Latte, (or caffe latte) is a milky espresso drink prepared with a large amount of steamed milk. It is similar to a flat white, or a cappuccino, but with more steamed milk. Latte uses a ratio of 1 shot of espresso to 3 ounces of steamed milk up to a ratio of 1 to 5. Latte has a thin layer of foam on the top, often times used to create latte art.
14gramsmedium-dark roast coffee beansup to 18 grams depending on the filter basket
6fluid ouncescold milkwhole, or 2% are the best, but nonfat works too
Instructions
Pull 2 Espresso Shots
Turn on the espresso machine to heat it up
Finely grind 14-18 grams of coffee beans to an espresso grind size. You need to use a double basket for this recipe.
Dump the coffee grounds in the filter-basket.
Use an espresso leveler, or slightly knock the portafilter on the counter to pack the coffee grounds.
Tamp the coffee grounds with a considerable force. After tamping, there should be about 3-4 mm from the basket's edge to the coffee puck.
Lock the portafilter in the espresso machine.
Place the latte cup on the espresso machine tray and and switch the brew button ON.
Pull your double espresso shot for about 20 to 25 seconds.
You should get about 2 fluid ounces of espresso. If you need instructions, here is our espresso brewing guide, for a step by step tutorial. After the shot is ready, put it aside, and start the milk steaming.
Steam the Milk
Switch your espresso machine to milk steaming and let the boiler warm up and reach the needed temperature.
Pour 6 fl. oz. of cold milk into a stainless steel pitcher. When the milk is cold you have more time to steam and microfoam without scalding the milk.
When the machine is ready, submerge the steaming wand just below the milk surface and start steaming.
Tilt the pitcher at an angle, so that the milk swirls, moving around in the frothing jug.
As we steam, we introduce air bubbles into the milk and the milk will have more volume. Lower the steaming wand little by little in the pitcher until you reach the bottom. You want to advance fairly quickly so that you do not create stiff foam.
Continue to steam until the side of the pitcher becomes hot - around 155°F.
Turn off the steam while still holding the tip of the wand under the milk surface.
Combine The Drinks into a Latte
There should be almost no milk foam in the pitcher. Pour the steamed milk over the espresso, creating a design with the foamier part of the milk.
Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Latte is really a milky coffee, and many have their own view on how milk they need in their coffee. A coffee shop will adjust their recipes to cater to the widest audience possible. But the reality is that they also get a lot of custom orders.