How much caffeine is in Spanish Cortado Espresso?

Each 4 oz glass serving contains approximately 120 mg of caffeine. For comparison, a standard 8 oz cup of brewed drip coffee contains around 95 mg. Actual content varies with dose, water temperature, and contact time.

What temperature should I use for Spanish Cortado Espresso?

Target 93°C (200°F). Below this range the cup tends toward sourness and thinness from under-extraction; above it, bitterness rises faster than sweetness.

How long should Spanish Cortado Espresso be extracted?

Extract for 25 seconds pour using Espresso Machine + Steam Wand, at a ratio of 2 oz espresso + 2 oz steamed milk, prepared at Fine Espresso. Time and ratio move together: a heavier dose generally wants a shorter contact time.

Why does my Spanish Cortado Espresso taste bitter?

Bitterness almost always indicates over-extraction. Shorten the contact time, lower the water temperature slightly, or grind coarser. Change one variable at a time so you can tell which one was responsible.

Who should avoid Spanish Cortado Espresso?

Contains dairy (can use oat or almond milk alternatives). High caffeine concentration per volume. This is general educational information, not medical advice — consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own circumstances.

Reviewed Aug 2026

Specialty Coffee · Madrid, Spain

Spanish Cortado Espresso

Name: How to Brew Spanish Cortado Espresso
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 1 min
Yield: 4 oz glass
Cuisine: Madrid, Spain
Ingredients: Base and proportions as specified: 2 oz espresso + 2 oz steamed milk; Whole milk, or an oat milk formulated for steaming; Filtered water for the base

Cortado

Perfect balance: equal parts double espresso and warm steamed milk with minimal foam to cut the acidity.

A Spanish classic made of equal parts espresso and warm, textured milk. The word "cortado" comes from the Spanish verb cortar (to cut), referring to the milk cutting the espresso's intensity and acidity without diluting its rich body.

Sensory profile

Comparative scale

sweetnessHigh

acidityModerate

bitternessModerate

bodyHigh

aromaVery high

You should taste

How it unfolds

Aroma → Palate → Finish

AromaBefore and as you sip

No distinct note recorded here — the aroma reads as pronounced rather than carrying a nameable character of its own.

pronounced aroma

PalateWhile it is in the mouth

Creamy Milk

clear sweetness

FinishAfter you swallow

clear body

Where it sits

Stronger than 331 of the 345 other drinks in the catalogue, and weaker than 11.

That is 120 mg in a 4 oz glass serving — a concentration of 101.7 mg per 100 ml. The scale above ranks whole servings, and servings differ in size, so a larger drink can sit further right while being weaker cup for cup.

CupCura editorial estimate. No public food database has measured this preparation, so this figure is our own and is not independently sourced.

What people say

Reviews and photographs from people who have actually drunk this. Everything here has been read by a moderator before publication.

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Gear for this drink

Fellow Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2

Direct-drive motor with 64mm stainless steel flat burrs engineered specifically for pour-over, drip, and cold brew clarity.

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Spanish Cortado Espresso

Sensory profile

You should taste

How it unfolds

Where it sits

What people say

Fellow Ode Brew Grinder Gen 2

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