
In Spanish, the phrase café con leche (coffee with milk) is used, which is by default served in a medium or large cup whereas the similar cortado (coffee with less milk) is served in a small cup. In Italian, latte ( pronounced ) means " milk"-so ordering a "latte" in Italy will get the customer a glass of milk.

Even when the Italian espresso bar culture bloomed in the years after WWII both in Italy, and in cities such as Vienna and London, espresso and cappuccino are the terms used and latte is missing on coffee menus of that time. The Italians used the term caffè latte domestically, but it is not known from cafés such as Florian in Venice or any other coffee houses or places where coffee was served publicly. The Austrian-Hungarian empire (Central Europe) had its own terminology for the coffees being served in coffee houses, while in German homes it was still called Milchkaffee. The French term café au lait was used in cafés in several countries in western continental Europe from 1900 onward, however, the term café crème was used in France for coffee with milk or cream. Kenneth Davids 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". Public cafés in Europe and the USA seem to have no mention of the terms until the twentieth century, although Kapuziner is mentioned in Austrian coffee houses in Vienna and Trieste in the second half of 1700s as "coffee with cream, spices, and sugar" (being the origin of the Italian cappuccino).Īccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term caffè e latte was first used in English in 1867 by William Dean Howells in his essay "Italian Journeys". Caffè e latte, Milchkaffee, café au lait, and café con leche are domestic terms of traditional ways of drinking coffee, usually as part of breakfast in the home. In France, cafè latte is from the original name of the beverage (caffè latte) a combination of espresso and steamed milk equivalent to a "latte" is in French called grand crème and in German Milchkaffee.Ĭoffee, which was adopted from the Ottoman empire, and milk have been part of European cuisine since the seventeenth century. In northern Europe and Scandinavia, the term café au lait has traditionally been used for the combination of espresso and milk. The term comes from the Italian caffellatte or caffè latte, from caffè e latte, literally "coffee and milk" in English orthography either or both words sometimes have an accent on the final e (a hyperforeignism in the case of * latté, or to indicate it is pronounced, not the more-common silent final e of English). Variants include the chocolate-flavored mocha or replacing the coffee with another beverage base such as masala chai (spiced Indian tea), mate, matcha, turmeric or rooibos alternatives to milk, such as soy milk or almond milk, are also used. It could also be a bit of a health risk, as there’s a small risk that steamed milk could grow unhealthy bacteria when introduced to the ice.Caffè latte ( Italian: ), often shortened to just latte ( / ˈ l ɑː t eɪ, ˈ l æ t eɪ/) in English, is a coffee drink of Italian origin made with espresso and steamed milk.

Image Credit: Nathan Dumlao, Unsplashįor an iced drink, we won’t be steaming the milk because the iced latte has a feel all its own. It also stretches the milk, releasing sugar enzymes and effectively sweetening the drink.

The steamed milk adds a creamy texture to the drink when properly steamed. Lattes are also typically prepared with steamed milk for a couple of reasons: mouthfeel and flavor. While most shops you go to will make a latte with espresso, the name suggests that you can use any type of coffee or coffee extraction. Big companies have shortened the name to simply latte. Known as a cafe latte in Italy, where it was originally made, it directly translates to milk coffee. Having decent foundational knowledge will help you tinker with the recipe and make perfect lattes.Ī latte is simply coffee and milk.

#Iced caffe latte how to
RELATED READ: What’s the difference between cold brew and iced coffee?īefore we jump into the instructions on how to make an iced latte, let’s learn a little bit about the drink itself.
