Everyone is familiar with lattes, but do you know what a "half latte" is? It's not a small-cup latte, nor a latte with reduced espresso, but a popular Italian coffee in the United States—the Breve. The Breve is almost identical to a latte in cup size and preparation method, with the key difference being the dairy: milk makes up only half, with the other half replaced by cream. Because of this, it's jokingly called a "half latte." The fat from the cream makes the texture richer and smoother, and the coffee flavor more prominent. This article will take you through the origins of the Breve, its specific differences from a latte, and share Front Street's complete preparation process and ratio recommendations, including the proportions of espresso, milk, and cream, as well as steps like steaming, incorporating, and latte art, to help you easily recreate this rich and smooth coffee at home.

The latte is a coffee that everyone is surely already very familiar with. It is essentially espresso mixed with a large amount of milk. Because milk makes up a high proportion, the bitterness is effectively neutralized, so compared to other traditional coffees, the latte has a much lower barrier to entry: rich in mouthfeel, sweet and not bitter—this universally appealing trait has won it countless fans.

Now that everyone is very familiar with lattes, Front Street is going to quiz you: do you know what a half latte is?

When many people hear the name "half latte," their first reaction might be: is it a small-cup latte with only half the serving? Or a latte with half the espresso? The answer is actually neither. The half latte is another name for a different coffee, one that is very popular in the United States, whose real name is "Breve."

What is a Breve?

As Front Street just mentioned, the Breve is an Italian-style coffee that is quite popular in the United States. Its name comes directly from "Breve," which means "short" in Italian. When hearing "short," some might immediately think of another niche coffee—the Piccolo. But unfortunately, the Breve has nothing to do with the Piccolo, because the Breve's cup size is the same as a latte's.

(Latte on the left, Breve on the right)

The similarities between the Breve and the latte go beyond cup size—even the preparation method and ingredients are almost identical: likewise a double shot of espresso, paired with a dairy combination of over 200 milliliters. The only difference is that the Breve's dairy isn't all milk—milk makes up only half, with the remaining half being cream.

Because the Breve is very close to a latte in every aspect, just with half the milk, people jokingly call it a "half latte," or "latte breve."

The main component of cream is fat, and fat enhances mouthfeel, taking richness to the next level. Therefore, when half the milk in a latte is replaced by cream, the overall richness of the coffee noticeably increases, and it becomes smoother on the palate.

Speaking of which, did you know? The practice of mixing cream into milk actually became trendy a couple of years ago. Why? Because of the popularity of dirty coffee. At the time, to enhance the texture of the milk, many people would swap the milk base for ice-bock, which is milk with a higher concentration.

But ice-bock isn't cheap—it takes several bottles of milk to make one bottle, so some people started looking for alternatives to save money. So some clever people thought of adding cream to milk to increase richness. If you happen to have tried making dirty coffee this way, then congratulations—you may have unknowingly (when the coffee and milk haven't separated and are fully blended) already had a Breve!

How do you make a Breve?

As Front Street said, the only difference between a Breve and a latte is the addition of cream in the ingredients; all other steps are exactly the same as a latte. So as long as you can make a latte, making a Breve is very simple. Though simple, the process still needs to be walked through. Next, Front Street will share how to make a Breve coffee.

For making lattes, Front Street's espresso bean series is the top choice, including the Crema Bomb - Front Street Classic Blend, Nutty Pie - Front Street Specialty Blend, God of Value - Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend, and King of Shops - Front Street Commercial Blend. Each has different characteristics, suitable for various usage scenarios.

The ingredients needed are simple: espresso, cream, and milk. Remember to refrigerate the milk and cream before preparation. The espresso can also be replaced with strong coffee brewed from a moka pot, but try to make it as strong as possible! Once everything is ready, you can start making it.

Step one: mix milk and cream in equal proportions. Front Street's ratio for making a hot latte is 1:4, that is, 1 part espresso to 4 parts milk. Espresso is about 40 milliliters, so milk needs to be about 200 milliliters. When making a Breve, we halve the milk and make up the reduced portion with cream, that is, 100 milliliters of milk plus 100 milliliters of cream (adjustable to personal preference). After mixing, set it aside, and steam it when the espresso starts extracting—yes, steam it together with the cream.

Next, extract the espresso. Today's espresso parameters are: 20 grams of grounds, 30 seconds, extracting 40 milliliters—a very standard golden ratio.

When the espresso is halfway extracted, we can start steaming the milk and cream. Just follow the milk-steaming standards for a latte.

After steaming is complete, all that's left is incorporating and latte art, and you're done! Because cream is added, the milk foam dissipates quickly after being made, and the surface keeps bubbling, which means you need to drink it quickly to get the fullest experience.

Compared to a latte, the Breve's mouthfeel is indeed richer because of the cream. Not only that, the coffee flavor is also more prominent, because cream contains no sugar, and Front Street didn't add sugar either. With less sweetness to balance the bitterness, the coffee's own flavor is naturally amplified, but it also tastes a bit greasy because of the cream. So Front Street chose to add sugar. Then did something that might get a barista angry, which is!!!

Stir!!!

Sure enough, after adding 3 grams of white granulated sugar, the coffee's bitterness was weakened and it became easier to drink. But! There's still too much cream, and it still tastes rather greasy. So when making it at home, be sure to watch the amount of cream and keep it to 20–30 milliliters~

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