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16 votes
Accepted

Latte: Milk before or after coffee?

Oh, the famous latte! Apparently hardly anyone knows that it simply means "milk" in Italian, so technically calling a coffee drink "latte" is pure nonsense. So where does the coffee shop staple ...
  • 3,953
14 votes
Accepted

Milk quantity and consistency in cortado, cappuccino and latte

There's a chart for that! Here's a link to it, but I've also included an image below. There could be some argument over cappuccino vs. latte as to which is "creamier" as the cappuccino certainly has ...
12 votes
Accepted

Why are lattes often served in big, wide cups?

It may be just me, but I think it has to do with aiming for a ratio of foam to liquid in each sip. Basically a taller cylindrical cup with the same amount of foam on it would cause the first couple ...
  • 1,725
11 votes

How can I improve this latte?

I own this machine and have since moved on from it for the exact reasons you stated. It is possible to create microfoam that is good enough for making clearly defined latte art on the Delonghi Dedica ...
  • 1,301
8 votes

What is the next best milk substitute for a latte?

I'd give oat milk a try. I had an oat milk latte on the weekend and it was surprisingly good. The milk texture was the closest to normal milk I've had. I did not steam the milk myself (had it at ...
8 votes

What is the next best milk substitute for a latte?

Here's another take, but going in the direction more of performance for foam (i.e., more for cappuccino than latte), mostly because I found links about that :) and because steamed milk should foam. If ...
  • 8,535
8 votes

Why are lattes often served in big, wide cups?

I prefer lattes in big wide cups as it allows me to enjoy it with a multitude of senses. The process of consuming starts by absorbing the warmth of the cup into my hands. This tells me if the latte ...
  • 181
7 votes
Accepted

What causes the crema in my latte to appear so charred?

Hard to diagnose just on the back of a photo, but if I had to guess, I'd say the milk is not "sunk" properly (i.e. the consistency of your espresso is different to that of the milk). This would also ...
7 votes

What qualities do I need from an espresso machine or steam wand in order to produce good latte art?

In my experience, it is difficult to achieve perfect microfoam with a home brewing espresso machine. Essentially what you need is a 15 bar pump and a boiler chamber big enough to hold enough steam to ...
6 votes

What is the next best milk substitute for a latte?

Just for fun, I will name 3 alternates: Almond, Soy, and Hemp. Almond Not that good as a milk substitute on taste (better alone), yet a great way to make healthier coffee. As for the health benefits, ...
  • 1,852
6 votes
Accepted

How to make lattes with plant milk

You need a high-protein plant milk in order to obtain proper froth as the froth is kept in shape by what are essentially entangled protein molecules. According to google, rice milk only has ~10% of ...
  • 763
6 votes

Getting large volume lattes

Assuming you are not planning to buy a lot more machinery, you can simply use the Nespresso to make espresso - depending on your preferred strength, two to three shots should be what you need for your ...
  • 3,953
5 votes

Is there a "standard" ratio of espresso to milk in a latte?

It varies by shop and order. For instance, order a latte at Starbucks, you have a selection of sizes, and then variance in the number of shots (or espresso) you order in the drink. Since the sizes ...
5 votes

What is the next best milk substitute for a latte?

Tried oatmilk yesterday at home as a milk substitute in my lattés and it was delicious. I used an organic brand with zero other things in it and it frothed up almost identically to normal milk (i use ...
5 votes

How can I improve this latte?

I've steamed milk on my friend's Saeco Aroma, which seems to be in the same class as your Delonghi, and was able to get good microfoam. Aside from getting some pointers along the way, the key is ...
5 votes

Why are Costa or Starbucks lattes so good?

I'm not familiar with Costa, but I am with Starbucks. Let me offer my ideas in what's different. Starbucks stores use fully automatic espresso machines with semi automatic frothing wands. The espresso ...
  • 1,464
4 votes

What causes the crema in my latte to appear so charred?

In addition to what have been said by @Stanimiroff, it could be added that, in general, fine cream with, no bubbles*, can be achieved if the steam is used to twirl the milk initially and distribute ...
  • 591
3 votes

Cafe latte with 0% fat milk?

Cafe Latte comes in many variants, all of which are Cafe Lattes. If you ever see anyone ordering a "Cafe Latte with nonfat milk" at Starbucks, this typically refers to a Cafe Latte with milk that has ...
  • 763
3 votes

What is the next best milk substitute for a latte?

All of your stated options can work well and @PythonMaster covered the pros and cons pretty well. You stated that latte art and steaming well were important and I didn't see you mention wanting ...
  • 1,142
3 votes

Is there a "standard" ratio of espresso to milk in a latte?

From what I have found the only rule to make latte macchiato is to use at least 200ml of milk for a 30ml espresso shot. Clearly this is mostly defined by the volume of the glass the coffee is served ...
  • 447
3 votes

Why are Costa or Starbucks lattes so good?

The only thing you haven’t tried according to your list is genuine espresso with steamed milk. The standard coffee chain menu is based on espresso shots and steamed milk, in various ratios, and ...
  • 3,953
3 votes

Why are Costa or Starbucks lattes so good?

Your premise is incorrect -- they aren't actually very good at all. You just haven't had anything better to compare them with, and besides, this is a subjective opinion. The reason they are better ...
2 votes

What is the next best milk substitute for a latte?

Lactose free milk is milk. I'm lactose intolerant and I know it won't cause you problems if you are just lactose intolerant. Some people are determined to avoid dairy, but if that's not your goal, go ...
2 votes

Cafe latte with 0% fat milk?

I'd say that it is still a Latte. Given that a Latte has espresso, steamed milk and foam components, a 0% skim milk latte will have all of those components. Indeed, some of the most resilient foams ...
2 votes

Milk appears to separate from steaming, how do I fix this?

If the milk is cow fresh... You will have to put it through a process called homogenization. It is normally done when the milk is pasteurized for us who are chained to grocery carts. Homogenization is ...
2 votes

How can I improve this latte?

"I still can't get a fine enough foam to produce latte art." If you are not satisfied with your milk foam because of the small bubbles on the surface, then try to "bump" the pitcher (knock the table ...
  • 166
1 vote

How can I improve this latte?

I have had this exact same machine for about 1 month and am realizing that it is just much more difficult (so far impossible for me) to get art-quality micro-foam out of it for two reasons: 1- Steam ...
1 vote

Piece that goes screwed in my steam wand

Is it a wand with a single tip at the end? To get microfoam, you only have to produce a little foam at the start of steaming, a few light 'rips' of bubbles, then the rest of the time is spent ...
1 vote

Problems with latte art: too thick to draw

From the video, I agree with the comment that you haven't made enough foam. This is probably mostly due to the small vessel you have. The proper steaming pitcher should hold about twice as much milk ...
  • 1,052
1 vote

Best technique to make latte art with an Aeroccino 3?

Check this out https://youtu.be/X00xSAndJZU I also find that the milk will be separated with the foam quite fast so you need to immediately pour the milk out of the can. Shaking the can also help a ...

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