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Why Does Homemade Latte Taste Different from Cafe-made?

Many customers have asked FrontStreet Coffee, why is it that when using the same "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans" from FrontStreet Coffee's store to make latte coffee, the taste always differs from what they get in the store? Why is this?

The Traditional Understanding of Latte

First, in the most traditional explanation, latte coffee is actually milk + coffee (no fixed type of coffee). Later, Starbucks introduced latte coffee made with espresso + milk, and widely promoted it in global stores. As a result, the industry and consumers have gradually come to understand latte coffee as espresso + milk.

Actually, coffee with milk added is latte coffee~ However, since you're reading this article, you probably want to know how to make delicious espresso latte at home~ FrontStreet Coffee won't digress further! Let's get right to the topic~

Key Elements for Perfect Latte

Making latte coffee like a coffee shop is actually not difficult at all. As long as you choose the right combination of coffee beans and milk, achieve stable and reasonable espresso extraction, and maintain a proper ratio of milk to coffee.

The selection of coffee beans is extremely important as it directly determines the flavor direction of your latte coffee. For example, many customers praise FrontStreet Coffee's latte flavor as particularly special, mainly because FrontStreet Coffee uses their own Sunflower Warm Sun Blend, which is composed of Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and Honduras Sherry. The resulting latte coffee boasts flavors of vanilla cream, wine aroma, caramel, and chocolate.

In addition to choosing suitable coffee beans, the bean resting period is also very important. Once, a customer reported that after purchasing the Warm Sun Blend, they couldn't achieve the same flavor as experienced at FrontStreet Coffee's store. The reason was that the coffee beans were too fresh and couldn't extract the coffee flavors properly. After a few days, the customer confirmed they could extract the flavors. According to FrontStreet Coffee's product testing, the optimal flavor period for FrontStreet Coffee's espresso beans is around 10-14 days of resting, with an optimal tasting period of approximately 50 days.

Besides coffee beans, milk also affects the flavor and texture of latte. FrontStreet Coffee previously tested several common fresh milk products on the market. For detailed information, you can click "here" for reference.

Espresso Extraction

The next important factor is espresso extraction. Some friends attribute the quality of espresso to differences in machines, believing that a coffee machine costing tens or even hundreds of thousands is better than a home machine costing just a few thousand.

Actually, this statement is correct, but the quality difference between a hundred-thousand-yuan machine and a few-thousand-yuan machine isn't as significant as people imagine. FrontStreet Coffee has also used home machines costing just a few thousand yuan, and if making only 2-3 cups per day, the product quality is completely fine. Of course, if it's just a toy machine costing a few hundred yuan, or an all-in-one grinding and extraction machine, there will be visually noticeable differences in coffee extraction quality.

Regarding various issues in espresso extraction, it all comes down to appropriate parameters. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's basic formula: powder-to-liquid ratio of 1:2, time of 25-30 seconds, and no abnormalities during the extraction process. (Abnormalities refer to channeling effects, unstable flow rates, perforation splashing...)

Coffee to Milk Ratio

Regarding the ratio of coffee to milk, many friends ask FrontStreet Coffee whether to add one or two shots to latte coffee, and what the coffee-to-milk ratio should be. Some friends also ask FrontStreet Coffee whether this is the standard way to make latte after learning about latte recipes from other coffee shops.

In response, if you haven't yet figured out this question, you can follow FrontStreet Coffee's line of thinking. What does the coffee-to-milk ratio affect? Simply put, too much milk will cover up the coffee flavor, while too little milk will make it too bitter. Therefore, the appropriate ratio is actually about finding a balance point between milk and coffee liquid.

If you understand this point, you should realize that there's no precise standard ratio in data, because everyone uses different coffee beans, and milk might also be different. Even if you make so-called standard latte coffee according to someone else's ratio, will the taste be the same? So, first put aside the cold data and start from the taste of the coffee.

For example, latte coffee has an approximate ratio range of about "coffee:milk = 1:4 to 1:8," with the maximum and minimum values differing by a factor of two. If you use traditional dark, shiny espresso beans to extract espresso liquid, it might need more milk to maintain flavor balance, assuming this result is 1:7. However, a lightly roasted SOE (Single Origin Espresso) has less intense and stimulating flavors on its own, and adding more milk would instead cover up the coffee flavor and create imbalance. If testing reveals this ratio works best at 1:4, then these two lattes have different optimal ratios for best taste. Therefore, when you receive a latte coffee data recipe, you can use it as appropriate reference, but never treat it as a secret formula.

Milk Frothing and Integration

Frothing fine, well-flowing milk foam helps with integration and enhances mouthfeel. For frothing tutorials, you can refer to "here." FrontStreet Coffee didn't elaborate on milk frothing and integration mainly because for homemade latte, if starting from flavor perspective without demanding appearance, milk foam and integration techniques are optional. Making latte coffee doesn't necessarily require frothing milk foam; you can just heat the milk, and integration can be done using a spoon for stirring. If you insist that latte with foam and latte art has soul, then please practice your techniques seriously!

The Secret to Cafe-quality Latte

Finally, the main reason why latte coffee made in coffee shops tastes better than what friends make at home is that before coffee shops hand you that delicious latte, they've tried various unsatisfactory lattes and continuously adjusted from coffee beans and milk selection, espresso extraction parameters, to milk-to-coffee ratios until reaching a state suitable for serving.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473