Be prepared to read many Italian words

Fancy a cup o’ Joe? 10 terms any coffee lover should know

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There was a time when coffee was coffee, everywhere we went. Cup o’ Joe, java, wake-up juice, you name it, it was pretty much all the same beverage. And then, specialty coffee barista bars appeared and things got more complicated. Whether you walk into a Starbucks or any other coffee shop, the list can be intimidating. The following ten are some of the most common suspects. How many of these have you tried?

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We start our coffee list with maybe the most famous representative: the espresso. This beverage is a concentrated type of coffee made with specially roasted beans and an espresso machine.

Finely ground beans are packed into a portafilter, which is then locked into the base of the espresso machine. Very high pressure (a necessity for espresso) forces water through the packed grounds to pull one- or two-ounce shots of creamy, thick espresso. The only difference between espresso and coffee is in the beans and the brewing methods.

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The Italian word for milk, latte is not actually a coffee drink. A latte or caffè latte is a milk coffee that boasts a silky layer of foam. A true latte will be made up of one or two shots of espresso, steamed milk, and a final, thin layer of frothed milk on top.

On the other hand, the caffe latte often has less foam than a cappuccino and is usually served in a taller cup or glass. A caffe latte is an espresso with milk. In Italy, a Caffe is an espresso. Latte is milk. Ideally served with latte art on top and not too much foam.

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A latte macchiato is slightly different. Macchiato means marked or stained. A latte macchiato is a milk marked with an espresso. It has the same ingredients as a caffe latte but it is made and looks different. A good latte macchiato is served in a tall glass and has distinctive layers between the foam, espresso, and milk with the foam on top, espresso below the foam, and milk at the bottom.

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Another famous Italian coffee name, cappuccino is an espresso-based coffee drink that is traditionally prepared with steamed milk including a layer of milk foam. Other versions involve the use of cream instead of milk, non-dairy milk substitutes, and flavoring with cocoa powder or cinnamon.

It is typically smaller in volume than the latte we just described and topped with a thick layer of foam rather than being made with microfoam.

The name comes from the Capuchin friars, referring to the color of their habits, and in this context, referring to the color of the beverage when milk is added in small portion to dark, brewed coffee.

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Maybe not a coffee 100% but it makes an appearance on this list because it is an extremely ubiquitous item in coffee shops. The affogato is a dessert made with two main ingredients: vanilla ice cream and espresso. Originally invented in Italy, the word "affogato" literally translates as "drowned" in English. This is fitting, as the affogato is no more than a scoop of ice cream "drowned" in espresso.

While it is mainly viewed as a dessert, some restaurants and cafés in Italy still categorize the affogato as a beverage.

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In case anyone was wondering, yes, Americano is the Italian word for American. An Americano coffee is made by pouring hot water over one or two espresso shots, resulting in a drink of similar volume and strength to regular coffee.

The key to an Americano is that it starts with espresso and adopts the flavors and aromas of the espresso, but with a less powerful taste.

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A close cousin of the espresso, a ristretto is an espresso shot. It uses less hot water which creates a sweeter flavor compared to the bitter taste of a traditional shot of espresso or a doppio.

Ristretto means "restricted." Ristretto is all about quality over quantity. When less hot water is forced through the finely ground coffee beans, the result is a more concentrated flavor. The coffee tastes sweeter and less bitter because of the shorter extraction time.

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The first non-Italian entry in this list consists of black coffee, whiskey, and sugar, topped with whipped cream. Many drinks of hot coffee with a distilled spirit, and cream floated on top are given names derived from Irish coffee, although the names are not standardized.

Irish cream coffee can be considered a variant of Irish coffee but involves the use of Irish cream as a "pre-mixed" substitute for the whisky, cream, and sugar.

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Think of a cappuccino without the foam or chocolate sprinkle. Basically, a flat white is an espresso drink with steamed milk. It generally has a higher proportion of espresso to milk than a caffè latte and lacks the thick layer of foam in a cappuccino. While the origin of the flat white is unclear, various café owners in Australia and New Zealand claim its invention.

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The second non-Italian name on the list, Café au lait is French for "coffee with milk". It is coffee with hot milk added. It differs from white coffee, which is coffee with cold milk or other whiteners added. In many American coffeehouses, a café au lait is a drink of strong drip brewed or French-pressed coffee, to which steamed milk is added. American café au lait is generally served in a cup, as with brewed coffee.

THE SYMPHONY OF GRAMMAR

Get In Tune And Discover These 10 Fascinating Musical Terms!

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A quote often attributed to Hans Christian Andersen says, "Where words fail, music speaks." As beautiful as this phrase is, the truth is that music and language are definitively intertwined: Don’t you sometimes feel enthralled by the beautiful sounds of words, by the incredible music that comes with language? Not only that, the vocabulary used by the world of music is filled with beautiful terms with extremely interesting meanings. We have selected 10 of the most fascinating musical terms we could find. You might be surprised to see the different meanings that music gives to a few everyday words, as well as some classical terms inherent to this medium. In any case, we hope this article will help you bring more music to your vocabulary! Enjoy!

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We’ll start this list with the term that surprised us the most. A woodshed, at least for those of us with no musical background, is a small building used to store firewood. Although this is not a popular term (particularly after the advent of modern heating systems), it can be easily inferred from context. Having said that, "woodshed" is a widespread word for musicians, although not for the meaning you are probably thinking about.

Curiously enough, musicians use this word not as a noun but as a verb: "Woodshedding" describes practicing in solitude for several hours to improve your skills. The name comes from the need to find a secluded place in which you won’t be bothered, like the amount of privacy an isolated woodshed separated from the main house would provide.

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Just like their architectural counterparts, a musical "bridge" is a passage that connects two points in a composition. However, it should be noted that, in the music world, there are two different meanings associated with this term, one related to classical music, and one commonly used in modern popular music.

In classical compositions, a bridge’s function is a more faithful representation of an actual bridge: It is used to smooth the transition between two sections, to prevent an abrupt modulation in the piece. On the other hand, the modern usage of the bridge serves an entirely different function: It is used to provide some contrast to the original section while remaining similar enough to provide a safe return to it.

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The musical term arpeggio describes the act of individually playing the notes that comprise a chord in a progressive succession. The result is a beautiful cascading effect that has been frequently used by both classical composers as well as more mainstream musicians. The word comes from the Italian arpeggiare, which translates to "playing on a harp".

A few examples of compositions that include arpeggios are the opening of Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata" and, perhaps more surprisingly, the first chords of the U.S. National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". A more modern example could be the American rock band Kansas’ 1977 hit song "Dust in the Wind", which features a gorgeous arpeggio throughout the song.

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The Italian word allegro, which is a quintessential term in the world of classical music, literally translates to "cheerful." We can think of no better word to describe the happy and shiny feelings this type of tempo produces in the listener.

The term allegro indicates a type of tempo, which is to say the pace or the speed that a certain composition has. Other common indicators are Andante ("Walking-pace") or Presto ("Quickly"). You might have noticed that, while some indicators describe technical aspects like speed, others like Allegro focus on feelings or moods. Therefore, for a piece to be considered played in this tempo, it must bring joy and cheerfulness to the audience.

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Until the time comes when large-caliber artillery is commonly used by orchestras, the word canon shouldn’t be confused with the similarly-spelled "cannon". In music theory, a canon is a composition in which a single melody is repeated by multiple parts after a given interval. Usually, the melody is initially played by a leader, also called a dux, and it is then successively played by followers, known as comes.

Canons are usually performed by choirs, with different voices coming after each other. You might be surprised to learn that some cherished childhood songs are actually canons. For example, the camping hit song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or the nursery rhyme "Brother John".

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Just like a canon, a fugue is a type of composition based on imitation and repetition. However, a fugue is slightly harder to explain. In this composition technique, the repetition is based on a "subject," which in itself can be composed of several melodies. While this is repeated throughout the piece (usually in different keys), it is usually accompanied by variations or melodies inspired by the original subject.

In that sense, the etymology of this word is rather interesting and can help us understand what this technique is all about. The English word "fugue" came into prominence in the 16th century, and was inspired by the Italian word fuga and the French word fugue. Both of these words can be translated to "escape" or "to flee", which is definitely an appropriate name for this technique: The initial melody seems to trail off as the piece progresses, with the accompanying melodies continuously chasing after it.

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Don’t worry, this entry does not involve tasting any instruments. In popular music, especially in blues and rock, the noun "lick" describes a commonly played pattern, composed of a series of notes that are played during solos or for accompaniment. Licks are particularly used during improvisation since they can be both common ground for all musicians participating and a safe place to land after a particularly complicated bit.

Although they are used in relatively modern music, the truth is that licks have been around since Medieval times. Granted, at the time, these patterns were known as ostinatos, but they were pretty much the same. Ostinatos are ever-present in classical music, being featured in compositions by heavy hitters like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.

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Did you ever want to pay homage to your favorite artist but were short on time? Then the medley is the piece for you! A medley is composed of segments of already existing pieces, re-arranged in a way that both showcases all pieces and creates an original composition.

You might be familiar with at least a few medleys since they are pretty popular nowadays. Most of them include songs connected through the same theme, whether it’s the same artist, year, or genre. Medleys are particularly common in the world of musical theatre since they are a great form of overture.

Image: Curtis Potvin

In more ways than one, music works just like any language in the world. It has its own syntax, grammar, and alphabet. In that sense, a phrase is exactly what you would expect it to be: a single unit, composed of one or many notes (which, in terms of this comparison, could be considered both words or letters).

At the end of the day, what defines a phrase is that, just like a sentence, it makes sense when isolated from the rest of the piece. In other words, a phrase needs to have a defined beginning and end in order to maintain coherence when heard on its own.

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Are you anticipating what this final entry is going to be about? Don’t let the title mislead you. The "anticipation" coined by musicians is not exactly the one you might feel before your favorite band takes the stage. In truth, this term doesn’t have that much of a positive meaning, since it describes a harmonic dissonance in a musical piece.

These musical concepts might be a bit complicated to sum up in this short entry, but here goes our best attempt: an anticipation happens whenever a note that belongs to a chord is played early during a succession. Simply put, if a note is played one step early and then remains the same during the progression, then we can consider this an anticipation.