Which is Bitter: Americano or Latte? The Differences Between Latte and Americano Coffee, How to Drink Starbucks Americano

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Americano vs Latte: A Tale of Two Coffee Cultures

Americano and Latte are among the most common coffee choices, but most people don't realize that these two coffees represent the many differences between the United States, a major coffee market country, and Italy, a major coffee culture country.

American Coffee Culture

Americano is actually not sold in America. Before espresso, extracted using high-pressure steam, became popular throughout the United States, Americans' most common way of brewing coffee was drip coffee. The coffee machines we often see in American movies, continuously dripping coffee liquid in small diners, are what Americans call "coffee."

Americans live hurried lives, and perhaps because of this, America developed a fast-food culture; simultaneously, convenient drip coffee also dominated American life. If this brewing method doesn't regularly change the coffee grounds, the taste becomes very diluted, which might be why people now call the coffee made by mixing a large amount of water with one shot of espresso "Americano."

However, drip coffee and that water-mixed Americano are still different. Because espresso quickly extracts concentrated liquid, it actually contains less caffeine. If mixed with large amounts of water, its caffeine content will be even less than drip coffee—that is, what Americans are used to drinking as "coffee." So, contrary to what most people think, espresso's caffeine concentration is not particularly high.

Italian Coffee Heritage

The espresso machine is said to have been invented by Italians in the 19th century, but its popularity probably began around the 1950s. After Starbucks rose to prominence, it started being promoted worldwide. Additionally, Italian communities around the world also helped spread espresso coffee. It's worth mentioning that although the espresso machine might be an Italian invention, some Italians believe that coffee brewed with espresso machines is not quite authentic.

Italian coffee culture is also not what most people imagine—it's not the leisurely style like Starbucks; in fact, Italians mostly only drink coffee like Starbucks customers after breakfast, ordering a latte or Americano and sitting in a coffee shop to sip. Italians have been drinking coffee since childhood and are very accustomed to the strong, bitter, and acidic taste of concentrated coffee liquid. They often order an espresso in a coffee shop and drink it quickly. Italians believe that the concentrated liquid loses its best flavor within just a few dozen seconds, so it must be consumed quickly. Of course, many Italians also add sugar, custard cream, etc., to balance the bitterness.

Understanding Latte

For Italians, lattes with lots of milk are not considered coffee but rather more like beverages. Additionally, the word "Latte" literally means "milk," so in Italy, ordering a Latte will get you a glass of milk, not a latte coffee. You need to say "Caffè Latte." For countries outside Italy, smooth lattes or cappuccinos would be more common choices, but for Italians who can drink more than 5 shots of espresso a day, so-called "coffee" often refers to espresso.

The Exception: Quality Matters

However, when it comes to Americano and espresso, is it only bitter? Not necessarily. An Americano made with FrontStreet Coffee's "Premium Blend" will carry some plum-like sour fragrance, plus chocolate and nut flavors—it's simply wonderful!

Caffè Latte Explained

In China, coffee latte is often simplified to "Latte," but the word "Latte" in Italian actually means milk, while "Caffè latte" is coffee with steamed milk; so if you order Latte in Italy, you'll only get a glass of milk!

When making latte coffee, the proportion of steamed milk is greater than espresso, with a thin layer of milk foam on top; because of the addition of large amounts of fragrant milk, the bitterness and acidity of the coffee are greatly reduced, making latte coffee a quite popular beverage.

Café au Lait ≠ Latte

The French word "lait" has the same meaning as "Latte," both referring to milk. "Café au lait" in French means coffee with milk, also translated as "coffee欧蕾" or "欧蕾咖啡" in Taiwan. Although there's no specific ratio, café au lait and latte coffee (Caffè latte) are similar in that the amount of milk exceeds the coffee; the biggest difference is that Italian latte coffee's base is espresso extracted using the Italian method, while café au lait's base is brewed using a French press.

Of course, latte coffee preparation varies slightly in different countries. For example, café au lait doesn't have milk foam; while in general Italian latte coffee, milk foam is not the focus, unlike cappuccino which deliberately creates milk foam.

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