Many people wouldn’t dream of starting their morning without a cup of coffee. If you’re not a coffee connoisseur, you may be wondering what makes an espresso and a cappuccino different from a regular cup of coffee. 

In this article, we’ll brew up an explanation of how espresso differs from coffee and how a cappuccino is different from an espresso. 

espresso vs. coffee

The word coffee is used to refer to any beverage made using roasted coffee beans. When people brew coffee at home, they typically use a coffee maker that runs or drips boiling water through ground coffee beans. 

An espresso is a specific type of coffee that uses a particular brewing process. Typically, an espresso is made by moving highly pressurized hot water through coffee grounds at high speed using an espresso maker. 

This brewing process means that an espresso is basically concentrated coffee. As a result, an espresso tends to have more strength and a richer flavor than regular coffee. Espresso usually has about five times the caffeine per ounce than regular coffee. However, people typically drink more coffee at once than espresso. People typically only drink a small amount—usually referred to as a shot—of espresso, but they will commonly drink coffee by the cup.  

Espresso can be a tricky word to spell and pronounce. Check out our comparison of espresso and expresso. 

espresso vs. cappuccino

A cappuccino is an espresso with steamed milk and milk foam added to it. Compared to an espresso, a cappuccino typically has a sweeter, creamier flavor due to the added milk. Because it has espresso in it, though, a cappuccino has more caffeine and a richer flavor than regular coffee. A cappuccino is often one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third milk foam. Other ingredients, such as cinnamon or caramel, are commonly added for more flavor.