If you want to make sure you are not served a glass of cold milk, these are a couple of words you can add to your basic order of un latte:

• caldo: steams the milk so it is hot and frothy
• macchiato: steams the milk and adds a shot of espresso
• caffelatte: warms up the milk, so it is hot but not frothy, and adds coffee. This is what I had for breakfast as a child. I would never order it in a coffee shop.

Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

Forget about large and red-eye and all the other specifications that have currency in American coffee shops. These are some words you can add to your basic order of un caffè to obtain slight variations:

• ristretto: concentrates the espresso so the cup is no more than half-full and the flavor more intense
• doppio: double-shot
• lungo: adds a small amount of hot water so the cup is almost full
• macchiato: adds a small amount of hot milk; a small pitcher with cold milk is usually available on the counter and customers are free to help themselves
• corretto: adds a small amount of liqueur, which needs to be specified (e.g. corretto col cognac)
• con panna: adds a dollop of whipped cream on top
• freddo: iced
• al vetro: served in a glass cup; I have heard this expression in Rome, where it is actually pronounced ar vetro
• americano: adds more hot water than in the case of lungo; the shot of espresso is served in a cappuccino cup together with a small pitcher of hot water so the customer has control on the level of dilution. The request for an americano usually elicits an expression of sadness in the face of the barista, who has to witness the debasement of his/her creation.

Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

1. an espresso
Ordering un caffè results in the delivery of a single-shot of espresso with a layer of froth on the top, served in a small cup.

The reason you drink it is not to quench your thirst, but to sip an intensely-flavored nectar that leaves behind a wonderful aftertaste.

2. a coffee
Most Italians do not have an espresso machine at home: they use a stovetop coffee pot called moka. In 1933 Alfonso Bialetti revolutionized home coffee-brewing in Italy with the introduction of the Moka Express aluminum stovetop brewer. This simple, reliable machine became a design icon of the 20th century and even today the Moka Express can be found in nearly 90% of Italian households. (Source: Bialetti website: company history)