Latte is a classic combination of espresso and milk. It looks simple, yet it is precisely this simplicity that most tests the choice of materials and the details of execution. This article begins with the historical origins of latte, tracing the background behind the birth of Viennese milk coffee, and then returns to the practical level, unfolding around key steps such as the quality of coffee beans and milk, the coffee-to-milk ratio, espresso extraction and milk frothing, and pouring techniques. The article also draws on product information for Front Street Classic Espresso Blend, Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans, and the Front Street Taobao store and Tmall flagship store to provide parameters and techniques that can be directly referenced, helping coffee lovers make a balanced, velvety latte at home or in a café.

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The name latte comes from the pronunciation of the Italian word Latte, referring to a coffee drink made by mixing espresso with milk in a certain ratio, and it belongs to the category of flavored coffee.

This way of drinking coffee can be traced back to Vienna, known as the "City of Music." Locals had already begun drinking coffee in the 17th century. At that time, the Turkish army attacked Vienna but was defeated and, in its hasty retreat, left behind 500 bags of coffee beans. These beans later became the raw material for Vienna's first coffeehouse (the Blue Bottle). To make coffee more suited to European tastes, the shop filtered out the coffee grounds and then mixed in a large amount of milk. The originally bitter black coffee thus became smooth and sweet, and Viennese people quickly became enchanted by this flavor. Milk coffee then gradually spread around the world.

Front Street believes that the key to a delicious latte lies in the quality of the coffee beans and milk, the ratio of coffee to milk, and the operational details during extraction and pouring.

First point: choose suitable materials

The method for making a latte is not complicated, and it appears on the menus of almost every coffee bean brand, but lattes made by different shops will not taste exactly the same. One major reason is the difference in the milk and coffee beans used.

The flavor of the coffee beans directly influences the overall direction of the latte. Most espresso blends will give an iced latte pronounced nutty, chocolatey notes and a heavier coffee taste; a few beans can also bring out the sweetness and richness of the milk in an iced latte. To make an authentic latte, you can use Front Street Classic Espresso Blend. This recipe is composed of beans from three origins—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—and uses a dark roast, which maximizes the coffee's rich aroma and also makes it easy to extract abundant, dense crema. Whether making an Americano diluted with water or a latte paired with milk, it is very suitable and can be purchased from the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

The choice of milk should not be overlooked either. For whole fresh milk alone, there are more than a dozen common options on the market. Some have a strong milky flavor and thick mouthfeel, while others are as light as water. The standard for choosing milk is not simply to pursue thickness and a prominent milky flavor, but to find the one that pairs properly with the coffee. Too strong a milky flavor will mask some of the coffee's own taste, while milk with an obvious watery quality will make the latte bland.

Second point: a reasonable milk-to-coffee ratio

If the ratio of coffee to milk is wrong, you cannot make a delicious result. Too much milk will make the coffee taste disappear, while too little milk will highlight bitterness. Therefore, when making a latte, you also need to master the ratio between coffee and milk.

Front Street believes that there is no fixed, unchanging ratio for a latte; everything depends on the flavor performance of the espresso and how well it pairs with the milk. However, a rough range can be given: 1:5 to 1:8.

The espresso beans currently used by Front Street are called Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans, a blend of Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and Honduras Sherry. The bitterness is moderate, and the flavor leans toward sherry wine aroma, chocolate, vanilla cream, and brown sugar. These beans are not as strong and bitter as traditional espresso beans, and when paired with milk in the right ratio, they produce a dense milk chocolate flavor. When Front Street uses these coffee beans to make a latte, the coffee-to-milk ratio is 1:6, with 40g of espresso liquid plus 240ml of steamed milk.

Third point: the specific steps

Extracting a qualified espresso and producing fine, dense milk foam are fundamental to making a delicious latte. For the espresso extraction parameters, Front Street recommends extracting 40g of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee, with the time controlled at 25-30 seconds. For milk frothing, the target thickness is steaming milk from 5 parts full to 6 parts full, and the milk temperature is recommended to be between 55-60 degrees.

Next is pouring. Only when the milk and espresso are fully integrated can the coffee taste consistent; if the pouring is uneven, you may get a strong milky taste in one sip and a strong coffee taste in the next.

Good pouring first means that the crema on the surface and the milk foam are evenly integrated. This is shown by the consistency of color across the surface of the liquid, which is what we often call the "golden ring." Second, the surface of the coffee liquid should be fine and smooth, with no large bubbles.

Pouring techniques

① First, the "hardware" must be up to standard! That is, the quality of the espresso and milk foam must be good. The espresso should have rich, viscous crema, and the milk foam should be fine and highly fluid. Many times, poor pouring is caused by milk foam being frothed too thick, resulting in poor fluidity, so the foam floats on the surface. Before pouring, swirling the coffee cup and milk pitcher once to increase the fluidity of the liquids inside will also improve the success rate of pouring.

② The height of the pitcher spout during pouring. We all know that when making latte art, the spout should be lowered close to the surface of the coffee liquid so that white milk foam appears. The same principle applies to pouring. If it is too low, a large amount of milk foam will float on the surface, causing uneven integration. If it is too high, the problem mentioned above will occur, with bubbles appearing on the surface of the liquid.

Generally, the distance from the pitcher spout to the surface of the coffee liquid is about 5 to 10 centimeters. Everyone's habits are different, so there is no completely fixed standard for height and distance.

③ Pouring technique. The general pouring technique is stirring in one direction. Hold the coffee cup with the left hand and the milk pitcher with the right hand, offset the two hands by half a circle, and perform a relative circular motion, with one higher and one lower, and the stirring force can easily mix the coffee and milk fully. As for how large a circle to make, Front Street suggests making the largest circle possible without touching the wall. The hand holding the coffee cup should be careful to straighten it slowly.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.