Why A Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Really Isn't A Macchiato At All
When you visit a Starbucks, the influence of Italian coffee culture is everywhere whether you realize it or not. For starters, the names of the cup sizes (with the exception of short and tall) are all in Italian. Instead of ordering a medium, you'd ask for a grande, a venti for the 20-ounce cup (24 ounces if cold), and a trenta with 31. The store setup is inspired by Milan's espresso bars, and then of course there's the drinks.
While Starbucks has its fair share of Refreshers (including a good Dole Whip dupe) and iced teas, coffee is obviously its forte. The menu is made up of all kinds of espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, and macchiatos, which judging by their names, you'd probably assume are authentically Italian. But the truth is, even though Starbucks brews its coffee with Arabica beans, the variety that's most often used in Italy, many of its Italian-style coffees are Americanized. Starbucks's popular caramel macchiato, as it turns out, isn't technically a macchiato.
How is Starbucks's caramel macchiato different from a real macchiato?
If you've ever visited a coffee shop that isn't Starbucks and ordered a macchiato, you'd get a much different drink from what you may be used to. A traditional Italian macchiato is simply espresso with a dollop of foam. Unlike a cappuccino, which consists of an equal amount of espresso and steamed milk, a macchiato contains less milk, or more specifically two parts espresso and one part steamed milk. Macchiato means stained or marked, as in the foam is stained by a shot of espresso.
This is what you get when you order the less popular espresso macchiato at Starbucks; however, if you were to order a caramel macchiato, you'd get a different ratio of coffee to milk. A caramel macchiato contains mostly milk with a splash of espresso instead of the other way around, which technically means that, while it's tasty, it's not really a macchiato other than the foam is "stained" with espresso on top. The good news is, caramel macchiatos do exist outside of Starbucks, they just go by a different, more accurate name.
Starbucks's caramel macchiato is basically a caramel latte
Caffè lattes, or what most Americans usually just refer to just as lattes, more closely resemble Starbucks's caramel macchiato. A latte, like a traditional or espresso macchiato, also contains espresso and steamed milk, but the ratios are reversed, resulting in a much milkier coffee drink. Add caramel and vanilla to a latte, and you'd essentially have what Starbucks calls a caramel macchiato.
Starbucks, confusingly, also has a caramel latte, which differs from the caramel macchiato in how it's prepared: Instead of the shots on top like with a caramel macchiato, the espresso is mixed into the latte. Instead of vanilla syrup, Starbucks uses — you guessed it — caramel syrup. Oddly, you also may not get the caramel sauce drizzle with the latte but will with the macchiato.
Unfortunately, the terminology really only makes sense at Starbucks, so if you're at a different coffee shop, and you're craving a Starbucks caramel macchiato, your best bet is to just order a caramel latte. Otherwise, you'll be getting a drink with a much higher espresso-to-milk ratio.