Latte coffee in a broad sense refers to coffee made with espresso as the base and a certain proportion of milk added. It can be said to be a must-have coffee drink on the menu of most coffee shops, because whether it is a large chain brand or an exquisite independent cafe, latte is almost the highest-selling item.
"Why is it that while there are so many types of coffee, latte is still the top seller in most coffee shops?" This is a very hot topic in recent times. In fact, Front Street had already shared a similar tweet last year. The reason why latte is so popular is the result of a combination of factors. Among them, Front Street believes that the most important reason is that it has more milk and less coffee flavor.
More milk, less coffee bitterness
After the advent of the espresso machine, small but strong espresso became popular throughout Italy. But because the quality of coffee beans at that time was not as high as it is now, and the degree of roasting was much deeper, the extracted espresso had an extremely strong burnt and bitter taste. This is not so good for some people who cannot tolerate bitterness, or who are new to concentrated drinks. So the practice of adding steamed milk to espresso appeared!
But we need to know that the earliest Italian milk coffee was not a latte, but a cappuccino. In order to add milk while maintaining the taste of coffee, Italian baristas limit the proportion of milk in the cup by creating dense and thick milk foam, so that the taste of coffee can not be masked by milk.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Italians who immigrated to the United States brought coffee machines and opened a local cafe (Caffe Mediterraneum) in California to make a living. But because local Americans do not have the habit of drinking strong coffee, they cannot accept high-concentration espresso, even cappuccino with milk.
So the owner of the cafe adapted to local conditions and made localized improvements to cappuccino in order to cater to American tastes. By reducing the thickness of the whipped milk foam to increase the proportion of milk in the cup, a cup with more milk and a lighter coffee flavor than cappuccino was born.
Because more milk is added, the bitterness of the coffee is neutralized. The taste in the mouth is no longer strong and bitter, but has turned into a mild fragrance. At the same time, because milk is rich in protein and fat, the increase in milk volume also further improves the taste of coffee. The overall coffee taste will be smoother, more mellow, and better to drink. Because of this, this coffee will have a wider local audience than cappuccino.
Therefore, in order to distinguish this more friendly milk coffee from cappuccino, the owner named it "Caffè e latte" and included it in the menu as a new category.
Even today in the 21st century, the main reason why latte is popular is that it has more milk and less coffee flavor. We can also simply understand that compared to other coffees, it is not that bitter, so it can be accepted by most people. After all, most of my friends, including Front Street, are not the audience for bitterness.
If you want to make a latte that tastes like a coffee shop, or want to be a host, then Front Street Commercial Blend is your first choice. Compared with other Italian coffees, Front Street Commercial Blend adopts the typical combinations of Brazil and Colombia, and then adds a small amount of Robusta to enhance the original flavor level. The coffee exhibits complex nutty aromas such as almonds, almonds, and walnuts. The oil has good fluidity, the taste is low-acid and mellow, and the price advantage makes it undoubtedly the best choice for opening a store.
If you want to drink an American or latte that is not bitter, then you can choose the Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso Italian blend. As you can tell from the name, this is a very sweet coffee because it is composed of three single-origin coffees from different production areas. In addition to the rose aroma, the Front Street Strawberry Candy can also have the flavors of grapes, dried blueberries, sweet oranges, and fruit candies in the American style and latte. The taste is very unique.
But what we need to know is that usually a person cannot tell the difference between cappuccino and latte without any knowledge of coffee. He only knows that they are both coffees with milk added. As for the amount of milk, it is unknown. At this time, another feature of latte will be revealed, allowing people to give priority to latte when placing orders. What are its characteristics? That's right, it's a complex and changeable latte art pattern.
Unique visual appeal and sense of ritual
In 1980, David Schomer, a barista in Seattle, USA, accidentally caused the milk foam to form a heart-shaped pattern on the coffee cream while making a latte. The emergence of this pattern completely opened the door to coffee latte art. Since then, people have begun to use milk foam to draw patterns on coffee to give the coffee a unique pattern and increase the visual effect. Latte is the most important display platform for coffee latte art.
Because compared to other milk coffees, latte milk foam is more suitable for latte art. It's neither too thick nor too thin, and has just the right amount of fluidity. In addition to basic simple graphics, such milk foam can also be used to draw more complex combination patterns. Therefore, latte has become the main platform for displaying latte art. Most of the complex patterns are born on latte cups. And because of this, even if people don’t know the difference between latte and cappuccino, they will give priority to latte because of the complex pattern on the latte.
More diverse choices
Since the setting of latte is not to highlight the coffee flavor, but to achieve a balance between milk and coffee, latte has higher moldability compared to other coffees that need to highlight the coffee flavor.
It can be added with a variety of flavored syrups to create a variety of options to suit different taste preferences. At the same time, it can also be made with a variety of milks to meet the needs of people with different dietary preferences. Because of this, latte is not only a favorite among consumers, but also the first choice for most baristas when creating new products.
other factors
In addition to the above three main factors, there are other factors such as larger and more affordable latte cups, being the first choice for posters, etc., which have increased the sales of latte. To sum up, we can know that because latte has significant advantages in all aspects and has a perfect balance, it can top the sales list of most coffee shops~
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
