What size is considered a cup of coffee?
It depends on the context.
- In the US, 8 fluid ounces = 1 cup no matter what the liquid is (strictly speaking in terms of measuring volume in fluid ounces). If you are reading a recipe, assume this is what is meant.
- I have seen many sources that indicate a “standard cup of coffee” is 6 oz. I’m not sure where this came from but I find it confusing. In my opinion it would have been better if a word other than cup was used here, perhaps serving. You might encounter this confusion when looking at coffee makers that claim a certain capacity in cups. Making matters worse, some coffee makers even go so far as to reduce a “cup” to 5 oz. or less to inflate the amount of “cups” it holds. I would ignore the cup capacity and look for the capacity in ounces.
- In common parlance, an individual “cup of coffee” usually is not meant to indicate a precise amount, but rather simply a drinking vessel containing as much coffee as desired!
My personal preference is to consider 1 serving to be 6 oz. It’s a good amount to fill my smaller mugs with 1 serving or my larger mugs with 2 servings, leaving some room for cream. Thinking in this way makes it easier for me to limit my coffee intake to 2 such servings per day.
It depends on what kind of drink we are talking about
Classic Americano is a double portion of espresso with a volume of 50-70 ml, diluted with 120 ml of hot water
A classic latte is a standard espresso serving of 50-70 ml, diluted with 150-170 ml of milk.
Classic cortado is a double portion of espresso with a volume of 50-70 ml, diluted with the same amount of milk. Read more about cortado here.