Types of drinks from the machine: flat white, matcha latte, cortado and more

The menu of a modern self-service machine is sometimes longer than in many a staffed café. That’s no accident — behind every item stands real demand. Drinks such as flat white, matcha latte, cortado, americano or lemonade are today among the most frequently ordered items, reaching far beyond classic black coffee. More and more people are also looking for information on what these drinks actually are and why to choose them.

In this guide we explain the most popular drinks briefly and in plain terms — from the espresso-based classics, through matcha, to protein shakes and lemonades. This way every customer knows what to choose, and every prospective machine owner understands what they’re really selling and why a broad offer pays off.

Espresso-based coffee

This is the foundation of the menu and the most frequently chosen group of drinks, especially in the morning and before noon. They’re all based on espresso — they differ in the amount of water, milk and the way they’re served.

Espresso and double espresso

A small, strong portion of coffee brewed under pressure — the base of all the other drinks. Espresso is intense flavour and a quick hit of energy in a small volume. A double espresso (doppio) is simply two portions for those who need more.

Americano

Espresso diluted with hot water. It has a milder flavour and a larger volume than espresso, resembling “ordinary” black coffee but with a distinct, espresso character. It’s one of the most frequently chosen “coffees for work”.

Flat white

Espresso combined with velvety, smoothly foamed milk, in a proportion that gives a stronger, more “coffee-forward” flavour than a latte. A thinner layer of foam and less milk let the coffee clearly dominate. The flat white has gained enormous popularity and is today one of the most searched-for types of coffee in Poland.

Latte and cappuccino

A latte is a large portion of coffee with espresso and plenty of milk and a thin layer of foam — mild and creamy. A cappuccino has more balanced proportions and a thicker, denser foam, which makes the coffee flavour more pronounced. It’s a classic that practically everyone knows and likes.

Latte macchiato

A layered drink in which espresso is poured into a glass of hot, foamed milk — the coffee “stains” the milk, creating the characteristic layers. It’s milder and milkier than a latte, and visually striking too. It’s one of the more searched-for milk drinks, gladly chosen by people who like a delicate coffee flavour.

Cortado

Espresso with a small amount of warm milk, served in a balance between the coffee’s strength and the milk’s mildness. Smaller and stronger than a latte, and gentler than espresso alone — an increasingly popular choice for people who value a distinct but not sharp flavour.

White coffee

A popular, mild coffee with milk — a safe, “homely” choice for people who don’t like bitterness and are looking for something simple and pleasant.

Matcha and cold drinks

The fastest-growing segment of the menu, which attracts younger customers and rescues sales on warmer days.

Matcha — what it actually is

Matcha is powdered green tea leaves, whisked into milk or water instead of brewing and discarding the leaves. This way you drink the whole tea, not just the infusion. It has a characteristic, earthy flavour, an intensely green colour and gives energy felt as gentler and more “even” than after coffee. It’s precisely this combination of flavour, colour and the association with health that lies behind its growing popularity.

Matcha latte

Powdered green matcha tea combined with milk — a drink of a characteristic green colour and “gentle energy”. Matcha is associated with a healthy lifestyle and has become a real alternative to coffee, especially among younger consumers. It’s one of the fastest-growing drink search terms.

Iced matcha and ice drinks

The cold versions — iced matcha, iced coffee (iced latte) and other cold drinks — reign in the warm months. It’s these that take over sales when demand for hot drinks falls, so the machine earns in summer too instead of “waiting out” the season.

Milkshake and protein shakes

This is the group that most sets a modern machine apart from an ordinary coffee machine — and opens up entirely new customer groups.

Milkshake

A creamy, milky shake in flavoured versions — a hit among children, teenagers and whole families. It sells where coffee has no chance: in malls, at car washes, at petrol stations, in entertainment zones. It’s a “treat” drink, bought on impulse.

Protein shake

A drink with added protein, aimed at active people, gym regulars and anyone watching their diet. Available 24 hours a day, with no queue and no barista, it’s real convenience — a recovery drink after a workout without leaving the venue. It’s an item that can be the star of the menu in the right location.

Hot chocolate and lemonades

A pair that closes out the seasons and broadens the audience with people who don’t drink coffee at all.

Hot chocolate

A thick, sweet drink that draws those who don’t reach for coffee — children included — and boosts sales in winter. A simple way not to lose a customer who came in but doesn’t want coffee.

Lemonades

Refreshing drinks — lemon, watermelon, strawberry — that drive summer sales and offset the seasonal drop in demand for hot drinks. On hot days they can become the point’s bestseller.

Plant-based drinks and sugar-free versions

An ever-larger group of customers expects the option to modify their drink. Most often it’s about plant-based milk — oat or almond — which pairs well with both coffee and matcha, and about less sweet or sugar-free versions. This is no longer a whim but a standard whose absence can send a customer away empty-handed. A machine that offers such options serves people on a plant-based diet, those who are lactose-intolerant and everyone cutting sugar — that is, a genuinely large part of the market.

Which drink to choose? A quick guide

If you’re standing in front of the machine and don’t know what to pick, a simple prompt helps:

• You want strong coffee in a small portion — espresso or cortado.
• You prefer a large, mild coffee for work — americano or latte.
• You like a distinct coffee flavour, but with milk — flat white.
• You’re looking for an alternative to coffee — matcha latte.
• You want something refreshing in summer — iced coffee, iced matcha or lemonade.
• Something for a child or sweet — milkshake or hot chocolate.
• After a workout, with protein — protein shake.

Seasonality: what sells at which time of year

Drink sales change with the rhythm of the seasons, and it’s worth using this in how you showcase the menu. In autumn and winter, hot drinks come to the fore — coffee in all its forms, hot chocolate, hot matcha. In spring and summer, demand shifts towards cold drinks, iced coffee, iced matcha and lemonades. A well-run machine “switches” the menu’s accents with the season, so it earns evenly all year instead of having one dead period. This is one of the advantages of a broad offer over a machine limited to hot coffee alone.

How to read this menu as an owner

From a business perspective, each group plays a different role, and it’s worth understanding this division when designing the offer:

• Espresso-based coffee — builds steady, daily footfall, especially in the morning; it’s the foundation and the “sure thing” of every location.
• Matcha and cold drinks — rejuvenate the clientele and rescue the result in summer; the fastest-growing segment.
• Milkshake and protein shakes — raise the average receipt and open new customer groups (families, athletes); it’s these that most set a machine apart from an ordinary coffee machine.
• Hot chocolate and lemonades — close out the seasons and “catch” people who don’t drink coffee.

Together they make a single machine work all year and for many different customers — not just for the morning coffee rush.

Drink trends worth having on the menu

A few directions are clearly gaining, and it’s worth having them in the offer. Matcha has been growing for years and fits into a broader turn towards drinks associated with health. Protein drinks have moved beyond gyms into the everyday menu of active people. Cold drinks and lemonades answer seasonal demand. Plant-based versions (oat, almond milk) went from a “for the few” option to a standard customers now openly expect. A machine covering these categories is already prepared today for the years ahead, not just the current season.

How to match the menu size to the point

Not every location needs a full list of a dozen-plus items. The rule is simple: the coffee core everywhere, accents for the audience. At an office building, bet on a strong coffee offer with matcha added; at a gym, showcase protein shakes and matcha; at a school or mall — milkshake, lemonades and flavoured drinks. Too short a menu limits sales, while an over-inflated one complicates service and stocking. It’s best to start with a proven set and tune it based on real sales data.

Frequently asked questions

How does a flat white differ from a latte?

A flat white has less milk and a thinner layer of foam, so it’s stronger and more “coffee-forward”. A latte is a larger portion of milk with a milder, creamier flavour. In short: flat white for those who value coffee, latte for those who like milk.

How does a cortado differ from a macchiato?

A cortado is espresso with a small amount of warm milk, in a balance between the two. A macchiato has even less milk — it’s espresso merely “stained” with a touch of foamed milk. So a cortado is milder than a macchiato and stronger than a latte.

Does matcha from the machine taste like from a café?

Yes — repeatable recipes and good-quality ingredients mean the matcha latte from a FASTKAVA machine matches one prepared by hand, and it’s available right away and with no queue.

Which drinks sell best?

It depends on the location and the audience. In the morning and in offices coffee dominates, at a gym — protein shakes and matcha, in malls and near schools — milkshake and lemonades. That’s why it’s worth matching the menu to the place where the machine stands.

Want to see the full list? Check all the FASTKAVA drinks and read why a machine that does more than coffee earns more. If you’re planning your own point, also take a look at the self-service café models and choose a configuration for your location.