How to Make a Cafe Latte

Would you like to learn how to make a cafe latte? Cafe latte is one of the standard coffee preparations available at places like Starbucks and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Cafe latte, which means "coffee milk" in Italian, is basically a mixture of espresso coffee and steamed milk. Because of its European-sounding name, a lot of people believe the drink originated in Europe. However, it may have been born in America. Caffe Mediterraneum in Northern California claims that one of its owners invented cafe latte, while trying to Americanize the typically very rich Italian coffee.http://www.caffemed.com/about_us

Regardless of where cafe latte was born, a lot of people, including those who can afford to buy it at gourmet coffee shops every day, pursue the hobby of making their own cafe latte at home. This page can help turn you into a home cafe latte barista.

How to Make a Cafe Latte

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How to make a cafe latte

source: www.youtube.com

In this video, Ryan Morris of Flying Saucers coffee and art shop in Santa Monica California shares his knowledge and experience in making cafe lattes to the Mahalo community. He recommends the use of a culinary thermometer for exact temperature measurements.

Step 1: Steam the Milk

The first step in brewing cafe latte is steaming the milk. Cafe lattes are typically served in huge cups, so 16 ounces of ice cold ideally fresh milk is one of the two main ingredients. It should be ice cold, because warm or room temperature milk cannot steam and foam well. With a culinary thermometer ready, dunk the steam wand of the espresso machine to the milk. Do not immerse it totally. Just dip it a little bit so that it barely touches the milk. It should not be above the surface, either. Turn on the steam wand. Use your sense of hearing, instead of sight, to judge if the steaming process is done correctly. The wand should suck in bubbles and not splatter the milk. If you want to use your eyes, a whirlpool is considered a good sign. The target temperature is anywhere between 155 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to turn off the wand before the temperature reaches 160. The milk should continue to rise. Set aside the steamed milk to allow it to stiffen up a bit.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuJbz0fSIqc

Step 2: Pull the Espresso

Cafe latte is typically foamy steamed milk flavored with thick Italian-style espresso coffee, so the second step in preparing cafe latte is brewing the espresso. Depending on the espresso coffee making tools you have, brew espresso using an extraction time of 18 to 22 seconds. The streams of dripping espresso should look like mouse tails. They should not be too thick or too thin. The perfect espresso is characterized by crema or "cream." The cream is actually a big, thick layer of natural coffee oil, concentrated by the espresso machine. It is the center of the flavor of the espresso. Good-looking crema can indicate delicious espresso.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuJbz0fSIqc

Step 3: Flavor the Milk

Now that you have the two main ingredients for your first ever home-made cafe latte, it's time to mix them up or to flavor the foamy steamed milk with the rich espresso. Using a big spoon to hold back the foam, slowly pour the steamed milk to the big cup that will hold your cafe latte. You will want to save the last bit of creamy foam to use as a finishing touch later. Now pour the espresso coffee slowly into the milk. Finally, when you're done pouring the espresso, gently pou the milk foam you had saved earlier on top of the coffee. Now your cafe latte is ready to be served.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuJbz0fSIqc

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