Italian Latte Explained

A subtle, light and soft coffee – this is how Italians describe Latte. Latte means milk in Italian, but apart from steamed milk the drink requires coffee itself. “Latte” is actually an English play on the Italian word for “milk” and it’s a shortened version of the European “cafe e latte,” which means “coffee and milk” in Italian. It’s similar to a cappuccino but it’s simply made with more milk–a latte is 1/3 espresso and 2/3 steamed milk and it’s topped with about 1/4 of an inch of foam from frothed milk. The latte has twice as much steamed milk as a cappuccino but less foam.

Today, Latte is one of the most widely spread and popular coffee drinks. In Italy Latte is a traditional evening and autumn drink that is usually served in cups of 300 ml. Your coffee can be customized for a touch of indulgence by adding syrups to coffee that of caramel, chocolate or vanilla arranged in layers, sometimes arranged in five layers by a skillful barista. Hand-making a cup of coffee is an art. Latte-Art is coffee with a delicate drawing on the top made while infusing foamed milk into a creamy espresso. It seems to be a little thing, but it makes a big difference.

This recipe is for a 16 ounces (two-cup) beverage. If you want to make an 8 ounce drink, simply halve the ingredients.

The milk should become think and smooth, not foamy. When the milk is at around 80 degrees F, maneuver the nozzle deep into the milk, at the side of the jug. Rotate the jug in this position until the milk heats to around 150 degrees F. If you have no way of measuring the temperature of the milk, simply keep hold of the base of the jug. When it is too hot to hold on any more, it’s ready. There are different methods to achieve these patterns. Either in the way the steamed milk is poured into the espresso or in drawing the design after pouring the milk with a coffee stirrer.

Flavors can be added to a latte, vanilla, chocolate and caramel are popular additions but add calories unless you specifically ask for the sugar free syrup. The calories in a latte are of course more than a plain cup of coffee. Coffee has zero calories alone but the added milk can bring it up to over 120 calories.

The most common design you will find in latte art is the rosetta, which looks like a flower. It is done just by pouring the steamed milk into the espresso while holding the cup tilted into one direction. While he pours the milk from one side to another, the barista balances the cup and finally makes a strike through the poured pattern, resulting in the flower’s stem.

But a lot of other design patterns are possible, such as hearts, animals, flowers, or just geometrical patterns. Some of them are as well just done with the style of pouring the steamed milk; others are designed with help of some kind of pin or coffee stirrer.

Coffee beverages can be enjoyed any time of the year. However, a delicious Coffee frappe is an especially wonderful during those hot summer months.

Tags: café latte, Coffee, Coffee frappe, italian latte, latte