The true meaning of latte is: milk coffee. Latte coffee is the transliteration of mainland China.
First let’s talk about why it’s called latte, and then let’s talk about what does latte mean?
1. Latte coffee, the meaning of the name
Latte coffee is the transliteration of mainland China.
In its hometown of Italy, the name of latte coffee is Caffè Latte, or it can also be called Caffelatte and Caffellatte in succession.
Latte means "milk" in Italian, so the true meaning of latte coffee is milk coffee.
Because of this "Latte", it also caused some jokes.
I have a friend who traveled to Italy the year before last. He wanted to experience the Italian coffee culture, so he went to a local cafe.
When he asked the waiter for a glass of "Latte", he didn't expect that the other person brought him a glass of fresh milk.
My friend was dumbfounded and didn’t know what was going on.
Later, when the tour guide came over to explain, he learned that in Italy, if you want to drink latte, you have to say its full name "Caffe Latte".
Just saying "Latte" will make Italians think that you want a glass of fresh milk, which will cause misunderstanding.
However, the source of this misunderstanding still lies with the Americans.
Who knows, Americans always call latte "Latte" and "Latte", but never call latte coffee by its full name. Therefore, people all over the world also just call it "Latte".
It is also people from Hong Kong and Macau who got the name appropriately. They call latte coffee "fresh milk coffee".
This name is really insightful, and it also points out the recipe for latte coffee.
2. Latte, milk and coffee
In fact, making latte couldn’t be simpler.
Add hot milk to coffee to get a cup of latte.
However, the milk raw material of latte must be more than coffee. Usually the ratio of milk to coffee is between 2:1 and 5:1.
There are no hard and fast rules on the proportions, you can adjust them according to your own preferences.
Therefore, if you want to drink a latte with a stronger milk flavor at Starbucks, you might as well say to the guy at the front desk, "Please, please add more milk for me!"
Of course, the amount of coffee in Starbucks latte is fixed, and it is espresso ground from an espresso machine.
Perhaps, some friends feel that the milk flavor of latte is too strong and the coffee flavor is too weak.
So Starbucks, being careful, launched another "rich coffee latte", which has a much stronger coffee flavor than ordinary latte.
However, if you ask me, I still like to drink Starbucks ordinary latte coffee.
“Drinking latte coffee means drinking its unique milky flavor, and milk is the protagonist!”
If the milky flavor is not obvious, is it still the original latte coffee?
Speaking of the original latte, it was precisely because of the presence of milk that latte became a classic.
3. Latte coffee, the story behind the classic
Just like a sandwich, one or two slices of bread, plus a vegetable or meat topping, the sandwich was born .
The same goes for latte coffee.
From the beginning when coffee became a drink for Europeans, latte appeared.
Perhaps at that time, a certain European was not used to the bitter taste of coffee, so he added milk to it, and the latte was born.
According to records, Europeans began to drink latte coffee in the 17th century. It was first used as a breakfast drink with bread.
I am in "Latte, mocha, cappuccino, they are all "Italian coffee"! ” mentioned that the Italians invented the espresso machine in 1884, making Italy the coffee center of the world.
In the coffee world, this is a landmark event.
Since then, coffee shops have gradually appeared in continental Europe, starting from Italy. Fancy coffees such as latte, mocha, and cappuccino have also become "Internet celebrity coffee" in European social circles. .
At that time, the way to make latte was still the same, pouring hot milk into espresso, which is what people now call espresso latte.
But an American went to Italy and completely changed the fate of latte coffee, making it a world-famous coffee.
4. Starbucks and Latte
This person is Howard Schultz, the current owner of Starbucks.
In 1983, he went on a business trip to Milan, Italy, to participate in an exhibition.
This visit was like "Grandma Liu entered the Grand View Garden". It made Schultz feel the variety of Italian coffee and also made him aware of the monotony of American coffee culture.
So, after returning to the United States, Schultz launched the Starbucks version of latte coffee in 1984, which was very popular. Seattle, where Starbucks is located, is also called the "Latte City" .
Although there were coffee shops selling latte coffee in the United States before this, it was Starbucks that made latte a global classic coffee.
However, the Starbucks latte we drink now should be called American latte to be precise.
It has been improved by coffee shops such as Starbucks, and is obviously different from Italian latte.
Although, the amount of milk added to Starbucks latte is more than double that of Italian latte.
But the main difference between them lies in the milk foam.
Italian latte has no milk foam, just hot milk poured into espresso.
The American latte is based on espresso and adds a little milk foam (milk foam).
So, if you drink Starbucks latte now, when you open the lid, you will see a thick layer of milk foam.
Take a gentle sip and you will have a dense feeling. Even after swallowing, there will be some fine foam lingering on your lips.
Even if you drink half the cup, there are still dense small bubbles hanging on the wall of the cup, refusing to let go.
However, it is the American latte, this "innovative addition" of milk foam, that gives it an "unexplainable" relationship with Cappuccino.
5. The relationship between latte and cappuccino
At this point, you may be curious again, "How do you compare latte and cappuccino? Is there an inexplicable relationship?”
Because, compared with cappuccino, the American latte looks like Wang Luodan and Bai Baihe, it looks too much. Like it.
Latte and cappuccino are composed of three ingredients: espresso, milk, and milk foam.
Put more milk and it becomes a latte.
The ratio of coffee, milk and milk foam is 1:1:1, which is cappuccino.
Sometimes, when I drink latte, I think it is a "milk-plus" version of cappuccino.
Because of this, when you drink Starbucks latte coffee, you will feel a strong taste of fresh milk, and the milky aroma is so tempting.
When you drink cappuccino, it has more of a coffee flavor, with more and thicker milk foam than latte, and the taste is slightly bitter.
6. Latte coffee, the "basic version" coffee
A friend of mine runs a barista training school in Hangzhou. She once told me, "Latte coffee is still a traditional coffee." A basic coffee that can be dressed up as you like.
”
Actually, this sentence also explains why Starbucks has so many lattes.
It’s like the ball of rice in Japanese sushi.
Add a piece of salmon to make it salmon sushi, add tuna to make it tuna sushi, top it with Arctic sweet shrimp, and it becomes sweet shrimp sushi.
The same goes for latte coffee!
p>In latte, add more milk foam and less milk, which is the cappuccino mentioned earlier.
Add hot chocolate, and the latte becomes Mocha. .
Change the order of pouring milk and coffee, and it becomes another version of latte, Cafe au Lait, which is a favorite among French people.
Make the latte milk foam more "fine" and change the cup to a smaller size, and you will have the popular flat white coffee in the United States, as shown in the left picture below (the right picture below is a latte coffee). .
Starbucks adds vanilla syrup and hazelnut syrup to the formula to produce "vanilla flavored latte" and "hazelnut flavored latte"
There are also many girls' favorites. "Toffee Hazelnut Latte", as Starbucks' special Christmas drink, is only available around Christmas every year.
I almost forgot, Starbucks also has "Iced Latte"
It’s best to drink in the summer. It doesn’t have the greasy feeling of hot latte, it’s just a little bit cool, and it’s also a popular Starbucks drink.
However, you’d better tell the Starbucks guy, "Less ice", otherwise, the cup is full of ice cubes, how can it be worth the price?
But there are also some Starbucks latte, although the name is also called latte, it is actually "fake latte". .
7. Matcha latte, black tea latte, coffee latte
In recent years, Starbucks has launched a series of tea drinks based on Asian preferences - Teavana drinks. .
There are two drinks, namely matcha latte and black tea latte.
I have a few female friends who like to drink latte. I saw Starbucks launching a new latte product. They couldn't help but try it immediately.
When they drank it, they shouted that they were deceived. It was obviously a "fake" latte.
Matcha latte, black tea latte, etc. There is no coffee component at all, only the taste of "tea" and "milk"
I can only comfort myself in this way, "Latte" originally means "milk", black tea plus milk is called. Black tea latte, literally, makes sense.
Although, their real names should be, matcha milk, black tea milk.
Who calls "latte". It’s so popular all over the world!
Starbucks, which has always been high-profile, can’t help but play around with the name.