Is latte considered coffee? Know this so you can pretend you are not a coffee novice

When I entered the cafe this morning, I thought about it and ordered a cup of black tea latte.

Then, this question suddenly popped up in my mind, because many coffee novices may not understand, is latte considered coffee? Many coffee shops put latte and various coffees in the same menu, but sometimes you hear that latte is not considered coffee.

What is going on?

Ever since Luo Yonghao slapped himself a few times because of his concern about Starbucks' large and medium cups, it immediately had a widespread impact in the coffee circle and the entire social public opinion. In this Internet age full of jokesters, more people regard this as a humorous resistance to Starbucks. After all, it is a very refreshing thing for anyone to resist a giant.

Many people interpreted this incident as Starbucks not respecting Chinese people. As for whether it is true or not, I am not Schultz after all. I always look at others with good intentions. However, looking back, there are always some people who feel that they are not respected in Starbucks.

At the end of last year, a little girl went to Starbucks and the clerk recommended three new products to her . Then, when the little girl was struggling, the clerk gave her a warm reminder: the pomegranate matcha latte does not contain coffee.

The little girl was puzzled and whispered softly: Isn’t latte coffee?

Then, the girl probably noticed the clerk's slight change in mood and heard the clerk reply to her: Latte is milk, not coffee.

The little girl suddenly felt very hurt inside and wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

In fact, it is not the clerk's fault, nor is it the girl's fault. After all, coffee culture has only just entered the era of mass consumer goods in China. Many people just follow the crowd to consume coffee, but their understanding of coffee culture is obviously not enough. So, you should pay more attention to us, and we will often tell you some coffee culture and knowledge.

Now, to avoid this dilemma in the future, Mr. Fan will explain the origin of this matter to you. Then you will know whether latte is considered coffee or not. You no longer have to worry about being mistaken for a coffee novice.

The name of latte comes from the Italian word Latte, which means milk. Latte coffee refers to milk coffee.

So, if you are in European countries such as Italy and Spain, you go into a cafe and want to order a classic coffee, you can say to the waiter: Dear, give me a latte.

The clerk will definitely bring you a glass of milk. At this time, you must suppress the urge of your heart, don't scold, ask humbly, and don't lose face for your ignorance.

Latte is a favorite of Italians. The most classic one is to mix Italian espresso with milk. Because Italians like to drink milk and coffee for breakfast, they always boil milk and coffee in the kitchen every morning. Maybe one day an Italian suddenly had an idea and thought that drinking two drinks separately at the same time was a bit boring, so he simply mixed the two together and drank it. Suddenly, it felt sour and refreshing, which brought him an unforgettable taste.

However, in many coffee shops in China, if you ask the barista for a latte, the barista will make you a latte by default. This is the difference in culture at different stages of development.

However, in recent years, many boutique coffee shops in China have also begun to provide customers with coffee-free latte drinks, mainly because not everyone is completely immune to coffee like foreigners.

So, I don’t know if in the future, when you walk into a coffee shop and order a latte, the barista will ask you: Dear, do you want your latte with coffee or without coffee?

From a literal translation, latte is not coffee, but milk. From a cultural perspective, many domestic coffee shops will default to milk coffee.

In order to avoid embarrassment, Mr. Fan suggests that when ordering, if you want milk, just say milk, don’t pretend to be a foreigner and say latte or latte. If you want coffee, just say "latte", at least there will be no ambiguity.

After talking about this, I will finally tell you about several different ways to make latte coffee. You don't have to learn them all, but knowing a little bit is always good.

The method of making classic Italian latte is extremely simple. Pour freshly made Italian espresso into nearly boiling milk. As for how much milk to mix with how much coffee, there is no specific requirement. It depends on personal taste. Do you want a stronger coffee flavor or a stronger milk flavor?

Americano latte is also very easy to make. Just add a layer of frothy cold milk on top of hot milk and you are done. Starbucks’ Americano latte is made this way: the bottom is Italian espresso, the middle is milk heated to 65-75℃, and the last layer is a layer of cold milk foam no thicker than half a centimeter.

As for iced latte, it is a little bit particular. Fructose is mixed with milk to increase the weight of milk, so that it will not mix with the light coffee, forming two distinct layers of black and white, which will have a very interesting visual effect. When it melts and blends, it will look like an abstract oil painting that is constantly changing. Isn’t it magical?

After reading this article, bingo, you don’t have to worry about being looked down upon as a coffee novice because of the topic of latte.