Latte is a classic flavored coffee that combines espresso with milk, offering a smooth, sweet entry that has won the hearts of coffee lovers. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically explains the definition and origin of latte, analyzes the key points in selecting coffee beans and milk for making latte, recommends three espresso beans: Front Street Classic Blend, Commercial Blend, and Dark Cocoa Blend, and step-by-step breaks down the extraction, milk steaming, and latte art process for hot latte, while also providing ratio ideas for iced latte. Whether you're a beginner or a home user, you'll find practical references to easily make a cup of latte with full aroma and balanced taste.
"I'm not in a café, I'm on my way to one." For Italians who love coffee, latte has long been a familiar daily drink. A cup in the morning brings comfort and relaxation. So what exactly does latte mean? And how should it be made? Next, let's learn about and savor this classic milk coffee together with Front Street Coffee.
What exactly is a latte?
The word "latte" comes from the Italian "Latte" and is a member of the flavored coffee family, as well as a classic representative of espresso paired with milk. By pouring milk in a certain proportion into rich, intense espresso, you get latte coffee. The gentle blending of milk transforms the originally bitter and heavy coffee into something smooth and sweet. Even those who don't usually drink coffee find it hard to resist the delicious taste of latte.
Tracing its roots, latte coffee was first born in the music capital Vienna. Viennese people have had a tradition of drinking coffee since the 17th century. At that time, when the Turkish army attacked Vienna and failed, they left behind hundreds of bags of coffee beans in their hasty retreat, and these beans became the raw material for Vienna's first coffee house (Blue Bottle). To cater to European taste preferences, the shop filtered out the coffee grounds and added an appropriate amount of milk, making the bitter black coffee smooth and sweet, with a flavor that fascinated the Viennese even more. Since then, the combination of milk and coffee gradually swept the world.
What coffee beans and milk should be chosen for making latte?
As mentioned above by Front Street, the ingredients used in latte are not complicated—just espresso and milk—and there are no hard-and-fast rules on proportions; you can flexibly increase or decrease according to personal taste. However, ingredient quality is especially crucial because it directly determines the quality of the final latte.
From extraction experience, it is recommended to prioritize espresso blend beans with greater stability. Blend products often integrate the flavor characteristics of multiple origins, and after medium-dark roasting, they are more likely to extract rich crema (espresso with sufficient crema used for milk coffee has a fuller aroma), so the espresso tastes thick and intense, with a higher tolerance for error.
In addition, most espresso blend beans are mainly supplied to shops. Compared with single-origin beans of similar flavor types, they are more affordable, following an economical and cost-effective route. For beginners with limited experience, if you want to make a delicious latte, choosing espresso blend beans is clearly more advantageous. Recommended are Front Street Classic Blend Coffee, Front Street Commercial Blend Coffee, and the espresso bean recommended by many baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend Coffee.
Front Street Classic Blend For making milk coffee The aroma is very rich, Full caramel notes , the crema is visibly thick, the entry is silky with milk fragrance, and the roasted nut finish lingers. It is a high-quality daily staple coffee very suitable for beginners to learn at home, and can also be used for moka pot coffee extraction.
The biggest feature of Front Street Commercial Blend when making latte is that it allows us to easily produce golden crema at home. After blending, it highlights the aroma of espresso's dark chocolate and mixed nuts. The taste is rich and fragrant, with a thick, slightly bitter mouthfeel, suitable for those who like abundant crema.
The advantage of the espresso bean recommended by many baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend—lies in its cost-effectiveness: an economical price plus balanced and stable flavor. The espresso has a slightly acidic flavor of sunflower seeds, chocolate, and citrus, and when made into a latte it is oily and sweet, suitable for every home user as a daily staple.
Some friends have reported that the espresso they extracted has a lot of rough foam floating on the surface. This is actually caused by coffee beans being too fresh, and this kind of espresso usually tastes mediocre. Based on our experience, if the espresso beans you receive are too close to the roast date, it is best to let them rest in a cool place for 7–10 days first, and finish drinking them within 45 days. At that time the flavor is best. Once超过45 days, it becomes very difficult to extract crema. Front Street coffee beans are all freshly roasted within 5 days, with 24-hour shipping support, so the coffee beans you receive remain in their most aromatic state.
How do you make an authentic and delicious latte?
The coffee machine used by Front Street shops has a portafilter basket with a double espresso capacity, and the dose is roughly 18–20 grams. When Front Street produces latte, it takes 20 grams of coffee powder and extracts at a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, that is, 20 grams of powder extracts 40 grams of coffee liquid. Extraction time is related to the flow rate of the coffee powder. A single extraction is usually controlled at 20–35 seconds, because if it is less than 20 seconds the coffee taste tends to be thin, while if it exceeds 35 seconds it is easy to over-extract and produce a burnt bitter taste. Front Street's espresso mostly falls in the 28–30 second range.
Before extraction, Front Street prepares ceramic coffee cups, a milk pitcher, and fresh milk in advance. First wipe the portafilter basket dry, align it with the grinder's dosing outlet, turn on the switch, and grind a double shot's amount of coffee powder, then place it on an electronic scale and adjust to 20 grams. Then use a distribution tool to spread the coffee powder evenly, and use a tamper to apply force vertically downward to compact the puck, ensuring more stable extraction.
Next, turn on the coffee machine's extraction switch and let water run for 1–2 seconds, with the purpose of moistening the group head and simultaneously rinsing off attached coffee grounds. Place an electronic scale under the cup receiving the espresso and tare it to zero, and place it under the group head during extraction. Gently lock the portafilter onto the group head and flip down the extraction switch. Pay attention to changes in the extracted liquid. When the electronic scale shows the coffee liquid has reached 40 grams and the time is about 30 seconds, flip down the extraction switch and pour the Espresso into the pre-prepared ceramic coffee cup.
Steaming milk mainly relies on the coffee machine's steam wand. Pour an appropriate amount of milk into the milk pitcher. For example, Front Street Coffee's latte serving cup is 300 milliliters, so you can pour in 240 milliliters of milk, because after steaming the milk will expand due to incorporated air. Before starting to steam, slightly open the steam switch and purge briefly to release excess water in the steam wand, then submerge the steam tip into the milk surface and turn on the switch.
Steaming milk is divided into two stages. In the first stage, the steam holes should contact the milk surface. This stage is used to create milk foam and will produce a sharp sound like tearing paper. It determines the thickness of the milk foam. The second stage is texturing. When there is enough milk foam, lift the milk pitcher so that the steam holes are buried in the milk, causing the milk to rotate and steam under the action of the steam. This stage determines the quality of the milk foam. The milk foam thickness for latte is moderate, about 1 centimeter or so. After steaming, the milk surface should be glossy, without bubbles, and have a certain fluidity.
Finally, combine the steamed milk with the extracted espresso and pour latte art. Before pouring latte art, first integrate. Keep the milk pitcher spout at a slightly higher distance from the cup, and gently mix the milk and coffee using the impact force. Integrate until seven-tenths full, then lower the latte art pitcher so the spout is close to the coffee surface. The impact force weakens, the milk foam rises due to buoyancy, and white milk foam begins to appear on the surface. At this point, you can create a rippling motion by swinging your arm. Because the milk foam is moderate and has good fluidity, it will form a continuously swinging line. Finally, raise the pitcher and push forward to finish, and you can create a basic heart-shaped latte art pattern.
So, how do you make an iced latte?
Compared with hot latte, iced latte is much simpler to make. The method is the same as iced Americano, except that the water in the Americano is replaced with milk. Therefore, the steps for making an iced latte are: first pre-chill the cup with ice cubes, pour in 100 grams of ice cubes and 180 grams of milk, and finally pour in espresso. Remember to stir evenly when drinking.
Most iced latte tutorials online do not give an absolute ratio, but rather fall within a general range: coffee:milk = 1:4 to 1:8. This is because the coffee beans used differ, extraction parameters differ, and the milk may also be different. Even if the same ratio is used, the taste of iced latte will still vary. As a reference, when using dark-roasted espresso beans dominated by dark chocolate and nut notes, you can add a larger proportion of milk to maintain a balanced taste. For example, Front Street's daily production uses 1:6. When the coffee beans are a lighter-roasted floral and fruity acidic type, the espresso itself is not so intense, and too much milk will only mask the coffee aroma. In this case, you can appropriately reduce the proportion of milk, for example falling within the 1:4 to 1:5 range.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
