The Differences Between Latte and Cappuccino: A Detailed Guide to Milk Coffee Varieties and Flavors

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Introduction

As everyone knows, the first wave of coffee brought instant coffee, while the second wave saw the rapid rise of coffee shops, with espresso coffee becoming an important offering in most coffee shops. Although we are now in the third wave of specialty coffee, the concepts of espresso coffee and specialty coffee are not in conflict. More and more coffee shops are using specialty coffee beans to make espresso coffee.

Espresso coffee is also sometimes called fancy coffee—a series of coffee drinks made with espresso as the base. Common ones include Americano, latte, cappuccino, mocha, etc., while emerging ones also include flat white, dirty coffee, and others.

Espresso as a base is characterized by its richness, convenient preparation, and quick consumption—it can be finished in two or three sips to achieve the purpose of caffeine supplementation. Americano adds a certain amount of water to espresso, diluting the rich taste of espresso and making the coffee more approachable. Drinks like latte, on the other hand, are made by adding milk. Compared to adding water, adding milk makes the coffee smoother and more approachable, making it widely popular.

Unlike adding water, there are many types of coffee with milk added. Classic lattes and cappuccinos, as well as emerging flat whites and dirty coffees—faced with such a dazzling array of milk coffee types, how should customers choose? Today, FrontStreet Coffee will share the differences between various types of milk coffee.

Latte

The most classic milk coffee is undoubtedly the latte. "Latte" means "milk" in Italian. The method of making a latte involves adding a large amount of milk to espresso. When FrontStreet Coffee makes lattes, the ratio of espresso to milk used is 1:6.5.

The preparation of latte coffee is divided into extracting espresso, frothing milk, and combining for serving. When frothing milk, appropriate aeration is needed because the foam thickness of a latte is moderate, about 1 cm. This moderate foam thickness brings a smooth texture to the latte.

Cappuccino

Cappuccino is another classic milk coffee. Compared to latte, cappuccino has thicker and denser foam, followed by smaller cup capacity and richer coffee flavor.

The steps for making cappuccino are largely the same as for latte, with the difference being that when frothing milk, the aeration time needs to be extended to create thicker foam. In terms of cups, FrontStreet Coffee chooses to use 180ml tulip cups and uses one shot of espresso.

Flat White

Flat white can be described as a coffee that has become popular in recent years. Flat white has many different names, such as Flat White, etc., and the preparation method is the same as latte and cappuccino, but compared to latte and cappuccino, flat white has the thinnest foam layer. Among the three, flat white has the thinnest foam, latte is in the middle, while cappuccino has the thickest foam.

In terms of the ratio of espresso to milk, flat white has the lowest ratio, so the coffee flavor is richest. Unlike latte which adds a large amount of milk, latte is more like coffee-flavored milk, while flat white is more like milk-flavored coffee.

Mocha

Mocha coffee has multiple meanings. If referring to a growing region, mocha coffee refers to coffee beans produced in Yemen. Yemen's mocha coffee beans are small and aromatic, with strong acidity and mellow taste, moderate sweetness, and an aftertaste with obvious dark chocolate notes. It became the name for chocolate-flavored coffee drinks. The mocha coffee introduced today is actually milk coffee with chocolate sauce.

When FrontStreet Coffee makes mocha coffee, they mix chocolate sauce and cocoa powder with espresso, and the subsequent steps are the same as making latte.

So mocha coffee is a milk coffee with chocolate flavor. Many coffee shops also add cream to the coffee when making mocha.

Dirty

Dirty coffee can also be called "dirty coffee" in Chinese. The name Dirty perhaps comes from the "dirty" visual effect created when espresso is poured into milk, so the preparation order of Dirty is slightly different. Unlike other milk coffees where milk is added to espresso, Dirty instead pours the extracted espresso into milk, thus creating a waterfall-like flow of coffee.

Meanwhile, the characteristic of Dirty lies in hot coffee and cold milk, without adding ice cubes. When drinking, you take large sips, simultaneously feeling the sweetness of cold milk and the taste of coffee, thus forming a unique taste experience. Therefore, when making Dirty, the cup should be pre-chilled first. At the same time, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a glass cup to present the dirty visual experience. The cup should be a wide-mouth style so that milk and coffee can be consumed together when drinking.

During the preparation process, pour cold milk into the pre-chilled cup, then place the entire cup under the coffee machine, directly using the cup with milk to collect the extracting coffee liquid. The coffee liquid floats along the milk surface and then slowly sinks, creating a dirty feeling.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473