Why doesn't matcha latte contain coffee? What does "Latte" mean? Is latte just milk?

What is a Latte?

"An Italian coffee with a large amount of milk added" is our common understanding of the term "latte." However, many friends have discovered that not all products named "latte" contain coffee.

For example, products we often see in coffee shops such as: matcha latte, roasted tea latte, red velvet latte, Ovaltine latte, etc., although all called lattes, many versions produced by shops are coffee-free. This has led to quite a few misunderstandings and also raised many questions. For example, FrontStreet Coffee often receives questions such as: "If it's clearly called a latte, why doesn't it contain coffee?" and "Since there's no coffee, why is it still called a latte?"

Why Some "Lattes" Don't Contain Coffee

First, we need to know that the term "latte" is a phonetic translation of "Latte," a word originating from Italian. Previously, FrontStreet Coffee had shared that there's a popular story online: "If you go to an Italian café and want to order a latte coffee, but when placing your order you say 'latte' instead of 'caffè latte,' the staff will bring you a glass of milk."

In earlier times, this situation确实 would occur. Because in Italian, "Latte" means milk, while "caffè latte" refers to milk coffee. When you order a glass of milk, what you naturally get is milk without coffee. The "latte" in matcha latte and red velvet latte restores the original meaning of the word "Latte," which is milk. So when converted, it becomes "matcha milk" and "red velvet milk," so it's understandable that they don't contain coffee. However! The reason FrontStreet Coffee says this was an early situation is that with the popularity of latte coffee, the term "latte" gradually became默认 as the "abbreviation" for caffè latte, so that nowadays when we mention latte, the first thing we think of is milk coffee, and only secondly milk. This is also why the naming of matcha latte has become the trigger for misunderstandings.

The Historical Evolution of Latte

In the mid-19th century, "caffè" and "latte" were included in Italian dictionaries and began to be used uniformly. Although the practice of mixing milk and coffee had already appeared at that time, these two words were not used in combination then. It wasn't until 30 years later in 1867 that American writer William Dean Howells first used "caffè e latte" in his published book "Italian Journeys" to describe a milk coffee mixed beverage. However, because the espresso machine had not been invented yet, the "caffè e latte" at that time was simply adding milk to brewed strong coffee, and its name was not widely known to the world. It wasn't until later when the espresso machine was introduced that the广义意义上的「latte coffee」had the opportunity to "officially debut" and be recognized by everyone. And from here on, this is also a story that FrontStreet Coffee often mentions~

In the 1950s and 1960s, many Italians immigrated to the United States with coffee machines and opened local shops to make a living. However, because Americans were not accustomed to the high-concentration coffee made by Italian espresso machines, shop owners had to make localized improvements to their products, so-called adapting to local customs. And latte coffee was born at a "Caffe Mediterraneum" in California, where the shop added more milk to traditional cappuccino, diluting the bitterness of the coffee with the sweetness of the milk, making the entire cup of coffee more acceptable. This cappuccino with more milk was then added to the menu. To distinguish it from traditional cappuccino, the shop named it "caffè e latte" based on its characteristic of having more milk, which translates to milk coffee.

Subsequently, this Italian coffee with a large amount of milk added was widely praised locally and then spread from the United States to the world due to the rise of chain brands and the dissemination of latte art. As coffee gradually integrated into people's daily lives, people began to habitually abbreviate the name "caffè latte" to "latte." So after the 1980s, latte became默认 as the "abbreviation" for caffè latte. When we talk about latte outside of Italy, most people's first thought is Italian coffee with a large amount of milk added. In fact, Italy itself was also affected to some extent. When foreign tourists order with "latte" in Italian cafés, what they receive is no longer a glass of milk, but a cup of milk coffee (most likely).

Why Use "Latte" for Non-Coffee Products?

So this leads to the second question: since calling it "latte" can easily be misunderstood, why do coffee shops still use "latte" to name products without coffee?

Why not just call it "milk" but "latte"? There are two reasons. The first is that these products are made in the same form as latte. Whether it's matcha latte, red velvet, roasted tea, or other non-coffee lattes, they are all made like latte, using a large amount of frothed milk blended with the base, then using the foam to draw exquisite patterns on the surface (hot drink method). Whether in appearance or production process, they are very similar to latte. The term "latte" perfectly interprets these characteristics and is "easy" for customers to understand, so this became the first reason for using "latte" in naming.

Another reason is that shops believe that using "latte," a professional term in the coffee world, to name these products without coffee can also create a connection with the coffee shop. So compared to "milk," most shops prefer to use "latte" to name them. But generally, these "lattes" without coffee will be classified into the "non-coffee section" of the menu, so as long as we look at which category they are placed in on the menu, or consult the staff in advance, basically there won't be too many "disappointing" situations~

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