Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. Once roasted, coffee beans must be stored properly to preserve the fresh taste of the bean. Ideally, the container must be airtight and kept cool. Coffee beans must be ground and brewed in order to create the beverage. Almost all methods of preparing coffee require the beans to be ground and mixed with hot water for long enough to extract the flavor, but without boiling for more than an instant. Coffee may be brewed by several methods: boiled, steeped or pressured. Finally the spent grounds are removed from the liquid, and the liquid is drunk. Due to its caffeine content, coffee can have a stimulating effect in humans. Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.

Brewing coffee by boiling was the earliest method and Turkish coffee is an example of this method. It is prepared by grinding or pounding the beans to a fine powder, then adding it to water and bringing it to the boil for no more than an instant in a special pot. This produces a strong coffee with a layer of foam on the surface and sediment settling on the bottom of the cup.

Beans for Turkish coffee are ground or pounded to the finest possible powder, finer than for any other way of preparation. Preparation of Turkish coffee consists of immersing the coffee grounds in water which is most of the time hot but not boiling for long enough to dissolve the flavorsome compounds. Just as the coffee comes to the boil the pot is removed from the heat. It is usually kept off the heat for a short time, then brought to the boil a second and a third time, then the coffee is poured into the cups. Getting the thickest possible layer of foam is considered the peak of the coffee maker's art.

Coffee percolators and automatic coffeemakers brew coffee by gravity. In an automatic coffeemaker hot water drips onto coffee grounds held in a coffee filter, allowing the water to seep through the ground coffee while extracting its oils and essences. The liquid drips through the coffee and the filter into a pot and the spent grounds are retained in the filter. In a percolator, boiling water is forced into a chamber above a filter by steam pressure created by boiling. The water then seeps through the grounds and the process is repeated until terminated by removing from the heat, by an internal timer, or by a thermostat that turns off the heater when the entire pot reaches a certain temperature. This thermostat also serves to keep the coffee warm, but requires the removal of the basket holding the grounds after the initial brewing to avoid additional brewing as the pot reheats. Repeated boiling spoils the flavor of coffee.

Coffee may be brewed by steeping in a device such as a French press. Ground coffee and hot water are combined in a cylindrical vessel and left to brew for a few minutes. A circular filter which fits tightly in the cylinder fixed to a plunger is then pushed down from the top to force the grounds to the bottom. Because the coffee grounds are in direct contact with the water, all the coffee oils remain in the beverage, making it stronger and leaving more sediment than in coffee made by an automatic coffee machine. The coffee is poured from the container and the filter retains the grounds at the bottom.

The espresso method forces hot, but not boiling, pressurized water through ground coffee. As a result of brewing under high pressure, the espresso beverage is more concentrated and has a more complex physical and chemical constitution. A well-prepared espresso has a reddish-brown foam called crema that floats on the surface.

Coffee may also be brewed in cold water by steeping coarsely-ground beans in cold water for several hours, then filtering.

Once brewed, coffee may be presented in a variety of ways. Drip-brewed, percolated or French-pressed coffee may be served with no additives or sugar - known as black, or with milk, cream or both. When served cold, it is called iced coffee.

Here are the most known type of coffee drinks and their presentation.

Café au lait
A café au lait is a French coffee drink. It's is a coffee beverage consisting strong or bold coffee, sometimes espresso, mixed with scalded milk in approximately a 1:1 ratio.

Caffè latte
A caffè latte is the Italian name for coffee with milk. It's is a coffee beverage consisting strong or bold coffee, sometimes espresso, mixed with scalded milk in approximately a 1:1 ratio.

Cafe mocha
A café mocha is a variant of a caffè latte. Like a latte, it is typically one third espresso and two thirds steamed milk, but a portion of chocolate is added, typically in the form of a chocolate syrup, although other vending systems use instant chocolate powder. Mochas can contain dark or milk chocolate.

Moccaccino
The term moccaccino is used in some regions of Europe and the Middle East to describe Café Latte with cocoa or chocolate. In the United States it usually refers to a cappuccino made with chocolate.

Cappuccino
Cappuccino is a coffee-based drink prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed milk foam. A cappuccino differs from a caffè latte in that it is prepared with much less steamed or textured milk than the caffè latte with the total of espresso and milk/foam making up between approximately 150 ml and 180 ml. A cappuccino is traditionally served in a porcelain cup, which has far better heat retention characteristics than glass or paper. The foam on top of the cappuccino acts as an insulator and helps retain the heat of the liquid, allowing it to stay hotter longer.

Frappuccino
Frappuccino is the name and registered trademark of a Starbucks blended ice beverage and a bottled coffee beverage.

Mochasippi
Mochasippi is a drink prepared by baristas in Community Coffee houses located in the Southern United States, commonly known as CC's. It is similar to the Mocha Frappuccino of Starbucks coffee houses. Unlike a Frappuccino, a Mochasippi contains actual shots of espresso rather than a powdered instant coffee.

Cortado
A cortado is an espresso with a small amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity. The ratio of milk to coffee is between 1:1 - 1:2, and the milk is added after the espresso. The steamed milk hasn't much foam, but many baristas make some micro foam to make latte art. It's usually served in a special glass, often with a metal ring base and a metal wire handle.

Café Bombon
A café bombón is an espresso served with sweetened condensed milk in a 1:1 ratio. The condensed milk is added to the espresso. For visual effect is used a glass to serve it and the condensed milk is added slowly to sink underneath the coffee and create two separate bands of contrasting color - though these layers are customarily stirred together before consumption.

Macchiato
Macchiato is an Espresso with a dash of foamed milk. At first sight it resembles a small Cappuccino but even if the ingredients are the same as those used for Cappuccino a Macchiato has a much stronger and aromatic taste. The milk is foamed directly into the espresso cup, which is then put under the coffee outlet. The espresso is then drawn into the cup and the cocoa is sprinkled over the drink.

Affogato
An affogato is a coffee-based beverage or dessert, a topped drink or dessert with espresso, that may also incorporate caramel sauce or chocolate sauce.

Liqueur coffee
A liqueur coffee, as its name suggests, is a coffee brew with a 25 ml shot of liqueur. This brew is usually served in a clear, clean, pre-heated, liqueur coffee glass with the coffee and cream separated for good visual and taste effect. The liqueur of choice is added first with a teaspoon of raw cane sugar mixed in. The glass in then filled to within an inch of the top with good, strong, fresh filter coffee. Fresh, chilled, additive free, slightly whipped cream is then poured carefully over the back of a cold teaspoon, so that it floats on top of the coffee and liqueur mixture. The sugar is required in the coffee mixture to help the cream float.

Cafe Americano
Cafe Americano or simply Americano is a style of coffee prepared by adding espresso to hot water, giving a similar strength but different flavor from regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso added: long black, lungo or red eye.

Flat white
A flat white is prepared by pouring the creamy steamed milk from the bottom of the jug over a single shot (30ml) of espresso. The drink is sometimes served in a small 150-160ml ceramic cup. The stretched and texturised milk is prepared by entraining air into the milk and folding the top layer into the lower layers. To achieve the "flat", non-frothy texture the steamed milk is poured from the bottom of the jug, holding back the lighter froth on the top in order to access milk with smaller bubbles, making the drink smooth and velvety in texture.

Greek frappé coffee
Greek frappé is a foam-covered iced coffee drink made from spray-dried instant coffee. It is very popular in Greece especially during summer, but has now spread on to other countries.

Instant coffee
Instant coffee is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Through various manufacturing processes the coffee is dehydrated into the form of powder or granules. These can be rehydrated with hot water to provide a drink similar to conventional coffee.

Vienna coffee
A Vienna coffee is the name of a popular traditional cream based coffee beverage. It is made by preparing two shots of strong black espresso in a standard sized coffee cup and infusing the coffee with whipped cream until the cup is full. Then the cream is twirled and optionally topped off with chocolate sprinklings. The coffee is drunk through the cream top.