How Much Espresso is in a Latte? Latte Coffee, Milk, Coffee Beans, Flavor and Taste Characteristics

Introduction to Espresso Coffee Varieties

FrontStreet Coffee currently offers several types of espresso coffee, including latte, cappuccino, and mocha. Among these, lattes and cappuccinos are the most popular choices. What are the differences in taste and flavor characteristics between them? How much caffeine does a latte contain? FrontStreet Coffee will answer all these questions for you in this article.

What is Cappuccino Coffee?

Cappuccino is a classic Italian espresso coffee, sharing the same ingredients as latte - both are composed of milk foam, milk, and espresso. According to FrontStreet Coffee, cappuccinos are divided into dry cappuccinos and wet cappuccinos. Dry cappuccinos have more milk foam with a rich texture, while wet cappuccinos have less foam than dry ones but more milk flavor. However, both types have relatively thick foam. Currently, domestic coffee shops like FrontStreet Coffee use the dry cappuccino method - thicker foam combined with appropriate milk creates a creamy texture that has captured the hearts of many coffee enthusiasts.

What is Latte Coffee?

Latte is actually the phonetic translation of the Italian word "Latte," meaning milk. Therefore, if you order a latte in an Italian coffee shop, you might receive a glass of milk. In Italy, latte coffee essentially means milk coffee. With the advent of espresso machines, steam wands became standard equipment for espresso machines, making it easy to heat milk on the coffee machine, and modern latte coffee was born. In the 1980s, baristas from Seattle, Washington, began using rich-textured milk to "paint" designs, which became the prototype for latte art.

Because each coffee shop uses different espresso blend beans and different espresso machine models, the milk-to-coffee ratio, beans used, and extraction parameters for latte coffee will vary slightly from shop to shop. However, generally speaking, latte coffee is a coffee beverage made by mixing a large amount of milk with espresso. Different coffee beans produce different latte flavors, different milks create different latte tastes, and even varying ratios of coffee to milk can present different flavor profiles.

What Coffee Beans are Used for Espresso?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, different coffee beans produce different flavor profiles when extracted into espresso and mixed with milk. FrontStreet Coffee will now use the beans currently used in their shop as examples to recommend what coffee beans are suitable for making espresso.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee's house-blended Sunflower Warm Sun series, currently used in their shop, is Frontsteet's most proud coffee blend creation. It's made from a blend of Honduras Sherry coffee and Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee, highlighting rich chocolate, caramel, and mellow flavors when incorporated into milk.

FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warm Sun Blend

Flavor: Distinct fruit acidity, subtle berry aroma, wine fragrance, rich chocolate flavor, with obvious sweet aftertaste.

Formula: Honduras Sherry : Yirgacheffe Red Cherry = 7:3

This blend is created by Frontsteet using Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry and Honduras Sherry. Frontsteet's design concept for this blend is that it can be used for both espresso and pour-over coffee. When used to make espresso, it emits distinct fermented wine aroma. Upon tasting, citrus and berry acidity immediately emerge, carrying whiskey fragrance, with a black chocolate aftertaste.

This is also one of the reasons why coffee enthusiasts who visit FrontStreet Coffee can taste fermented wine flavors when drinking espresso. Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee offers three other types of espresso beans (click the link) for customers to choose from according to their preferences.

How are Latte and Cappuccino Made?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, because each coffee shop uses different formula ratios, it's normal to experience different coffee flavors when ordering the same espresso drink at different coffee shops. However, as long as the espresso is extracted from high-quality espresso beans, the espresso drink will inevitably have superior flavor.

Cappuccino Making Ratio

As described by FrontStreet Coffee above, traditional cappuccino coffee is made from 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, and 1/3 milk foam. Cappuccinos are divided into dry and wet types. Dry cappuccinos have more foam, while wet cappuccinos have relatively less foam. The cappuccino to be made below belongs to the dry cappuccino category.

The espresso extraction parameters used for both latte and cappuccino coffee are the same. The espresso extraction parameters are as follows:

Frontsteet uses a Lelit V3 espresso machine.

Pressure: 9 bar

Temperature: 90.5~96 degrees Celsius

Time: 20~30 sec

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2

Dose: 10g (single espresso), 20g (double espresso)

Espresso yield: 20ml (single), 40ml (double)

Frontsteet uses double espresso for making latte coffee. The flavor profile after coffee bean extraction shows: distinct fruit acidity, subtle berry aroma lingering, rich wine fragrance and chocolate flavor, with comfortable aftertaste.

Additionally, both latte and cappuccino use the same type of milk and milk frothing temperature, with the only differences being volume and foam thickness.

Milk: Whole fresh milk (Frontsteet uses Kowloon Dairy fresh milk)

Milk frothing temperature: 50-60 degrees Celsius (too low temperature cannot stimulate the lactose in milk, too high temperature will destroy the proteins in milk, creating a gritty texture)

Foam thickness: 1 cm (foam thinner than 1 cm is for flat white coffee, foam thicker than 1 cm is for cappuccino coffee)

Cappuccino Making Ratio Recommendation

Cappuccinos are generally only served hot because if made into an iced drink, it quickly dissolves into a latte coffee.

Frontsteet recommends making latte coffee with a coffee-to-milk ratio of 1:3.5, 40ml espresso: 140ml hot milk. By swirling the milk and espresso together thoroughly, you get a hot cappuccino coffee. Finally, gently create a simple flower pattern, and the cappuccino is complete.

FrontStreet Coffee's cappuccino flavor profile: shows distinct liquor-filled chocolate flavor, paired with milk and creamy foam, presenting a very full-bodied texture, rich and lasting cocoa flavor accompanied by wine-smoked aroma.

Hot Latte Making Ratio Recommendation

Frontsteet recommends making latte coffee with a coffee-to-milk ratio of 1:6.5, 40ml espresso: 260ml hot milk. By swirling the milk and espresso together thoroughly, you get a hot latte coffee. The fresh milk when heated releases lactose sweet molecules better, and when mixed evenly with espresso, the entire latte carries the natural sweetness of milk without overshadowing the espresso's flavor. Instead, the milk backdrop better highlights the espresso's flavor characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee's hot latte flavor profile: whiskey fragrance, lactose and coffee acidity collide to create milkshake-like sweetness, with nut-like aftertaste such as hazelnut.

How Much Caffeine is in a Latte?

Research data shows that most adults can consume 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, and the caffeine content varies among different coffee varieties. For example, the coffee beans at FrontStreet Coffee are mostly Arabica varieties, which contain only 0.9-1.2% caffeine, posing minimal harm to the human body.

The above is FrontStreet Coffee's summary regarding how much caffeine a latte contains and the taste and flavor characteristics of cappuccinos versus lattes. Additionally, from the content above, everyone can also learn whether espresso can have latte art - of course it can! As long as milk has been frothed, it will have creamy foam that naturally mixes with espresso to create a rich milk coffee. At the same time, FrontStreet Coffee hopes this article can help coffee enthusiasts who want to understand related knowledge, so they can choose espresso milk drinks that suit their taste preferences in the future.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473