There is a milk coffee drink that rarely appears on the menus of domestic cafes, but is as popular as Australian white, and that is Piccolo coffee, known as the "little latte".
The difference between Piccolo coffee and Australian white
Piccolo coffee originates from Australia. The "piccolo" in "piccolo latte" refers to the instrument piccolo in English, and in Italian it means small. It is often called "small latte" together with Australian white coffee "Flat White".
The emergence of the piccolo is because when coffee bean roasters and baristas are debugging, they will taste whether the coffee is qualified or not by drinking espresso alone and adding milk. Since the cup of regular latte is large, it will be poured out after two sips. The barista does not want to waste it, so he reduces the proportion of milk. Later, it gradually evolved into a mini version of latte, which is a good choice for people who don’t want to consume too much caffeine and feel obviously full.
Although both Piccolo and Australian White are smaller than latte, Piccolo is obviously much smaller in terms of cup size. Australian baristas will use a 90ml (about 3 ounces) cup, use a single Ristretto (about 15ml) as the base, and add 75ml of whipped warm milk with thin milk foam. A cup of Australian white coffee is produced in approximately 150 to 200ml. For example, Front Street is based on a double portion and adds 150ml of hot milk with dense and thin foam. Therefore, a cup of piccolo can usually be finished in a few sips, but Australian white is more "drinkable".
Piccolo coffee making tips
In the past, baristas made piccolos to avoid waste, but now, piccoloes in coffee shops are more about highlighting the flavor characteristics of the coffee beans used. It is precisely because of the small size of the piccolo cup that you can not only drink the smooth taste of the coffee liquid and milk, but also better feel the aroma of the coffee. However, it is not that simple to put latte art on a cup as small as a piccolo. To make an authentic and delicious cup of piccolo, the barista needs to ensure high-quality espresso, milk quality, milk foam density, and even fusion. This also tests the barista's skills.
Front Street uses a small cup of about 90 to 100ml to make piccolo. The ratio of coffee to milk is 1:5. Preheating in advance ensures the best taste of the coffee. The flavor of coffee comes from the coffee beans used. The espresso coffee produced in the Front Street store is concentrated using the "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans" roasted by Front Street itself. It is a combination of 70% Honduran sherry coffee and 30% Yirgacheffe sun-dried red cherry coffee. The whiskey, vanilla, and cream flavors of sherry are combined with the tropical fruits and fermentation of red cherries, giving the coffee in the cup a rich and soft taste.
Here the piccolo will use a single portion of Ristretto as the base. Espresso Ristretto means "restriction" in Italian, also called espresso. Usually only the front and middle portion of Espresso is taken, so the taste is stronger and the flavor is more concentrated. Front Street will use 20 grams of coffee powder and extract 28 grams of coffee liquid, which takes 20 to 25 seconds. A single Ristretto is 14 grams and is poured into the cup first.
The milk frothing part is very particular. You should know that the less milk it is, the harder it is to froth it. Choose a milk jug with a capacity of 350ml in Front Street and pour 100ml of milk into it. The milk foam of Piccolo Latte is thinner than that of Australian White Coffee, so the air intake is less and the time is shorter. The thickness is about 0.3cm. The milk froth temperature is controlled between 55℃-60℃ to ensure that it will not burn your mouth when entering. Mix it with the Ristretto as evenly as possible. At seventy percent full, the pattern will begin to form. The freshly made piccolo tastes best when you drink it directly.
The piccolo coffee produced by Front Street presents the aroma of vanilla, cream, chocolate milk, whiskey-filled chocolate, and the sour and sweet berries. The coffee is full of flavor, the milk is fragrant, and the aftertaste is very long-lasting.
Why is the piccolo so unpopular in China?
Although it is also a popular drink in Australia, Piccolo does not have the same opportunity as Australian white coffee. It is known to the public through the "big brand" of Starbucks. Many people's impression of this milk coffee still remains as an "unpopular coffee". In addition, in areas with strong coffee culture such as Europe and Australia, most people go there for coffee drinks. They order a piccolo in the store and drink it before leaving. Domestic cafes are mainly for leisure, chatting and slowly tasting, so Piccolo is not suitable.
As the specialty coffee industry becomes more and more prosperous, many domestic coffee shops are currently paying more attention to the regional flavor of single-origin coffee beans, so mini milk coffees such as Piccolo are launched to highlight the aroma of coffee. But after all, the cup size is small and the price is the same as a latte. As a consumer, of course, you can choose coffee that can drink a larger amount~
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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
