Fully Automatic Latte Coffee Machine Recommendations_How to Make Latte Coffee with a Coffee Machine?

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"I'm either in a coffee shop or on my way to a coffee shop." For Italians who love coffee, latte is a very familiar drink. On a beautiful morning, having a cup of latte feels incredibly pleasant and comfortable. So, what exactly is a latte? And how is it made? Let's learn and appreciate it together with FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)!

What is a Latte?

"Latte" is the transliteration of the Italian word "Latte," which belongs to the category of flavored coffees. It is also a classic combination of Italian espresso and milk. In rich, mellow espresso, add milk in a specified proportion, and you get latte coffee. With the gentle integration and flavoring of milk, the originally bitter and heavy coffee becomes smooth and sweet. Even those who are not accustomed to drinking coffee will find it hard to resist the deliciousness of latte.

Initially, latte coffee originated in Vienna, the city of music. Viennese people began drinking coffee as early as the 17th century. At that time, the Turkish army failed to attack Vienna and left behind hundreds of bags of coffee beans in their hasty retreat. These coffee beans became the raw material for Vienna's first coffee shop (Blue Bottle). To cater to European tastes, the coffee shop owners filtered the coffee grounds and added a certain amount of milk, which not only made the bitter black coffee smooth and sweet but also created a flavor that Viennese people found utterly captivating. And so, the combination of milk and coffee began to sweep across the globe.

What Coffee Beans and Milk to Choose for Making Latte?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, the ingredients used for latte coffee are very simple - just Italian espresso and milk. There is no fixed ratio; everyone can adjust it up or down according to their own taste. However, the choice of ingredients is very important because it will directly determine the quality of the latte coffee produced.

Based on extraction experience, FrontStreet Coffee recommends prioritizing the use of more stable Italian blend beans. Blend products typically combine flavor profiles from different producing regions and use medium or darker roasting, making it easier to extract rich crema (coffee beans with high crema are more suitable for milk-based coffee). This way, our espresso has a thick, rich taste and a higher fault tolerance. Moreover, most Italian blend beans are mainly supplied for café production use. Compared to single-origin beans of similar flavor profiles, they are relatively cheaper, focusing on an economical and high-value route. For beginners without much coffee-making experience, using Italian blend beans is clearly more advantageous for making a delicious latte.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee's shops use FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warmth Blend Coffee Beans, which are blended from FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian Natural Red Cherry and FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry Barrel beans. The roasting curve makes it mainly suitable for Italian extraction. When made into iced latte, it will have flavors of wine, vanilla, cream, and chocolate. Some friends have reported to FrontStreet Coffee that their extracted espresso has a lot of coarse foam, which is caused by coffee beans being too fresh. Such espresso often has mediocre flavor. From FrontStreet Coffee's experience, when Italian coffee beans in hand are too close to the roasting date, it's best to let them rest in a cool place for 7-10 days and consume within 45 days for the best flavor.

How to Make an Authentic and Delicious Latte?

The coffee machine used at FrontStreet Coffee's shops comes with a portafilter that holds double espresso capacity, with about 18-20 grams of coffee grounds. When FrontStreet Coffee makes lattes, it uses 20 grams of coffee grounds with a 1:2 grounds-to-liquid extraction ratio, meaning 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. The time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds. Generally, a single extraction duration is controlled between 20-35 seconds because coffee extracted within 20 seconds tends to taste thin, while extraction超过 35 seconds is prone to over-extraction and burnt bitterness. Most of FrontStreet Coffee's espresso extractions fall within the 28-30 second range.

Before extraction, FrontStreet Coffee prepares these items in advance: ceramic coffee cups, milk pitcher, and fresh milk. First, wipe the portafilter dry and align it with the grinder's dispensing port, turn on the switch, grind the amount for double espresso, place it on an electronic scale for adjustment, and reach 20 grams. Then use a distributor to level the coffee grounds, press vertically down with a tamper to compact the coffee puck, ensuring more stable coffee extraction.

Then turn on the coffee machine's extraction switch and let water flow for 1-2 seconds to wet the brew head and wash away any residual coffee grounds. Place an electronic scale under the cup for collecting espresso and zero the weight. During extraction, place it together under the brew head. Gently lock the portafilter onto the brew head and start the extraction switch. Observe the changes in the extracted liquid. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of coffee liquid extracted (around 30 seconds), pull down the extraction switch and pour the Espresso into the pre-prepared ceramic coffee cup.

Steaming milk mainly relies on the coffee machine's steam wand. Pour an appropriate amount of milk into the milk pitcher. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's latte serving cups are 300 milliliters, so you can pour in 240 milliliters of milk because the milk expands after being infused with air during steaming. Before starting to steam milk, slightly open the steam switch to blast steam briefly, expelling excess moisture from the steam wand. Then submerge the steam tip of the steam wand into the milk surface and turn on the switch.

Steaming milk is divided into two stages. The first stage requires the steam holes to contact the milk surface. This stage is for creating foam, producing a sharp paper-tearing sound, and this stage determines the thickness of the foam. The second stage is texturing. When enough foam has been created, lift the milk pitcher to submerge the steam holes into the milk, allowing the milk to rotate and steam under the action of steam. This stage determines the quality of the foam. Latte coffee's foam thickness is moderate, about 1 centimeter. After steaming, the milk surface should be glossy, bubble-free, and have a certain fluidity.

Finally, combine the steamed milk with the extracted espresso for latte art. Before latte art, first blend the milk and coffee. Keep the milk pitcher spout slightly higher from the cup for impact, gently blending the milk with coffee until it's seven-tenths full. Then lower the latte art pitcher, bringing the spout close to the coffee surface, reducing impact, and the foam will rise due to buoyancy, creating white foam on the surface. At this point, you can create ribbing patterns by moving your arm. Because the foam is moderate and has certain fluidity, it will present a continuously wavy line. Finally, lift up and push forward to finish, creating a basic heart-shaped latte art pattern.

So, How to Make Iced Latte?

Compared to hot latte, making iced latte is relatively simple. The method is the same as making iced Americano, except replacing water with milk. So the steps for making iced latte are: pre-chill the cup with ice cubes, pour in 100 grams of ice cubes, 180 grams of milk, and finally pour in the espresso. Of course, don't forget to stir well when drinking.

Most online tutorials for making iced latte don't give an absolute ratio but fall within a general range: coffee:milk = 1:4-1:8. This is because everyone uses different coffee beans, different extraction parameters, and possibly different milk. Even with consistent ratios, the taste of iced latte will still vary. As a reference, when using dark-roasted Italian beans mainly with dark chocolate and nut notes, we can add a larger proportion of milk to maintain a balanced taste. FrontStreet Coffee's daily production uses a 1:6 ratio. When coffee beans are lighter-roasted with floral and fruity acidity notes, the espresso itself doesn't have such strong flavor, and too much milk will only mask the coffee aroma. At this time, you can appropriately reduce the milk proportion, such as falling within the 1:4-1:5 range.

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