Food & DrinkThe ProfessorIntermediate
Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White, a free food & drink course on Tomo

Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White

Move beyond the basic brew and master the nuanced world of the espresso menu. Learn the precise ratios, milk textures, and regional variations that turn a simple shot into a craft beverage.

Like Duolingo, but for Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.

24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Espresso Foundation, The Science of Milk Texture, The Nuanced White Coffee Menu, and Advanced Preparation and Service. It assumes you already know the basics.

24 bite-size levelsAbout 5 minutes each

Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android

Bennie the Bean, the guide who teaches the Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White course
Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White
with Bennie the Bean
24
Levels
4
Sections
5
Min/day
What you'll learn

Key ideas in Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White

  • Milk fats and sugars mask coffee notes
  • Ristretto for small drinks
  • Extraction yield and solubles
  • Standard ratios for medium drinks
  • Increasing extraction levels
  • Lungo for high-volume milk
  • Adjusting extraction to ensure coffee flavor isn't lost in milk
  • Matching brew ratios to specific milk drink volumes
  • Crema acts as a stable surface tension 'canvas' for milk foam to glide over
  • Milk's natural lactose sweetness acts as a chemical balance to coffee acidity
  • Broken crema causes milk to sink and mix unevenly rather than sitting on top
  • Freshly roasted beans produce the CO2 needed for a thick, workable crema
  • Heat increases the perception of bitterness while masking bright citrus notes
  • Steamed milk 'mellows' a sour shot but 'amplifies' a burnt or bitter one
  • Understanding the role of crema in latte art and integration
  • Predicting how milk temperature alters the flavor profile of espresso
Why not just Google it

You've tried the other tabs

Wikipedia

Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.

YouTube

You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.

ChatGPT

One answer, then back to scrolling.

Online courses

Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.

Tomo gives Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.

Try a question

Here's what playing it feels like

A real question from this course. Take your best guess.

Cutting Through the Cream

Which brew ratio is best suited for a small, 4oz milk drink like a Cortado?

Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.

Course map

How to learn Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White, step by step

Go in order. 24 short levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes in all, five minutes a day.

  1. 1

    The Espresso Foundation

    • Dialing in for Milk Drinks
    • The Americano and Long Black
  2. 2

    The Science of Milk Texture

    • Microfoam and Temperature Control
    • The Macchiato and Piccolo
  3. 3

    The Nuanced White Coffee Menu

    • Cortado vs. Flat White
    • The Latte and the Cappuccino
  4. 4

    Advanced Preparation and Service

    • Iced Espresso Techniques
    • Troubleshooting and Quality Control

4 sections · 8 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.

Questions

Questions about Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White

  1. How do I learn Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White?

    Go in order: start with The Espresso Foundation, then The Science of Milk Texture, then The Nuanced White Coffee Menu, then Advanced Preparation and Service. On Tomo that's 24 short levels, about 48 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.

  2. Is there a Duolingo-style app for Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White?

    Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.

  3. Is the Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White course free?

    Yes. Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.

  4. How long does it take to learn Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White?

    24 levels across 4 sections, about 48 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.

  5. Do I need any background to start Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White?

    No. It's pitched at an intermediate level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.

New

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How it's taught

You pick the voice

This course
The Professor

Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.

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Start free

Start Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White today.

Download Tomo, search Espresso Drinks: From Macchiato to Flat White, and play your first lesson in under a minute.