How to Properly Drink Dirty Coffee: Making Dirty Coffee and the Difference in Taste and Flavor from Iced Latte

Introduction

Dirty coffee burst onto the scene in recent years, converting many latte enthusiasts into Dirty coffee devotees. Unlike iced lattes, which involve watching espresso and milk create a gradient effect, Dirty coffee offers a dual pleasure of visual and taste experience—taking you from rich coffee to sweet milk in one sip.

What is Dirty Coffee?

Dirty coffee was created to satisfy those who enjoy iced lattes but also want an intense coffee stimulation for their palate. Iced lattes are made by adding ice cubes to milk, then pouring in espresso and stirring evenly before tasting. The goal is to balance the richness of the espresso while achieving a smooth, refreshing texture, so the serving size is typically around 300ml.

Dirty coffee, on the other hand, emphasizes preserving the espresso crema and creating a layered gradient effect. Since no ice cubes are added when making Dirty, the process requires positioning the milk surface close to the espresso outlet, allowing the espresso to slowly flow into the cup.

Milk is rich in milk fat and protein, which support the espresso crema on the surface while the coffee liquid gradually sinks, creating a layered gradient effect. The essence of drinking Dirty lies in "one-shot consumption" and the rich, full-bodied flavor, so the serving size generally does not exceed 200ml.

How to Make Dirty Coffee?

Although the raw materials for making Dirty coffee are simply espresso and milk, FrontStreet Coffee believes that achieving perfect layering and the alternating hot-cold mouthfeel requires certain techniques.

Since Dirty coffee mainly emphasizes preserving the espresso crema and the visual effect of layered gradients, no ice cubes can be added during preparation, as ice can easily dilute the overall concentration of the coffee. Moreover, the protein and milk fat content of the milk must be high, and the milk temperature must be sufficiently cold for the rich crema to float on top. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using refrigerated fresh milk or purified milk (ice blog milk) when making Dirty coffee.

Since no additional ice cubes are added in Dirty preparation, not only does the milk itself need to be refrigerated beforehand, but the glass cup must also be appropriately kept at low temperature. This prevents the glass from absorbing heat when the milk is poured in. FrontStreet Coffee needs to remind everyone that when selecting glass cups, be sure to check whether the cup is temperature-resistant to prevent accidents such as cracking during freezing or when pouring espresso.

To ensure a rich flavor, Dirty coffee servings are smaller than iced lattes. Generally, Dirty coffee servings range between 180-220ml, while iced latte servings range between 280-320ml. When FrontStreet Coffee makes Dirty coffee, they first use a pre-chilled cup and pour in 150ml of fresh milk. Then, using 20g of coffee grounds, they extract 36g of coffee liquid, placing the cold milk directly under the bottomless portafilter, allowing the coffee liquid to fall on the surface. Note that the water stream cannot be too high, as it could penetrate directly into the milk below, failing to create the "dirty" effect.

What Should You Pay Attention to for a Delicious Dirty Coffee?

Technique 1: Selection of Espresso Beans

The key to whether a Dirty coffee is delicious lies in the espresso. Since the first thing you taste when drinking Dirty is the espresso portion, the selected coffee beans cannot be too intense or have particularly prominent acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests that espresso for Dirty can be made with blend beans or single-origin beans that have mild, balanced flavors and rich crema. We do not recommend using beans with obvious smoky or herbal notes or light roast beans.

Technique 2: Use Milk with High Milk Fat, Protein, and Lactose Content

The richness of the milk determines the layering effect of Dirty. The higher the protein and milk fat content in the milk, the better the layering effect of Dirty will be.

Beyond the visual aspect, another soul of drinking Dirty lies in the gradient mouthfeel, transitioning from rich coffee to milk and coffee fusion, then to milk. Here, the sweetness of the last sip of milk can become the "finishing touch" of the entire Dirty coffee. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using refrigerated fresh milk or purified milk (ice blog milk) when making Dirty coffee.

Technique 3: Use Refrigerated Milk and Frozen Glass Cups

Since no additional ice cubes are added in Dirty preparation, not only does the milk itself need to be refrigerated, but the glass cup also needs to be kept at low temperature. This prevents the glass from absorbing heat when the milk is poured in.

Warm reminder: When selecting glass cups, be sure to check whether the cup is temperature-resistant to prevent cracking during freezing or when pouring espresso.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473