Piccolo latte is an espresso drink composed of espresso and hot milk. The cup size is relatively small, usually only 90 to 100ml, so it is also called a smaller version of hot latte. Because the barista uses lighter roasted coffee beans, the aroma of the coffee is rich but not overpowering.
Why is the Piccolo latte so small?
Piccolo latte comes from Australia. When we go to Sydney and order a cup of Piccolo, the barista will serve you a cup of hot milk coffee with only 3-4 ounces (88-118ml). It is usually served in a glass cup. The aroma of the coffee is light and elegant, with the smoothness of milk in the mouth and a rich coffee flavor. The fragrance will linger in your mouth even after drinking it, and it may even be a bit "overwhelming". So why does Piccolo have such a small cup?
Piccolo first appeared because roasters or baristas wanted to test the coordination between coffee beans and milk, but did not want to make a large latte of about 200 to 300ml for evaluation, so they thought of reducing the proportion of milk. Later, baristas introduced this "small latte" in the menu for customers who did not want to consume too much caffeine or did not want to drink a large cup of latte. Some friends may be confused. The price is obviously similar to that of a latte, but the cup size is so small, isn't it a "loss"?
With the development of specialty coffee, coffee people have begun to pursue various coffees with regional flavors, such as fruit and floral flavors. Various exquisite single-origin coffees are also used in espresso. According to the large cup size of latte, the proportion of milk incorporated is higher, so it is more like coffee-flavored milk, with a balanced taste and unable to highlight the characteristics of the beans. Therefore, baristas are trying to use smaller cups of milk coffee to present the unique flavor, and add a small amount of sweet hot milk to support the characteristics of the coffee beans. In short, it is just for the taste, so it is not bad, right?
So how to make a Piccolo latte?
Friends who have been to the Front Street store for coffee should have noticed that the espresso coffee produced by Front Street does not include Piccolo latte. Here Front Street will try to reproduce this "unpopular" drink to see how it tastes.
When making Piccolo in Front Street, a small cup of about 90 to 100ml is used. The ratio of coffee to milk is 1:5. It is preheated in advance to ensure the drinking taste of the coffee. A single portion of Ristretto will be used as the base here. 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. Piccolo does not need to be flush with the rim of the cup like Australian white, so it will retain a milk foam layer similar to that of a latte, with a thickness of about 0.3 to 0.5 cm. The milk froth temperature is controlled between 55°C and 60°C 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 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. 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.
Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style)
For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: qjcoffeex
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
