latte

"Latte" or "Caffelatte"

A latte is a type of coffee drink made with hot milk.

Italian origin 'Caffè e latte' o 'Caffèlatte'

In Italian latte (IPA: [ˈlat̪t̪e], anglicised as IPA: /ˈlɑːteɪ/) is simply the word for milk. What in English-speaking countries is now called a latte would be referred to in Italy as "caffè e latte" (in colloquial Italian "caffellatte" - with one or two "l"[1]), literally "coffee and milk", similar to the French "café au lait" and the Spanish "café con leche" . Caffelatte is today part of the defined international coffee menu, besides cappuccino and espresso.

The Italian origin is still the inspiration, but international ways of serving may differ greatly from the original (for example, by the darkness of the roast, the use of espresso, and the foaming of milk). In Europe, it is also common to use the French term "café au lait", while in the US this is defined as regular coffee with warm milk, often served in a bowl. As recently as 1980, if you ordered a "latte" in an Italian coffeehouse in North America, you would expect to get a glass of milk—and if you ordered a "caffelatte," you would get a beverage very similar to what is called a "latte" by today's standards, a beverage with a significant amount of coffee, and milk.

Current use

In Italy, caffelatte is almost always prepared at home, for breakfast only. The coffee is brewed with a stovetop "moka" and poured into a cup, to which heated milk is added. (The Moka does not produce true espresso, but rather a double-strength coffee. Also, unlike the international "latte" drink, the milk in the Italian original is not foamed.)

Outside Italy, a "latté" is typically prepared with approximately one third true espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, with a layer of foamed milk approximately one quarter inch thick on the top. The drink is very similar to a cappuccino; the difference being that a spoon is used to separate the layers of foam and steamed milk in a latte, while the milk in a cappuccino is free-poured (lattes also typically have a far lower amount of foam).

The evolution of this term (and this particular form of the beverage) is relatively recent and probably dates from the spread of the 1980s Seattle coffee craze to the rest of the United States (and beyond) via the growth of Seattle-based Starbucks. Some cafés create designs in frothed milk atop a latte.

A latte can be differentiated from a cappuccino and a flat white by the proportion of milk to froth. A latte is recognised as having about one-third espresso, with steamed milk added, and holding about one centimetre of froth exhibiting latte art. A cappuccino is one third espresso, with one-third steamed milk added, and holding about one-third froth. A flat white is a serving fill of about one-third espresso, with steamed milk then added, and holding no froth.

Serving styles

• In some establishments, lattes are served in a glass on a saucer with a napkin which can be used to hold the (sometimes hot) glass.

• A latte is sometimes served in a bowl.

• The complicated pricing schemes offered by some establishments have led to the practice of ghetto latte (sometimes called bootleg latte), whereby some customers use the free milk and other condiments to convert a cheaper latte to a more expensive one.

• In Asia and North America, lattes have been combined with Asian teas. Coffee and tea shops now offer hot or iced latte versions of chai, matcha (Japanese powdered green tea), and Royal milk tea.

• Other flavorings can be added to the latte to suit the taste of the drinker. Vanilla, chocolate, and caramel are all popular variants.

Donate to Wikimedia