Latte

A café-style latte: rich espresso under silky steamed milk.

• Ratio: ≈1 part espresso : 7 parts milk
• Method: Espresso machine + steam wand
• Brew time: 5 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

Amounts for 1 serving.

• Espresso: 36 g
• Steamed Milk: 240 ml
• Milk Foam: 30 ml

Instructions

1. Pull a double shot of espresso (about 36 g) directly into your serving cup.
2. Pour cold milk into a steaming pitcher, filling it about a third full.
3. Steam the milk, introducing a little air at the start for sweetness, then submerge the wand to create a smooth whirlpool with no large bubbles.
4. Tap the pitcher on the counter and swirl to fold the microfoam into the milk until it looks glossy.
5. Pour the steamed milk into the espresso from a low height, finishing with a thin layer of foam on top.

Getting the milk right

A great latte is really about the milk. You are aiming for 'microfoam' — milk with tiny, uniform bubbles that pours like wet paint, not stiff bubbles you scoop with a spoon. Stop steaming when the pitcher is hot enough that you can only hold it for a couple of seconds, around 140–150°F (60–65°C). Hotter than that and the milk scalds and loses its natural sweetness.

No espresso machine? A strong AeroPress concentrate or a moka pot makes a respectable stand-in for the espresso, and a handheld frother or a jar of shaken warm milk can approximate the foam.