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Home / Brewing Guides/ Dirty coffee making tutorial | What are the differences between dirty and iced latte? Can I use a moka pot to make dirty coffee?

Dirty coffee making tutorial | What are the differences between dirty and iced latte? Can I use a moka pot to make dirty coffee?

2026.10.20 FrontStreet Coffee 283

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Dirty coffee is espresso extracted on top of ice milk, forming a beautiful layer. As time goes by, the coffee liquid in the upper layer slowly erodes the white milk, forming a beautiful gradient under the transparent glass, as if the white milk has been stained.


Dirty coffee is simply a cup of iced latte coffee that looks good and has a special way of drinking. However, it is loved by many people because of its good looks. Some friends also followed the tutorial to make dirty coffee, but the resulting dirty coffee did not have the expected layers, but was mixed with milk. What is going on? Front Street summarized several common reasons.


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-Cup selection

The shape of the cup also plays an important role in creating layering. Generally, choose a cup with a higher height. Cups with smaller openings are more likely to create a layered effect. If you choose a cup with a large mouth and a relatively short cup, it will take longer for the coffee to extend to the entire liquid surface, and the distance left for the coffee liquid to "dirty" downward is not enough, which is not beautiful enough.


It is best to freeze the cup, which can not only slow down the downward penetration of coffee liquid, but also maintain the flavor and taste.


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-Distance to receive coffee liquid

The most common problem is that the distance between the extraction handle and the cup is too long. In this way, during the extraction of espresso coffee, it will gather into a long and slender water column, forming a large impact force and penetrating the surface of the milk, making it difficult to float on the surface and form stratification. Therefore, if you want to form nice-looking layers, you need to get close to the extraction handle. The closer to the liquid surface, the better the effect.


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If the extracted coffee liquid cannot be directly connected due to the limitations of the machine, you can first use a small cup to hold the freshly extracted espresso coffee, and then use a small spoon to stick it on the milk surface to form a buffer layer. Note that the concave part of the spoon must face upwards and slowly pour the coffee liquid into the spoon. The coffee liquid overflowing from the spoon will float on the surface of the milk.


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-The concentration of coffee liquid is not enough

Many friends asked Front Street, can a Moka pot have the same effect as an espresso machine? Unfortunately, the concentration of the coffee liquid brewed by the Moka pot is still far behind that of the coffee machine, not to mention the fat. Therefore, coffee brewed in a moka pot is not suitable for use in dirty coffee bases.


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It is generally believed that the layering effect of dirty coffee made from rich and delicate espresso is better. The coffee liquid penetrates into the milk more slowly, which can free up sufficient time for taking pictures.



-Milk is too thin

You can choose milk that is mellower and has a stronger milky flavor. Milk that is too thin cannot hold the coffee liquid, causing the two to blend together as soon as they come into contact. Not only does it look muddy visually, but it also doesn’t taste as mellow as what you drink in the store.


Taking the production experience of Front Street as an example, several common milk types on the market such as Weiji, Weiquan, and Guangming Fresh Ranch are all good choices. Of course, if we have time, we can also make our own purified milk as the base, which is often seen on ice blogs in cafes. The production steps have also been published in an article on the street in detail, and it is made from purified milk.DirtyIt is easier to form stable layers, has a longer drinking period, and has the unique taste of salty cheese.


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Of course, some friends will use the "ice blog + fresh milk" method to create milk with a moderate concentration, which is also a good try.



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
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