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Specialty coffee is a matter of choice, not a beverage of chance. The definition of specialty coffee or gourmet coffee begins at the origin of coffee, the planting of a particular variety into a particular growing region of the world. Specialty coffee is distinguished by quality rather than volume. Therefore, higher grades of coffee have typically been grown on smaller farms using more natural methods of cultivation. Gourmet coffee is a booming business in the U.S. Just looks at the ubiquitous Starbucks, whose net revenues were up 22 percent in 2007 on sales of $7.8 billion. And now it appears that McDonaldss is positioning itself to capture a piece of the specialty coffee market on a global scale.

Espresso: Surprisingly enough, espresso coffee is already one of the most popular coffee drinks in the world. It is also the basis for specialty drinks like Cappuccino. Espresso coffee is regular coffee, brewed and consumed at very concentrated brewing and drinking ratios. It is brewed much faster than regular drip coffee. Since the hot water is quickly forced through the fine grounds it usually only takes between 25 and 30 seconds to brew a cup of espresso.

Cappuccino is a delicious, luxurious coffee beverage that is enjoyed by coffee lovers the world over, combining creamy, frothy texture with distinctive espresso flavor and aroma. Cappuccino is named for the resemblance of its color to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order. Cappuccino is a cup of espresso coffee with fresh milk and milk foam bubbles burst on the top of cup. The milk foam bubbles burst acts as the insulator and keep the heat of the coffee for a longer time.

A Cafe Latte is simply a fancy name for a cup of coffee with milk though. The milk is steamed and that is what gives it such a smooth and creamy taste that people tend to really enjoy. A Latte is the way that most Americans prefer their espresso, and is quite easy to prepare. Start with a single shot of espresso in a 6-8 ounce cup. A latte is as per usual smaller in rate than a cappuccino and has a smaller aerate layer than a cappuccino.

A Mocha or mochaccino is an espresso and steamed milk mixed with chocolate and served with whipped cream on top. Despite being chocolate flavored, these are not terribly sweet. If you don't want to taste the espresso, ask for flavor syrup or sugar to be added, or try one of the other mocha drinks instead.

Cafe Amricano or simply Americano is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving a similar strength but different flavor from regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added.

In addition to the hot drinks, there are a wide variety of delicious gourmet iced coffee drinks as well. If you're looking for one of those milkshake looking drinks, you might want to try a mocha frappuccino, which is basically a cold mochaccino with more calories.

Knowing how to prepare gourmet coffee drinks is a fine art. A barista is someone who makes espresso drinks for a living, and is usually highly trained and has a thorough understanding of how to work with coffee. Similar to a bartender, a barista specializes in making drinks from almost any incarnation of the coffee bean.