How to Make Cafe Latte: Introduction to Italian Specialty Latte Coffee

Latte and Cappuccino, as "veteran coffees," are essential products at nearly every coffee shop. Although both are quite classic, as FrontStreet Coffee often says, those who haven't ventured into the coffee world will find it difficult to know the difference between them.

Therefore, when many beginners are at a loss staring at these two coffee options, they typically choose an innovative ordering method—that is, to "play by coffee." For example: they might order a latte because of its beautiful latte art, or they might order a cappuccino simply because the name sounds more sophisticated.

Not to hide anything from you, FrontStreet Coffee was just like this in its early years. But this way of ordering often comes with a consequence—that the coffee you get doesn't quite match what you wanted. So today, FrontStreet Coffee will take you through a review of latte and cappuccino, exploring exactly what differences exist between these two classic milk coffees!

Latte & Cappuccino

Latte, phonetically translated from "Latte," is the most widely consumed milk coffee. Thanks to the birth of latte art, lattes sparked an unprecedented trend in the late 20s. Countless people were attracted by the latte art patterns on the surface of latte coffee, ordered a cup, and thus entered the "abyss" of no-day-without-coffee.

Although cappuccino doesn't have as wide an audience as latte, it's equally favored by most coffee connoisseurs. The name "cappuccino" originates from the word "Capuchin," referring to the robes of Capuchin friars. Because the color of milk mixed with coffee was extremely similar to the color of these robes, and because early cappuccinos had a "small pointed peak" very similar to the friar's hood, people named it "Cappuccino."

Latte and cappuccino use exactly the same materials: espresso, milk, and milk foam. Although they use the same materials, their quantities differ. And it's precisely this difference in material quantities that gives latte and cappuccino completely distinct characteristics. For example, their flavors—latte is sweet, cappuccino is bitter—are results of the difference in milk quantity.

Flavor Differences

As mentioned earlier, the flavor of latte is relatively sweeter compared to other milk coffees. The reason is simple: this coffee contains more milk. Taking FrontStreet Coffee as an example, FrontStreet Coffee's latte has a coffee-to-milk ratio of 1:5, with 40ml of espresso and about 200ml of milk.

The large amount of milk dilutes the bitterness of the coffee, reducing the burden of the rich bitter coffee flavor. The milk can balance the taste of the coffee. This is why people often say that latte's flavor is suitable for all ages—simply because it's not as bitter.

Cappuccino, in contrast, uses relatively less milk, because the goal is to use a small amount of milk to enhance the overall texture and make the coffee flavor more prominent!

FrontStreet Coffee's cappuccino has a coffee-to-milk ratio of 1:4, with 40ml of espresso and 160ml of milk—a full 40ml less than latte. Therefore, because the milk in cappuccino cannot compete with the coffee flavor, the coffee taste becomes more prominent. When drinking it, you'll experience more coffee flavor—that is, it's relatively more bitter.

Milk Foam Differences

Besides cup size, there's another significant characteristic difference between the two—the thickness of the milk foam! Cappuccino's milk foam is thicker than latte's, and the foam rises above the cup itself, with a thickness of about 2-3 centimeters, while latte's milk foam ranges only between 0.5-1 centimeters.

Milk foam affects coffee in two main ways. The first is texture! When the foam in the cup is thicker, it means more foam was generated through frothing, and when we drink the coffee, we can naturally feel a denser texture. Cappuccino is a perfect example—with a small sip, you might not even reach the coffee underneath, enjoying purely the dense sensation of the foam. When the foam in the cup is thinner, it means we can more quickly access the coffee beneath the foam. Therefore, compared to thick foam, thin-foamed latte, while not as dense in texture, has higher smoothness.

The second effect is in latte art! The various and extremely complex latte art patterns we often see mostly come from latte coffee. Why? Because the thickness of the milk foam affects the overall flowability (of milk and foam)!

The thinner the foam, the higher the flowability, allowing us to more easily sway and create delicate lines, making patterns with higher complexity. When the foam is thicker, the flowability is lower. Foam as thick as cappuccino's is almost impossible to use for drawing delicate lines through swaying movements. Therefore, most of the time, cappuccinos only have simple white hearts—because the foam can't be pushed properly—or they simply have no art at all.

In summary, we can understand that the main differences between latte and cappuccino lie in cup size and the thickness of milk foam. Latte, with its larger cup size and more milk, achieves a balance between milk and coffee flavors, making it sweeter. Additionally, because of its thinner foam, it can be used to create many complex latte art patterns. Cappuccino, on the other hand, has a smaller cup size with less milk, making the coffee flavor more prominent. At the same time, due to the presence of thick foam, we can experience a denser texture.

If you want it even simpler... Latte is sweet, cappuccino is bitter! It's just that simple~

Important Notice :

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