The weirdest coffees on the menu

There was a time when ordering coffee meant choosing between black or white, with perhaps a spoonful of sugar thrown in.

Some are centuries-old traditions. Others are modern experiments designed to look striking on social media. And while not every café in Ireland will serve all of them, many are becoming increasingly familiar on specialist coffee menus.

So, what exactly are these drinks - and which ones are worth trying?

A cortado is a small, strong drink made with espresso and roughly the same amount of warm milk.

The name comes from the Spanish word meaning “cut”, because the milk cuts through the intensity and acidity of the espresso. Unlike a latte, it is not especially milky, and unlike a cappuccino, it usually has very little foam.

It is a good choice for someone who enjoys the flavour of espresso but wants to soften its sharper edges.

Order it if: a flat white feels too large and an espresso feels too fierce.

The piccolo is another small coffee that can cause considerable confusion at the counter.

It is usually made with a shot of espresso - or sometimes a shorter ristretto shot - topped with steamed milk in a small glass. It resembles a miniature latte, although the coffee flavour is generally stronger.

The exact recipe can vary between cafés, which means one shop’s piccolo may look suspiciously like another shop’s cortado.

Order it if: you want a milky coffee without committing to an entire mug.

Ristretto means “restricted” in Italian. It is made using the same amount of ground coffee as an espresso but with less water and a shorter extraction time.

The result is a very small, concentrated drink. Despite its strength, a ristretto can taste sweeter and less bitter than a full espresso because fewer of the later-extracting bitter compounds make it into the cup.

Don’t expect something you can linger over for half an hour. It may disappear in two sips.

Order it if: you like espresso and believe it contains too much water.

A long black is made by pouring espresso over hot water. That may sound identical to an Americano, but the order in which the ingredients are added can make a difference.

Adding the espresso last can preserve more of the crema - the golden layer on top - and produce a slightly stronger aroma and flavour.

The distinction may be subtle, but coffee enthusiasts can become surprisingly passionate about it.

Order it if: you enjoy black coffee but want more character than a typical large Americano.

The flat white is no longer particularly strange, but its identity remains hotly debated.

It’s generally smaller and stronger than a latte, with a higher proportion of espresso to milk. The milk should have a smooth, velvety texture rather than a thick cap of stiff foam.

In practice, the size and strength vary enormously from one café to another. In some places, it’s a carefully balanced drink. In others, it’s simply a latte in a smaller cup.

Order it if: you want a milky coffee in which you can still taste the coffee.

Despite the name, nothing unhygienic is involved.

A dirty chai is a chai latte with a shot of espresso added. It combines warming spices - often cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves - with milk and coffee.

The result is sweet, fragrant and caffeinated. An extra espresso shot turns it into what is sometimes called a “filthy chai”, although asking for that may depend on how adventurous you feel at the till.

Order it if: you cannot decide between coffee and chai.

It consists of a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato with hot espresso poured over it. The name means “drowned” in Italian, which describes what happens to the ice cream.

The first spoonful is cold, creamy and bitter. By the end, it has transformed into a sweet coffee soup.

Order it if: you believe dessert should provide caffeine as well as sugar.

It’s usually made by pouring espresso over tonic water and ice. The tonic brings bitterness, sweetness and bubbles, while the coffee adds roasted and sometimes fruity flavours.

Pouring it too quickly can create an impressive amount of foam, so it is often served in layers.

Order it if: you like iced coffee but want something sharper and less creamy.

One of the more divisive modern coffee combinations pairs espresso with orange juice.

The drink is often served over ice, sometimes with the espresso floating in a dark layer above the juice. Fans describe it as bright, fruity and refreshing. Critics say it tastes like someone brushed their teeth immediately after breakfast.

The flavours can work particularly well when the coffee itself has citrus notes, but it is unlikely to win over everyone.

Order it if: you enjoy trying combinations that make other people visibly concerned.

Vietnamese-style iced coffee is usually strong, dark coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice.

Traditionally, it is prepared using a small metal filter called a phin, which allows the coffee to drip slowly into the cup. The condensed milk adds sweetness and a rich, almost caramel-like texture.

It is more dessert-like than a standard iced latte and can be extremely sweet.

Order it if: you want your coffee cold, strong and unapologetically indulgent.

Egg coffee sounds challenging until you realise it is closer to coffee topped with custard.

The topping is traditionally made by whipping egg yolk with sweetened condensed milk until it becomes thick and creamy. It is then spooned over strong coffee.

The finished drink can taste like a liquid tiramisu, with a rich foam sitting above the darker coffee beneath it.

Order it if: you think cappuccino foam is not nearly decadent enough.

Sea-salt coffee combines coffee with a lightly salted cream topping.

The salt is not intended to make the drink taste like seawater. Instead, it balances the sweetness of the cream and can make the coffee underneath seem richer.

The drink is often served cold, with the creamy layer left floating on top. Sipping through both layers gives a mixture of sweet, salty, bitter and creamy flavours.

Order it if: salted caramel is already your preferred food group.

Cheese coffee does not generally involve dropping a piece of cheddar into an Americano.

The “cheese” is usually a whipped topping made with cream cheese, milk or cream, sugar and a little salt. It sits above iced coffee or tea as a thick, slightly savoury foam.

The result is less alarming than its name suggests. Think cheesecake topping rather than cheese sandwich.

Order it if: you enjoy telling people you had cheese in your coffee and watching their reaction.

Often described as one of the earliest iced coffee drinks, mazagran usually combines chilled coffee with lemon, sugar and ice.

Recipes differ, and some versions include sparkling water. The lemon gives it a bright, tart flavour that can make it feel closer to a refreshing summer drink than a conventional coffee.

It shares some territory with modern coffee lemonade, although its history stretches back much further than today’s experimental café menus.

Order it if: espresso tonic sounds good but not citrusy enough.

Mushroom coffee usually combines ordinary coffee with extracts or powders made from mushrooms such as lion’s mane or chaga.

It doesn’t necessarily taste like mushroom soup. Depending on the product, the flavour may be earthy, mild or barely noticeable beneath the coffee.

Despite the name, some versions contain less coffee - and therefore less caffeine - than a standard cup. Others are simply regular coffee with additional ingredients.

Order it if: you want your morning drink to sound as though it was foraged in a forest.

Coffee blended with butter, sometimes along with oil, became widely known through “bulletproof” coffee.

Blending produces a thick, frothy drink that its fans use as a substitute for breakfast. It is rich, oily and very different from simply adding milk.

It is not a standard café order in most places, but some health-focused or speciality menus may offer a version of it.

Order it if: you have ever looked at toast and wondered whether the butter could go directly into the coffee.