Vienna Coffee Origin: How the Latte Came to Be

A latte is espresso combined with milk, and its story starts with the vienna coffee origin. Viennese locals had developed a coffee habit by the 17th century; when the Turkish army retreated from Vienna, it left behind hundreds of bags of coffee beans, which supplied the city's first coffeehouse, the Blue Bottle.

To suit European tastes, the shop filtered out the grounds and mixed in an appropriate amount of milk, turning bitter black coffee mellow and sweet. That is why is cafe latte bitter has a straightforward answer: the milk softens the shot. The same balance guides bean choice, extraction, milk steaming, and the ratio approach used for iced lattes at home.

Latte is a transliteration of the Italian word "Latte," made by combining espresso with milk, and it is the most classic of all flavored coffees. The warmth of the milk blends into the rich, full-bodied espresso, turning what was originally a bitter, heavy black coffee into something smooth, sweet, and creamy—hard to resist even for people who don't normally drink coffee. Drawing on the hands-on experience of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically explains the origins and definition of latte, the principles for choosing coffee beans and milk, the standard extraction and steaming-and-fusion process for hot lattes, and the ratio approach for iced lattes, helping coffee lovers make a balanced latte with fine microfoam at home.

"I'm not in a café, I'm on my way to a café." This saying captures Italians' obsession with coffee, and in their daily drink list, latte undoubtedly occupies an important place. One cup in the morning makes the whole person feel relaxed and satisfied. So what exactly is a latte? And how should it be made? Next, let's learn and taste together with Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee).

What exactly is a latte?

"Latte" is the Chinese transliteration of the Italian word "Latte." It belongs to the category of flavored coffee and is a classic representative of espresso combined with milk. By adding milk in a certain proportion to rich, full-bodied espresso, you get a latte. The warmth of the milk plays a harmonizing role, making what was originally bitter and heavy coffee smooth and sweet. Even those who don't usually drink coffee are easily won over by the taste of a latte.

Historically, latte coffee was first born in the city of music, Vienna. Locals had already developed the habit of drinking coffee by the 17th century. When the Turkish army attacked Vienna and was defeated, they abandoned hundreds of bags of coffee beans in their hasty retreat, and these beans later became the source of raw materials for Vienna's first coffeehouse (the Blue Bottle). To suit European taste preferences, the shop filtered out the coffee grounds and then mixed in an appropriate amount of milk, so the originally bitter black coffee became mellow and sweet, and this flavor captivated the Viennese. From then on, the combination of milk and coffee gradually spread around the world.

What coffee beans and milk should be chosen for making a latte?

As mentioned above by Front Street, the ingredients for a latte are not complicated—only espresso and milk are needed—and there is no hard-and-fast rule on the ratio, so you can adjust it up or down entirely according to personal preference. However, the choice of the ingredients themselves is quite critical, as it directly affects the quality of the final product.

In terms of extraction, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) suggests based on experience that espresso blends with greater stability should be given priority. Blends often combine the flavor characteristics of multiple regions, and after medium or darker roasting, they are more likely to extract rich crema (beans with high crema content are more suitable for milk coffee), so the espresso's taste will be fuller and richer, with greater room for error. In addition, most espresso blends are themselves designed for café production, and compared with single-origin beans of the same flavor type, they are more affordable and follow an economical, cost-effective route. For beginners who are not yet very experienced, using espresso blends is clearly more worry-free if you want to consistently make a delicious latte.

Single-origin beans characterized by regional flavors can also be used for espresso, but they require a certain amount of adjustment experience; otherwise, flavor imbalance or unstable extraction can easily occur. The Front Street shop currently uses Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans, a blend of Front Street Ethiopia Natural Red Cherry and Front Street Honduras Sherry Barrel. Its roasting curve is mainly designed for espresso extraction, and when made into an iced latte it can simultaneously present layers of wine aroma, vanilla, cream, and chocolate. Some friends have reported to Front Street that the espresso they extracted had a large amount of rough foam on the surface, which is usually caused by coffee beans being too fresh, and such espresso often tastes mediocre. According to Front Street's 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 try to use them within 45 days, when the flavor performance is at its best.

How do you make an authentic and delicious latte?

The portafilter basket that comes with the coffee machine used in the Front Street shop has a double espresso capacity, with a dose of roughly 18–20 grams. When producing a latte, Front Street uses 20 grams of coffee grounds and adopts a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio, meaning 20 grams of grounds extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. The extraction time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds, and a single extraction is usually controlled at 20–35 seconds, because if it is less than 20 seconds the taste tends to be thin, while if it exceeds 35 seconds it is easy to over-extract and bring out a burnt bitterness. Front Street's espresso mostly falls in the range of 28–30 seconds.

Before extraction, Front Street first prepares these utensils: a ceramic coffee cup, a milk pitcher, and fresh milk. First wipe the portafilter basket dry, align it with the grinder's dispensing outlet, turn on the switch, grind out a double dose of coffee grounds, and place it on an electronic scale to add or remove until it reaches 20 grams. Then use a distribution tool to level the surface of the grounds, and then use a tamper to apply force vertically downward to compact the coffee puck, ensuring that the subsequent extraction is more stable.

Next, turn on the coffee machine's extraction switch and release water for 1–2 seconds, in order to moisten the group head and also rinse away any residual coffee grounds on it. Place an electronic scale under the cup that will receive the espresso and tare it to zero, and place it under the group head during extraction as well. Gently lock the portafilter onto the group head and flip down the extraction switch. Pay attention to the changes in the extracted liquid. When the electronic scale shows that 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 the 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 (FrontStreet Coffee) latte serving cup has a capacity of 300 milliliters, so 240 milliliters of milk can be poured in, because after steaming the milk will expand due to the incorporation of air. Before steaming, briefly open the steam switch and purge it once to release excess moisture inside 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 in order to introduce air and create foam; at this time you will hear a sharp sound similar to tearing paper, and this stage determines the thickness of the microfoam. The second stage is texturing. When there is enough foam, lift the milk pitcher so that the steam holes are buried inside the milk, causing the milk to rotate and be steamed under the action of the steam; this stage determines the fineness of the microfoam. The microfoam for a latte is moderate in thickness, about 1 centimeter. The steamed milk should have a glossy surface, no obvious bubbles, and maintain a certain fluidity.

Finally, fuse the steamed milk with the extracted espresso and create latte art. Before pouring latte art, first do the fusion: keep the spout of the milk pitcher at a slightly higher distance from the cup, and gently mix the milk and coffee with the force of the pour. After fusing to about seven-tenths full, lower the milk pitcher so that the spout is close to the coffee surface, and the impact force decreases accordingly. The microfoam floats up due to buoyancy, and white foam begins to appear on the surface. At this point, you can make a rippling motion by swinging your arm. Because the microfoam is moderate and fluid, it will form a continuously swaying 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 a hot latte, making an iced latte is much simpler. The method is the same as an iced Americano, except that milk is used instead of water. So the steps for making an iced latte are: first pre-chill the cup with ice, add 100 grams of ice cubes and 180 grams of milk, and finally pour in the espresso. Remember to stir evenly before drinking.

Most iced latte tutorials online do not give an absolute ratio, but instead fall within a rough range: coffee to milk is about 1:4 to 1:8. This is because everyone uses different coffee beans, different extraction parameters, and possibly different milk, so even with the same ratio, the taste of an iced latte will still differ. For reference, if using dark-roasted espresso beans dominated by dark chocolate and nut notes, you can increase the proportion of milk to maintain balance; for example, Front Street's daily production uses 1:6. If the coffee beans are a lighter-roasted type with floral aromas and fruity acidity, the espresso itself is not as intense in taste, and too much milk will instead mask the coffee's aroma. In that case, the proportion of milk can be appropriately reduced, for example to between 1:4 and 1:5.

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