Latte is one of the most popular espresso-based drinks and a staple of many coffee shops worldwide. Today, this beverage is referred to by many names, like caffe latte, latte macchiato, or just latte, and at its essence is a coffee drink made with an espresso diluted with steamed milk.
What sets it apart from other espresso-based milk drinks is the ratio of espresso to milk we use to produce a Caffe Latte. Latte is a large milk drink prepared in a 12oz cup, in which we pour double espresso, about 2oz, as a base, onto which we would add 8oz of steamed milk.
When prepared well, the amount of dairy in the latte makes the coffee flavor from the espresso more concealed and its astringency toned down with sweetness from the milk. The microfoam created by steaming the milk makes the latte's texture smooth and creamy.
Caffe latte, being a milky drink, has a profound milk taste and can take an additional flavoring to accompany the taste of espresso. So often, coffee lovers may add marshmallows, syrups, or sauces like caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, pumpkin pie spice, etc., to their latte drinks to enrich them with additional flavoring that pairs wonderfully with espresso's taste.
The Origin of Coffee and Milk Beverages
Latte is a relatively new and modern drink, but its concept of mixing coffee with milk is not new at all. That idea has been present since coffee was first introduced in Europe in the seventeenth century. Since coffee's early beginning on the continent, many coffee drinkers have enjoyed their coffee as is, with its taste not impacted by anything, in contrast to other coffee lovers who love their coffee's taste to be mellowed down and sweetened with milk.
As the first coffee houses began to spread throughout Europe and coffee became popular across the continent, the growing community of coffee devotees consistently recognized coffee mixed with milk as a separate drink with different characteristics and tastes. So often, coffee houses named these drinks to distinguish them from regular coffee or other beverages.
The term latte is an Italian word for milk, so the drink's name, caffe latte, besides being self-explanatory, is also a term that distinguishes it from regular coffee or other coffee drinks. In the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and other parts of the English-speaking world, the term caffe latte and its shorthand latte are most used.
In Northern Europe, the French term café au lait was adopted for a drink consisting of coffee and milk; in Germany, the beverage was named Milchkaffee; in Spain, café con leche; in France, it is called café crème or grand crème;
And in coffee houses in Austria, a Kapuziner was called the drink made from coffee and milk, which later evolved into what we now call a cappuccino.
Espresso for Latte
The caffe latte appeared in the years after the modern espresso was born in 1948, and espresso is what makes the latte a coffee beverage. Espresso is a small, concentrated coffee drink made from extracting ground coffee with a small amount of hot water under pressure. The espresso brewing method creates a thick and syrupy little beverage with an assertive and full-bodied coffee flavor that will produce a lovely drink, such as a latte, when diluted with steamed milk. A single espresso is often called a shot and is about 1oz (28g) of liquid. Please read our dedicated article to learn more about espresso.
A latte is a larger drink, so we would prepare it in a 12oz (350ml) cup, into which we would put a double shot espresso, about 2oz (55g), as a base, and the rest of the cup, between 8 to 10oz, we'll fill it with steamed milk.
Steamed Milk for Latte
It takes a little practice with the espresso machine's steam wand to steam a jug of milk for a latte. The steamed milk we would use for making a latte should be warmed to 140°F (60°C) temperature, aerated, and have a not-very-thick glossy and marshmallowy layer of microfoam on top.
For the best results at steaming milk, firstly, we should use the correct size jug for the amount of milk we will make a latte with it. Afterward, we'll need to fill the pitcher with milk until its spout begins.
Then we rest the steam wand into the jug's spout and lower it until only the wand's tip gets submerged into the milk and tilt the pitcher at an angle, left or right, whichever we prefer, so the force of the steam can create a little vortex of milk in the pitcher.
When we start steaming, if we've positioned the wand right, we should hear a slurping sound of air injected into the milk and bubbles forming on the surface. After a few moments, we've injected enough air into the milk, and we should lower the wand dipper to make a vortex.
By swirling the milk in the pitcher, all that air will get mixed into tiny bubbles to create a smooth microfoam. We should stop when the milk temperature reaches 140°F (60°C).
Milk Alternatives for Latte
Besides dairy milk today, more than ever, there are more alternatives to milk available for all coffee lovers that don't consume dairy. Products like soy, almond, and oat milk are just a few choices that are excellent replacements for dairy milk in making a caffe latte.
Espresso Crema and Latte Art
The red-brown foam on top of espresso is called crema. Through the roasting process of the coffee beans, chemical reactions inside each bean create a lot of Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas.
Much CO2 gas escapes into the air while roasting the beans, but some of it stays trapped inside the roasted beans. So when brewing espresso with freshly ground coffee beans, the brewing water's high pressure, besides extracting the solubles from the coffee, also gets saturated with that CO2 gas trapped in the beans.
As espresso drips into the cup, the pressure changes from high in the machine to low in the atmosphere. That change in pressure makes the CO2 gas from the coffee released and come out on the espresso's surface in the form of a beautiful red-brown creamy foam.
Pouring steamed milk with a marshmallowy layer of micro-foam on top of espresso pales its crema and leaves white marks and curved light-brown stripes. An experienced barista or coffee enthusiast will use those marks and lines to draw intricate latte art at the top of the beverage. Latte Art is a barista's creative skill of drawing unique shapes on a latte's creamy top layer by pouring steamed milk onto the espresso. Below we've placed a little gallery of beautiful examples of latte art.
Espresso Alternative for Making Latte
There are great alternatives for preparing a latte at home if an espresso machine is unavailable. Without an espresso machine, we can use coffee brewed with a different method and equipment. The alternative to replacing espresso in a latte is coffee made with AeroPress or a Moka Pot.
Neither coffee maker can replace an espresso machine by sufficiently extracting soluble materials from grounded coffee using a small amount of hot water.
The two methods will achieve that with a little more hot water than an espresso machine. Still, despite being more substantial in volume than espresso, their coffee is strong enough and, when diluted with steamed milk, will make a delicious caffe latte.
Alternative to Steamed Milk
For making a latte at home, in the absence of an espresso machine that is capable of steaming milk for making a latte, we can use alternatives that can froth the milk.
For example, a French Press or a Manual Milk Blender are devices that will aerate and froth the milk with lovely foam on top. Also, a handheld frother will produce excellent micro foam on milk.
A key thing in using an alternative to steaming milk is warming the milk before using any of the frothing devices. Milk will get cooked at a temperature above 155°F (68°C), affecting its taste and smell in a way that will not pair nicely with coffee. So when we worm the milk before frothing, we'll need to be careful not to exceed 155°F (68°C).