. You may stumble upon your new favorite creation.
WHAT’S AN AFFOGATO SHOT VS MACCHIATO?
I’m guilty of drinking way too many iced caramel macchiatos in my younger years. But I couldn’t resist these sweet and creamy drinks made picture-perfect thanks to the affogato shot.
But wait, is it an affogato, or is it a macchiato?
Macchiato means “mark” in Italian. This can be done in two ways. The first is an espresso macchiato, and this is merely an espresso shot with a dollop, or mark, of foam, added on top.
The other is a macchiato in latte form, like those caramel macchiatos I used to be obsessed with. This is a specialty coffee drink that gets marked by an espresso shot, so it’s in reverse order of an espresso macchiato.
Essentially, the latte version of a macchiato and affogato is the same thing. The espresso shot gets added last to “mark” or “drown” the drink.
WHAT IS AN AFFOGATO SHOT AT STARBUCKS?
Starbucks has its own lexicon that doesn’t always translate to local coffee shops. Their cup sizes are a prime example. When it comes to the affogato shot, Starbucks gets all the glory for this one.
Back in 2016, Starbucks introduced an affogato-style frappuccino. Inspired by the Italian dessert, this blended frozen drink consisted of coffee, milk, and ice with a hot shot of espresso poured over. It was also initially available in three flavors, including vanilla bean, caramel, and mocha.
The caffeine content of an affogato-style frappuccino is around 75 mg for a tall. And the calories? Let’s just say you’re better off not knowing.
While it may have pertained initially to these three frappuccino flavors, you can order anything affogato-style. Just be sure to specify the drink of choice when you order.
HOW DO YOU ORDER AN AFFOGATO SHOT?
Before it became a trendy drink order, affogato merely referred to the Italian dessert. So if you order an affogato, you’ll likely get a scoop of ice cream with an espresso shot poured on top.
Obviously, not everywhere you go has ice cream. So, where you’re ordering the affogato shot from depends on the establishment. To cut out the confusion, be sure to specify your order.
Specifically, make it clear whether you want an affogato shot ice cream, an affogato shot added to your drink, or an affogato shot frappuccino. The clearer you are, the less likely it is you’ll wind up with something you didn’t want.
FINAL WORDS
When you get down to it, an affogato shot is nothing more than a hot shot of espresso to top off your drink. How you order it, however, will determine what you get in return.
Ice cream, frappuccino, or drink drowned in espresso, an affogato means a variety of things. All of which are equally good, and it just depends on what you’re in the mood for.
