What is a Café Latte?
For the home barista, the café latte is a key recipe to nail down. An iconic espresso-based beverage, a latte coffee is a regular order for casual weekend café goers and coffee enthusiasts alike.
It’s more than likely that visitors to your home (and its inhabitants) will request it, so this guide walks through an at-home latte recipe and the techniques to ensure the perfect blend of rich espresso flavour, steamed milk and a small layer of silky foam. It’s also one of the most customisable coffees, so discover how to make a latte to suit your tastes ahead.
What is the Difference Between a Latte, Flat White & Cappuccino?
Before we dive into the methods behind a barista quality café latte, it’s important to understand what differentiates this drink from other classic coffees. So, what is a latte anyway? The biggest clue is in its name, which translates directly from Italian to ‘milk’.
Like acappuccino,a latte coffee is made up of three elements: espresso, steamed milk and foam. Where they differ is their ratios – a cappuccino’s elements are split into equal thirds, but a latte is a 3:1 ratio of milk and espresso. A café latte has less foam than a cappuccino but more foam than aflat white, and these proportions result in its signature creamy flavour.
How to Make Latte Coffee
Now that we’re across the meaning behind this cult classic coffee, how do you make a café latte? A latte recipe combines silky,expertly steamed milkwith smooth espresso, so your ingredients and tools are important. Your latte coffee can be created using anyNespressoblend. For an arabica coffee with rich cocoa notes, try opting forArpeggio.For less intensity and a smooth blend of caramel, consider usingBianco Doppiofor your café latte.
For how to make a latte at home, extract your chosen espresso shot (double or single) into a glass. Then steam your milk. If you’re using a milk frother like theAeroccino3 Black Milk Frotherand want tocreate latte art, begin with cold milk. Another hands-free steaming option is theCreatista Proespresso machine, which contains an automatic steam wand to deliver creamy barista-quality milk perfect for making latte art with. When pouring, start high above the cup to help the milk penetrate the espresso and bring it closer to make your design. A stronger blend of espresso will create more contrast in your latte art. Remember that latte art is a process, so it might take practice and a little patience to achieve that perfect rosetta or heart!
Customising Your Latte
Alongside yourlatte art, you can tailor your café latte by enhancing sweetness via caramel, vanilla and hazelnut flavoured syrups. Just add your chosen flavour to taste (around 5ml should be enough to combine the espresso and syrup) and stir it into the espresso shot before pouring your milk over. To cool down in the warmer months, there’s nothing more refreshing than aniced latte. And great news – elevating your summer days with one couldn’t be simpler. Just pour your chosen espresso capsule into a glass with ice cubes and top it up with your cold milk!
