Coffee latte: composition, types, ingredients and nuances of preparation

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Lots of people love coffee drinks. Moreover, they can differ in a variety of composition. Latte coffee originated in Italy, they drink it there in the morning. Today it is popular all over the world. Read more about the composition of latte and preparation in the article.

The drink is in demand in cafes, bars and restaurants. Due to the composition of latte and mild taste, this type of coffee is loved by many people. Another drink is sold in coffee shops on wheels. It is also prepared independently at home - you just need to familiarize yourself with the recipes.

What is this?

The answer can be found in the name. "Latte" means "milk" in Italian. The drink was invented by Italian baristas as a sugar-free milkshake for children. It contains natural coffee oil. It was added as a flavoring agent. The composition of latte coffee is simple: 3/4 parts of milk and a small portion of coffee - 1/4 part.

There is even a culture of drinking. There are tips on how to drink a latte properly, but it's especially important to enjoy it. This coffee is appreciated by people of different ages and nationalities.

Taste properties

Latte is a coffee-based drink. The last component is only a flavor, its shade is almost not felt. At first, a creamy and milky aftertaste is noticeable. Milky tenderness is emphasized by the structure of the layer - the bubbles are similar to those found in an oxygen cocktail. Therefore, the texture of milk is airy, loose.

If you compare the taste of latte with cappuccino, then the latter will have more coffee. And then comes the nutty aftertaste. Milk added to cappuccino can emphasize the rich taste of coffee, and in latte it sets off the creamy taste. The foam of the last variety of the drink is its decoration. Since its structure is delicate, it does not hold sugar, chocolate, sprinkles well.

Milk preparation

Whatever the composition of the latte, you need to take full-fat milk (3.2%). It produces a thick, persistent, gentle foam. The drink will taste better. With a diet, lean milk is suitable, but then the coffee will be watery. You must first prepare it: heat it on the stove or in the microwave to 30-40 degrees, and then beat for 5-15 minutes.

Vegetarians can make a drink too. You need to use coconut milk. If you are lactose intolerant, you can take soy. It is necessary to beat it thoroughly, it is advisable to use a powerful blender with a whisk or mixer. A shaker or closed thermos is also suitable. Then you need to work hard with your hands for 15 minutes.

Cooking

If the components are prepared according to the composition of the latte, how to prepare the drink itself? To make itat home, you must go through the following steps:

1. The glass must be warmed up with hot water or steam to pour coffee.
2. There is a "golden" composition of latte, or classic. On it take 30-50 g of black natural coffee and 150-200 g of milk. Proportions and cooking method may vary depending on preference.
3. It is better to choose Arabica with the addition of Robusta (8:2). You can use 1 version of latte coffee, but this combination allows you to get a pleasant taste and aroma. If natural coffee is not available, a heaping teaspoon of instant coffee will do, but it is advisable to brew natural coffee.
4. Regardless of the composition, latte is prepared in a Turk, a geyser coffee maker or a coffee machine.
5. Even with home cooking, you want to serve a drink beautifully. To do this, you need special dishes: a latte mug or cup, a glass or a glass.

These recommendations are used in cafes and restaurants. If you follow the rules of preparation, you get a delicious and fragrant drink.

Classic

What is in this latte recipe? It includes:

• coffee - 30-50g;
• milk - 150-200 g.

These components must be placed in a bowl according to the following rules:

1. Pour milk first.
2. Makes light foam on top.
3. Pour brewed coffee into the center in a thin stream.

The result is a three-layer drink. You can mix the 2 bottom layers into one. The decoration is usually toothpick drawings orstencils. Feed options are many.

Views

Often a classic recipe is modified with a double serving of coffee. Additional components are also added, due to which various drinks are obtained. The most popular are:

1. With cinnamon. A pinch of powder or a cinnamon stick is added to the prepared drink. It looks especially beautiful when served in a special mug.
2. With syrup. There are a lot of syrups, you can choose according to your taste. Usually, no more than 20 g is added to black coffee before pouring the milk-foam mixture. The syrup adds sweetness to the drink. If it is fruity, it can affect the souring of milk in a few seconds. Therefore, it is better not to choose berry, fruit, citrus options. But vanilla, almond, chocolate or cocoa syrup is perfect.
3. Vanilla latte. Before heating, pour 1-3 drops of vanilla extract into milk and whisk it. If there is no extract, classic vanillin is used. Then the cooking sequence is the same.
4. Caramel. To do this, you need to buy or cook caramel. It is added to black coffee and mixed before pouring into the milk-foam mixture.
5. Autumn recipe. It's a pumpkin latte. Perfect for Halloween parties. Pumpkin in folk medicine is a cure for many ailments. The vegetable has a delicate pleasant taste. You will need a pumpkin (200 g), which is cut into pieces, water (1 cup), sugar (100 g), black coffee (40 ml), milk 3.2% (120 ml). It is necessary to bake 200 g of pumpkin (30-40 minutes), which is cut into pieces. Vegetablewhipped into puree, into which water is poured, sugar is added. The product is stirred over low heat in a saucepan until the mass thickens. The resulting delicacy is divided into small portions (2 tablespoons), coffee is poured with milk, foam is spread on top. It is advisable to take a large cup for this drink. Decorate with grated chocolate or pumpkin seeds.

The drink contains caffeine, so if you are sensitive to it in the evening, you should drink it carefully. Cinnamon latte is also called autumn. It warms and speeds up the metabolism.

These recipes are the most popular, but there are many others. Among the huge variety, everyone can find a suitable option for themselves.

Ice

In summer, many people prefer ice latte. The composition of this drink is as follows:

• cold milk - 100 ml;
• espresso - 50 ml;
• ice cubes - 4-5 pieces

Syrup is added if desired. The cooking technology is as follows:

1. We need to brew a shot of espresso, cool it down.
2. In a blender, beat 2-3 ice cubes with coffee.
3. Cold milk is poured into a glass, an ice cube is placed and the blender mixture is added.

Serve the drink in the usual way, like a regular latte. It perfectly quenches thirst in the summer, and also gives strength and self-confidence.

Latte Macchiato

Its composition is the same as in the standard version. It differs in cooking process:

1. Coffee is poured into milk, not the other way around.
2. More milk needed.
3. Foam in this drinkthere will be more.
4. Coffee and milk are not mixed, but added in layers with visible borders.

Macchiato has three layers:

1. Hot milk at the bottom.
2. Coffee in the middle.
3. Foam on top.

Black

Many people prefer black latte, which has a different composition. This is a weight loss drink that was developed by a psychotherapist. Cooking is as follows:

1. Powdered activated charcoal (1 tablet) mixed with boiling water (1/3 cup).
2. Heat the milk and add it to the coal water.
3. Preparing a drink with vanilla, cinnamon, honey. It is better to drink it before meals or instead of snacks, but no more than 3 cups a day.

How to get a beautiful foam?

It is performed in several ways. You can use a thermos. Warm milk is poured into a container and shaken for 15 minutes. Another method is to use a whisk or mixer. A blender will do.

Often a French press is used to create foam, but this process will be lengthy. Milk foam is poured into the center of the bowl to make latte art. Drawings can be original, and after a while it will be possible to make not only hearts and leaves, but also complex images.

Calories

Drink may differ in calories, it all depends on the amount of milk. Its fat content, the amount of sugar, cocoa matter. If you make a standard serving with milk 2.5%, then the calorie content will beapproximately 110 kcal.

When using milk 3, 2% add 8 kcal. It is also important to consider the amount of added sugar. Keep in mind that only 1 tablespoon of sugar includes 20 kcal. To prepare a nutritious and high-calorie coffee, 10% cream is added, which will increase the calorie content up to 200 kcal.

Recommendations

If you know the rules for making coffee, then you can easily prepare it at home, and not go to a cafe for it. This drink can please your loved ones in the early morning or afternoon.

Correctly chosen glasses add aesthetics. Such a drink can give joy for the whole day. Do not worry if there is no glass under the latte. If you have the skills, you can pour the drink into transparent disposable cups.

In summer, in addition to chocolate chips, the recipe can be varied with coconut. Coffee is sprinkled with shavings and the appropriate syrup is added. It turns out an interesting option a la Hawaii. In addition to great taste, this supplement is safe for milk compared to fruits and fruit syrups that can oxidize it.

Serving and drinking

Decoration is done with the help of drawings on the foam. This is done with coffee and toothpicks, chocolate chips, which are sifted through stencils with various patterns on a delicate foam. In author's recipes, whipped cream, topping, ice cream, pumpkin seeds, chopped nuts are added. They do not spoil the taste, on the contrary, they improve it.

You can serve a three-level drink in a glass with a straw. Now preparing andtwo-level drink - milk, which is mixed with coffee, and foam. A stirring spoon is placed in the glass.

It is advisable to drink coffee in the morning, since the milk in the composition can adversely affect digestion if you drink the drink in the afternoon. Although cooking may seem difficult at first, if you do it several times, the work will be easier and faster.

Difference from cappuccino

Many people do not know how these drinks differ, since the ingredients for their preparation are the same. To determine the difference, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic nuances of cooking:

1. Although the composition of cappuccino and latte is the same, the ratio is different. To prepare the second drink, you need warmed milk and espresso in an amount of 3:1. And for cappuccino - 2 to 1.
2. In addition to the composition of cappuccino and latte coffee, there is a difference in the sequence of infusion. For latte, coffee is poured into whipped hot milk. The opposite is true for cappuccino.
3. Foam in a latte is looser and more porous, while in a cappuccino it is uniform and has small bubbles. In the first drink, the layers do not mix.
4. Cappuccino has almost twice as much espresso, so latte has a more delicate taste of milk.
5. Latte is served in a glass, but cappuccino is served in a cup.

Benefits and harms

The following useful properties are known:

1. The drink has an invigorating effect, so it helps with severe drowsiness.
2. Due to the addition of sugar, latte restores strength after physical andmental stress.
3. The drink can increase the level of the hormone of happiness.
4. Allows you to cope with stress.
5. Research has shown that 1 cup consumed daily reduces the risk of cancer, Parkinson's disease, cirrhosis of the liver.
6. Coffee is used for migraines to relieve symptoms.
7. In men, a small amount of the drink leads to the stimulation of potency.
8. Latte contains anti-aging antioxidants.

But the drink should not be consumed during exacerbations of cholecystitis, pancreatitis, with a feeling of depression and anxiety, high blood pressure. Latte is better not to drink with arrhythmias, headaches. Due to the addition of sugar and sweet syrups, it should not be consumed by diabetics.

Is it allowed to drink during pregnancy and lactation?

Doctors do not provide clear answers to this question. But most believe that at this time it is better to do without this drink. And if you really want to, you should use it rarely and little by little. Still, it is better to take he althier drinks. It is advisable to consult a doctor about this.

Thus, latte coffee is a delicious and he althy drink. You can learn to cook any kind of it yourself. With such a skill, it will always be possible to please yourself and loved ones with this wonderful drink.