What makes the perfect latte?
One of the most popular drinks in any coffee shop in any country, the latte or caffe latte…it’s the gateway for many into the world of speciality coffee.
But just how should we really be serving the classic Italian milky drink?
Just what makes the perfect latte?A quality coffee shop requires a solid menu, and usually towards the top of the most popular drinks lists is the Italian classic.
The cafe latte has become a cultural icon in its own right, with ‘latte art’ itself becoming a competition where the World Champion is crowned every single year.
The name “latte” comes from the shortened “cafe latte”, which in Italian means “milk coffee” and often leads to issues when Brits order a “latte” when visiting the country not realising that this just means milk – no espresso.
In Northern Europe “cafe au lait” has been traditionally used for the combination of espresso and milk. What truly defines a latte from just espresso with cold milk added is how the milk itself is prepared and added.
Perfect for any time of the day, mastering the art of the latte is integral to the operation of a 21st Century coffee shop, so learning the basics is the very least you need to know!
Of course, you’ll need access to a good quality espresso machine, quality coffee beans and a skilled barista before you delve into the art of making perfectly frothed milk.
Milk – the key ingredient
For the latte, it’s important to have access to fresh milk. You don’t want to be trying to prepare a coffee with stale milk – that’s the road to ruin right there.
You also need to consider the type of milk you use as not all types of milk are capable of being foamed or frothed by a steam wand.
Rice milk is notoriously difficult to froth, it’s best to steer clear. Most other forms of milk will vary in the quality of foam you are able to produce, but whole milk (full fat) is the best.
The fat proteins provide tight foam and it’s this which makes the best milk-based coffees. Nut-based milks can be foamed, but fall apart much more easily than with animal milks.
The recipe
Without going too much into the details of making great espresso, you should aim for 30mls of espresso being poured in around 25-30 seconds from your coffee machine.
This should give the best combination of water, oils, sugars and fats from the coffee beans and result in a good flavour profile before you add the milk.
We suggest that your whole milk comes chilled straight from the fridge, making texturing easy and resulting in the best tasting milky speciality coffee drinks.
Foam your milk in a milk jug by slowly opening the turning the steam knob on your espresso machine whilst holding the tip of the steam wand just under the surface of the milk.
Your milk should move and pitch, good quality steamed milk will have an appearance of thin or tight bubbles that do not include large bubbles.
If you have any large bubbles in the jug then simply give it a little bump on a table or worktop, a couple of times will get rid of those larger unsightly bubbles.
Espresso made and in a tall glass, all that is left is to add the steamed milk to finalise your hot drink. Pour the steamed milk into your latte glass whilst gently shaking the jug to get an even mix of foam and hot milk.
Alternatively, pour the milk in to around 7/8s of the way up the glass and then teaspoon milk foam on top to finish.
Simple.