How to make a coffee latte? 

All coffee lovers know Latte. To put it simply, it is the most popular coffee in the world. For those who do not know it yet, Latte, also called café au lait, is a hot drink made of espresso coffee to which frothed milk is added. The perfect latte is creamy, delicate and tasty. You will find it in all restaurants, but you can also prepare it yourself at home.

In the rest of this article, you will discover the little history of café latte, as well as the procedure to follow to prepare it yourself.

The History of Coffee Latte

Contrary to what some people think, the café latte is not a typical Italian invention. This famous caffeinated drink was, of course, invented in Italy, but for a specific reason. Latte coffee was initially aimed at American tourists, as they considered espresso coffee too intense for their tastes. It would therefore have a dual origin: Italian and American.

The term Latte was first used in 1867 by American essayist William Dean Howell, in his essay Italian Journeys. The denomination of this drink varies according to the country; in France, it is called café au lait, and in Latin America it is called cafe con leche. Although some elements differentiate them, all these variants keep the same base.

How to prepare a coffee latte

The preparation of latte coffee is within everyone's reach. As you will have understood, the process is quite simple, provided you follow the procedure. You will need three main items: hot milk, milk froth and espresso.

The secret to this recipe is density, and you'll have no trouble getting the perfect result using our Smart machine. Indeed, when the density of espresso is higher than that of foam and lower than that of milk, it will mix perfectly with these two milk products, and the beverage obtained will be smoother and lighter.

Here are the steps to follow:

Heat your mug. This step is essential since the latte will be hot while you enjoy it. To do this, you just need to fill your cup with boiling water.
Put the milk inside a jug (or pitcher), and preferably hot milk. It is true that when it is cold, the milk rises better, but it is advisable to heat it so that it does not cool the latte.
Froth your milk. You can use an emulsifier (or milk frother). In this way, you will produce milk froth, and this will triple the volume of milk in the jug.
Prepare the espresso inside a large cup. Once this is done, your espresso should not stagnate without adding milk for more than 10 seconds. The double espresso is also a great option for those who like a full-bodied latte.
Pour the foam obtained inside the espresso.
The final step is to make the latte art. It is a slight lateral movement made with the wrist in order to draw the different contours of a leaf. When you make this movement, be careful not to move the cup, but it is the jug that will do the movement above your cup. The action ends with the representation of the central vein (of the leaf).
Good to know: a successful café latte comes in the form of a 3-tier superposition: from the bottom to the top, you will have ¼ of pure coffee, ¼ of coffee with milk, and finally ½ of foam.

What are the measurements?

To make a small latte, around 8 oz, you will need to prepare a shot of espresso with 7 oz of milk. For a medium (or large) latte, around 12 oz, you will need a double dose of milk, i.e. 9-10 oz.

How to do without milk frother?

If you don't have an emulsifier, that's okay. You can still make your froth using a (piston) coffee maker or a glass container. The procedure is simple: pour cold milk into your container up to 1/3 of its capacity. Shake it repeatedly and only stop when the volume of milk has doubled. Then place the milk in the oven for 40-45 seconds.

Indulge yourself with a flavored latte

You can opt for small additions that will make your lattes even more special. There are indeed several aromas that will have the effect of further enhancing your coffee.

The simplest, yet one of the most effective tricks is to dust your café latte with cocoa powder.

To make the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte, you can add a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger to your coffee.

You can also use syrups, and there are several that can be used for a latte: vanilla, hazelnut or even

How to make difference between Latte from a cappuccino?

Some people confuse latte with cappuccino because the two drinks have much the same composition. So what sets them apart?

These two types of coffee are very similar to a certain extent, in this case by the fact that they have the same espresso rate. They differ in the amount of milk contained in each drink. You can put up to 36 cl of milk in the café latte, against only 27 cl in the cappuccino.

In the same vein, the coffee latte differs from the latte macchiato by the fact that it is less milky and more caffeinated than the second.