Latte

For the type of pillar found in the Marianas Islands, see Latte stone.

A latte (shortened form of the Italian caffè latte or caffellatte pronounced [ˌkaffelˈlatte], meaning "coffee milk") is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. When used in English, the word is also sometimes spelled latté or lattè—the diacritical mark being added as a hyperforeignism. Northern Europe and Scandinavia have traditionally used the term 'Café au lait' for espresso & milk, although in the US this term is used for brewed coffee and scalded milk. In France, 'caffè Latte' is mostly known from American coffee chains; a combination of espresso and steamed milk equivalent to a 'latte' is in French called Grand Crème and in German 'Milchkaffee' or 'Melange'. Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as masala chai (spiced Indian tea), mate or matcha, and other types of milk like soy milk are also used.

Origin

Latte Art

Coffee and milk has been part of the European kitchen since the 17th century (there is no mention of milk in coffee pre 1600 in Turkey or in the Arab world). 'Caffèlatte', 'Milchkaffee' and 'Café au lait' are domestic terms of traditional ways of drinking coffee, usually as part of breakfast in the home. Public Cafés in Europe and the US it seems has no mention of the terms until the 20th century, although 'Kapuziner' is mentioned in Austrian coffee houses in Vienna and Trieste in the 2nd half of the 1700s as 'coffee with cream, spices and sugar' (being the origin of the Italian 'cappuccino').

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term caffè latte was first used in English in 1867 as caffè latte by William Dean Howells in his essay "Italian Journeys". Kenneth David maintains that "...breakfast drinks of this kind have existed in Europe for generations, but the (commercial) caffè version of this drink is an American invention".

The French term 'Café au lait' was used in cafés in several countries in western continental Europe from 1900 onwards, while the French themselves started using the term 'café crème' for coffee with milk or cream. The Austrian-Hungarian empire (eastern Europe) had its own terminology for the coffees being served in coffee houses, while in German homes it was still called 'milchkaffee'. The Italians used the term 'caffèlatte' domestically, but it is not known from cafès like 'Florian' in Venice or any other coffee houses or places where coffee was served publically. Even when the Italian espresso bar culture bloomed in the years after WW2 both in Italy, and in cities like Vienna and London, 'espresso' and 'cappuccino' are the terms, 'latte' is missing on coffee menus.

In Italian latte (/ˈlɑːteɪ/; Italian pronunciation: [ˈlatte]) means milk — so ordering a "latte" in Italy will get the customer a glass of milk.

In English-speaking countries 'latte' is shorthand for "caffelatte" or "caffellatte" ("caffè e latte"), which is similar to the French café au lait, the Spanish café con leche, or the Portuguese galão.

While the Caffe Mediterraneum in Berkeley, California claims to have invented the caffèlatte in the 1950s, it was popularized in Seattle, Washington in the early 1980s and spread more widely in the early 1990s.

In northern Europe and Scandinavia, a similar 'trend' started in the early 1980s as 'Café au lait' became popular again, prepared with espresso and steamed milk. 'Caffè Latte' started replacing this term around 1996-97, but both names exist side by side, more often more similar than different in preparation.

Spelling variations

Coffee menus worldwide use a number of spelling variations for words to indicate coffee and milk, often using incorrect accents or a combination of French and Italian terms. Italian is caffe(l)latte (the extra l usually added by Southern Italians), contracted from caffè-latte, (with a grave accent over the e), while French is café au lait (with an acute accent); Spanish is café con leche and Portuguese is café com leite. Variants such as caffé latte, café latte, and caffé lattè are commonly seen in English.

Current use

In Italy, caffelatte is almost always prepared at home, for breakfast only. The coffee is brewed with a stovetop Moka pot and poured into a cup containing heated milk. (Unlike the international latte drink, the milk in the Italian original is not foamed.)

Outside Italy, a caffè latte is typically prepared in a 240 mL (8 oz) glass or cup with one standard shot of espresso (either single, 30 mL, or double, 60 mL) and filled with steamed milk, with a layer of foamed milk approximately 12 mm (½ inch) thick on the top. A caffè latte may also be served consisting of strong or bold coffee (sometimes espresso) mixed with scalded milk in approximately a 1:1 ratio. The drink is similar to a cappuccino, the difference being that a cappuccino consists of espresso and steamed milk with a 20 mm (¾ inch) layer of thick milk foam. An Australian/New Zealand variant similar to the latte is the flat white, which is served in a smaller ceramic cup with the micro-foamed milk. In the United States this beverage is sometimes referred to as a wet cappuccino.

Caffè latte vs. latte macchiato

Further information: Latte macchiato

A glass of latte macchiato

A caffè latte differs from a latte macchiato in that in a latte macchiato, espresso is added to milk, rather than the reverse. A caffè latte has a stronger coffee flavor.

The latte macchiato is milk steamed to microfoam, served in a glass with a half shot of espresso poured gently through the foamy top layer, creating a layered drink with a “macchiato” – a spot – of espresso on the top. As with a caffè macchiato, which is espresso with a spot of milk atop, indicating there's a hint of milk underneath the espresso foam, a latte macchiato is the opposite, to indicate there is espresso in the milk.

The use of the term ‘macchiato’ has been widened to include a huge array of beverages and ice creams. In some countries (like Germany), latte macchiato is the preferred term.

Although the term macchiato has been used to describe various types of espresso drinks, a caffè machiatto is 3/4 espresso and 1/4 steamed milk. A caffè machiatto is about 4 ounces and is usually served in a demi tasse. Although a traditional machiatto is small, there are still ways to pour art into the crema of drink. the only difference between pouring latte art and machiatto art is that for a machiatto, the milk has to be poured faster and through a much smaller stream.

Serving styles

A cup of Latte made with Matcha, Called Green Tea Latte. Popular variation of Latte found in Asian Countries

• In some establishments, lattes are served in a glass on a saucer with a napkin to hold the (sometimes hot) glass.
• A latte is sometimes served in a bowl; in Europe, particularly Scandinavia, this is referred to as a cafe au lait.
• Increasingly common in the United States and Europe, latte art has led to the stylization of coffee making, and the creation of what is now a popular art form. Created by pouring steaming, and mostly frothed, milk into the coffee, that liquid is introduced into the beverage in such a way that patterns are distinguishable on the top of coffee. Popular patterns can include hearts, flowers, trees and other forms of simplistic representations of images and objects.
• Iced latte is often served unstirred so that coffee appears to "float" on top of white milk in a glass cup.
• The relatively high prices demanded by some establishments have led to the creation of ghetto latte or bootleg lattes, whereby customers mix their own latte by ordering a lower-priced cup of espresso and then mixing it with milk and other condiments offered for free at the condiments bar.
• 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, 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.
• In South Africa a red latte is made with rooibos tea.

Politics and Reputation of Latte Drinkers

The sudden trendiness in the United States of latte during the early 1990s associated its drinkers with Liberal Elitists.

In Canada, a latte-drinker is portrayed in political discussions as an out of touch intellectual and the antithesis of the Tim Hortons coffee drinker that is commonly used as being representative of an ordinary Canadian.

In Scandinavian politics "the cafe latte segment" is a common, sarcastic term for highly educated, trendy, holier-than-thou voters.

See also

• Galão