How to make Latte correctly

One of the popular questions in a coffee shop is: “how to order a latte or latte correctly without offending the barista’s feelings with the incorrect pronunciation of such a popular drink?!”

Let's figure it out! Latte - comes from the Italian phrase Caffè latte (coffee with milk) - as you know, in Italy there is rarely an emphasis on the last syllable in a word, which means if we pay tribute to traditions and the original source, we put the emphasis on the first syllable - Latte . Why then do many people put the emphasis on the second syllable? Most likely, the pronunciation of latte came from America, where they shortened the Italian phrase coffee latte to short latte, with their characteristic emphasis on the last syllable.

History of appearance

The first mention of the drink known to us dates back to 1867, when the American writer William Dean Howells, in his essay “Travel in Italy,” described a drink popular among local residents - coffee with milk. In Europe, at an earlier time, the use of a coffee drink with a large amount of milk was mentioned, but it is believed that “Latte” became commercially widespread in America.

It is worth noting that if you order a “Latte” in Italy, they will bring you just a glass of milk, but if you add the “Coffee Latte” combination, you will get the drink you want.

Ingredients for cooking

How to make a Latte correctly? It is advisable to try to prepare both coffee and hot frothed milk at the same time so that the balance of the drink is maintained as much as possible. Take 230 ml of milk, heat it to a temperature of 65 C, forming a small foam 1 cm thick. Pour the resulting milk into a glass and pour espresso into it. The main thing is that the milk and coffee are mixed evenly; you shouldn’t wait until the milk separates and the coffee forms a thin layer under the foam - it looks beautiful, but in terms of taste balance there will be three different tastes and three textures. But it all depends on your taste preferences. A drink that looks like it has three layers – milk/coffee/milk foam – is called “Latte Macchiato”.

You can diversify this drink by first placing a bright coffee syrup in a glass, the taste of which you like the most.

Calories and nutritional value

For people who monitor the calorie content of the foods they consume, it is also very important to know the energy value of drinks. The calorie content of a “Latte” can be determined depending on what kind of milk was used to prepare it, since its largest component is milk; the less fatty milk is used, the less calorie content the drink will contain. If the “Latte” is not classic, but with the addition of additional ingredients, then you need to calculate all the components to accurately determine the energy value.

People often think that milk with less fat content will not froth to form foam, but this is not true. When choosing milk, it is important to pay attention not only to the fat content, but also to the amount of protein in its composition. If milk contains less than 3 grams of protein, then it will not froth well into a dense milk foam, but if there is 3 grams or more, then the foam should be excellent. It is the protein that is responsible for the formation of the milk foam structure. It is important to remember that at temperatures above 70 C, the protein is irreversibly destroyed and ceases to form a stable foam, so we heat the milk to 65 C.

In the modern world, coffee shops are beginning to occupy a significant place in people's lives; their number is increasing every day. In order to attract more guests to their establishment, the chef-baristas are developing new flavor combinations and modernizing the “Latte” so that all guests can find their favorite taste in their establishment. Let's look at a few popular recipes:

Vanilla Latte

One of the most popular and widespread coffee syrups is Vanilla .

There are different syrups, some based on natural vanilla pods, which add a little bitterness and a subtle vanilla aroma to the drink. In other syrups, manufacturers focus on sweetness and bright aroma; with such a syrup, the drink will resemble melted vanilla ice cream.

And so the preparation:

• Pour Vanilla syrup – 20 ml into a drink glass (if you like it sweeter, you can use more);
• Then intensively pour in foamed milk - 230 ml;
• Pour espresso on top.

The drink is ready!

Caramel Latte

The second most popular syrup is Caramel . Nowadays, Salted Caramel syrup is also often used. LaA cake with such syrups will taste more like creme brulee ice cream.

Preparation:

• Pour Caramel syrup – 20 ml into a drink glass (if you like it sweeter, you can use more);
• Then intensively pour in foamed milk - 230 ml;
• Pour espresso on top;
• For decoration, you can use small caramel crumbs, which will add a slight crunch to the drink and enhance the aroma.

The drink is ready.

Cinnamon Latte

One of the popular spices for coffee is cinnamon. For those who want to diversify their taste experience a little and try a traditional Latte, but with a mild spice, then the Cinnamon Latte is the best option. And for lovers of the rich taste of cinnamon and sweets, I recommend adding “Cinnamon” syrup.

Preparation:

• Pour 20 ml Cinnamon syrup into a drink glass (for those who like it sweeter)
• Sprinkle 0.1 gram of cinnamon onto the syrup; this must be done specifically on the syrup or the bottom of the glass, if syrup is not added, so that it is evenly mixed throughout the entire volume of the drink.
• Then intensively pour in frothed milk – 230 ml
• Pour espresso on top.
• For decoration we also use cinnamon 0.1 g

The drink is ready.

Ginger Latte

In the cold season, it warms very well not only with hot coffee, but also with hot spices. And if you add ground ginger to hot coffee, the heat from the drink will last longer.

Recipe:

• Add 0.3 grams of ground ginger and 10 grams of sugar to cold milk. Heat the milk mixture to 65 C to form a thin foam. Pour the resulting hot milk into a glass for the drink;
• Pour espresso on top.

The drink is ready.

Pumpkin Latte

Pumpkin is very popular in the fall season. It’s impossible not to add this vegetable to your latte and create an autumn mood. For most people, the appearance of a Pumpkin Latte on the menu at your favorite coffee shop marks the beginning of fall.

Recipe:

• Prepare pumpkin sauce: squeeze freshly squeezed juice from pumpkin. Add 0.5 g of ground nutmeg, 0.5 g of ground cinnamon, 0.5 g of ground turmeric and 100 g of sugar to 200 ml of juice. On the stove, bring the entire mixture to a boil and the sugar is completely dissolved. Boil for 3-5 minutes over low heat;
• Add 50 ml of pumpkin sauce to cold milk. Heat the milk mixture to 65 C to form a thin foam. Pour the resulting hot milk into a glass for the drink;
• Pour intense espresso on top;
• Garnish the drink with ground turmeric.

The drink is ready.

Ice latte

In the summer, you shouldn’t deny yourself your favorite drink, but how can you prepare it so that it helps cope with the summer heat?

Preparation:

• Pour ice cubes into a drink glass to the very top;
• Pour espresso over ice;
• Pour 200 ml of milk on top;

Our cool ice latte is ready.

Ice cream latte

It’s also great to pair drinks with ice cream in the summer. “Latte with ice cream” will turn out sweet, moderately dense, and due to the large variety of ice cream, varied in taste, while the tonic effect will be preserved due to the coffee included in it.

Preparation:

• Place a scoop of ice cream in a drink glass;
• Pour espresso on top;
• And then fill the glass to the top with cold milk;
• Be sure to serve the drink with a straw so that you can mix the melted ice cream and the rest of the drink ingredients.

Our “Ice Cream Latte” is ready.

How to make a latte at home

What to do if you really want coffee, but your favorite coffee shop is far away or you don’t want to leave the house today. To prepare a “Latte” at home, you need at least several conditions:

1. Availability of coffee for making espresso or regular thick black coffee;
2. Availability of milk.

You also need various devices for making Latte. For coffee, we may need a coffee machine - the best option for getting the result as close as possible to a Latte in a coffee shop. If you don’t have a coffee machine, we can brew coffee in a Turkish coffee pot or prepare it in a French press . If none of the above is present, then you can simply brew coffee in a cup, but you will need to filter it from particles of ground coffee. For frothing milkWe will need a nozzle in the coffee machine; if we don’t have one, we can use an automatic cappuccino maker, which whips and heats the milk. If the above tools are not available, then you can use an automatic hand whisk or a French press, but with these methods of frothing milk, you must first heat the milk to the required temperature of 65 C on the stove or in the microwave. And we also need a beautiful tall glass with thick glass for the drink itself, so that it pleases us not only with its taste, but also with its visual beauty. We prepare coffee and milk using the equipment we have and follow the recommendations for preparing various “Lattes” described above in the article.

We don’t forget that the drink should also bring aesthetic pleasure, which means we don’t forget to decorate it. If we are preparing a classic Latte recipe, then you may ask how to serve it beautifully? When pouring espresso into a Latte, you need to create a pattern on the surface of the foam using the hatching method. Etching is drawing on the surface of milk with a stick, and the paint for the drawing will be espresso cream. If we are preparing a “Latte” with several components, then we can decorate it with a garnish of spices or caramel, and we can also create a pattern using caramel or chocolate toppings. Toppings will help not only decorate the drink, but give it additional taste.

I hope this article helped you understand that Latte is not Latte, and the number of recipes presented will help you diversify your everyday life with new Latte flavors. Enjoy your coffee!