Latte

Guide Note

A latte, also known as café latte, is an Italian coffee drink made by mixing strong coffee and heated milk.

The latte is similar to the French café au lait which mean "coffee with milk". In the United States, the latte is made with espresso that is mixed with steamed milk and topped with a thin layer of milk foam.

Lattes became popular in the United States because of the boom of coffee consumption in Seattle during the 1980s and the expansion of the Seattle-based coffee company, Starbucks.

Fast Facts

1. Latte means milk in Italian
2. Referred to as caffe latte in Italy
3. Coffee shops offer hot or iced latte
4. Pronounced lah-tay
5. In South Africa, a red latte is made with rooibos tea
6. Lattes are sometimes flavored with syrups made from vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, caramel, mint, hazelnut, almond, and raspberry