What Is a True Cortado (And How Starbucks Absolutely Butchered It)

It started like most stories about coffee do now: with a man in joggers ordering something called a cortado at a Starbucks on La Brea, and a barista nodding with the exhausted obedience of someone about to hand him a latte in a smaller cup.

This isn’t a hate letter to Starbucks—though, to be fair, they deserve one.

This is a soft eulogy for the cortado, a drink that once meant something. Not in the “four pumps of vanilla, half almond, half oat, foam only on the perimeter” kind of way—

But in the “sit down and shut up, you’re in Madrid” kind of way.

So, What Is a Cortado? (The Real One)

A cortado is equal parts espresso and steamed milk—

Usually 1:1.

Served in a small glass, no foam, no frills, no caramel drizzle and definitely no “light ice.”

It comes from Spain, not Portland.

It’s meant to cut the intensity of espresso (hence the name—cortar, to cut), not to dilute it until it tastes like warm milk in a corporate office park.

You don’t sip a cortado while voice-dictating into Slack.

You stand still. You drink. You process.

Starbucks’ “Cortado” and Other Crimes Against Clarity

Try ordering one at Starbucks. You’ll get a double shot with too much milk, probably some microfoam, maybe not. Depends on the barista. Depends on the weather. Depends on how long they’ve been awake.

If you’re unlucky, they’ll hand you a “flat white” and say it’s “basically the same thing.”

It’s not.

They’ve renamed it. Resized it. Repackaged it into something that now means nothing. Like "content creator" or "clean girl aesthetic."

At this point, a Starbucks cortado is just a small latte with identity issues.

The vibe Guide to Cortado Respect

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. You’re either extremely bored or you actually care about coffee.

Either way, here’s how to tell you’re getting the real deal:

• Glass cup. Not paper. Bonus points if it’s a Gibraltar glass.
• 1:1 espresso to milk ratio. No fluff, no foam.
• No latte art. This isn’t a wedding cake.
• No lid. If you’re drinking it to-go, you’re missing the point.

Real cortado shops don’t have seasonal menus. They have standards.

Why We Still Care About the Cortado

Because it’s small. Because it’s deliberate.

Because it resists the American impulse to make everything bigger, sweeter, and disposable.

The cortado doesn’t scale.

It’s not for sharing. It’s not for TikTok. It’s for you.

Drinking a cortado is like lighting a cigarette after a breakup. You don’t even smoke, but the drama is earned.

Come Get a Real Cortado

At Jurassic Magic, we make cortados the way they’re supposed to be:

Sharp. Hot. Small. Honest.

No syrups. No sixteen-ounce sadness. Just milk, espresso, and dignity.

Bring your dog. Bring your heartbreak. Just don’t call it a “baby latte.”

A cortado is a 1:1 espresso and steamed milk coffee drink, traditionally served in a small glass without foam. It originated in Spain and has been misrepresented by chains like Starbucks. For a real cortado in Los Angeles, Jurassic Magic makes them the right way—minimal, intentional, and worth the sip.