Making espresso is an essential skill for every barista, and almost every cafe will produce espresso. What we often call espresso is a series of coffee drinks based on espresso. Today let’s make the easiest milk coffee in espresso - iced latte.
Iced latte coffee seems to be a very simple method, [put ice and pour milk and pour coffee] and it is done. It seems to be a simple operation, but it takes a lot of mental understanding to make a delicious iced latte coffee.
Point one: choose the right material
Why is iced latte so simple? Basically every coffee shop’s menu is a must-have, but the taste of iced latte in every shop will not be exactly the same. One of the main reasons is that the milk and coffee beans used are different. The flavor of coffee beans can intuitively control the taste of iced latte coffee. Most Italian blended coffee beans will make the iced latte show rich nut, chocolate, and strong coffee flavors. There are also a few coffee beans that bring out the sweet and rich flavor of milk in the iced latte.
The choice of milk is also very important. Just whole-fat fresh milk alone, there are more than 10 types commonly available on the market. Some of these milks have a strong milky taste and a thick texture, while others are light and watery. The standard for choosing milk is not to pursue thick and obvious milk flavor, but to choose one that is suitable for pairing with coffee. A strong milk flavor will mask the taste of the coffee, and a watery milk will also make the latte watery.
The second point: a reasonable ratio of milk to coffee
Choose good coffee beans and good milk and you can make delicious iced latte coffee! The premise is that the proportions are reasonable. The iced latte on Front Street uses Sunflower·Nuanyang blended coffee beans and Weiji fresh milk. The ratio of espresso and milk is 1:6, that is, 40 grams of espresso liquid, correspondingly add 240 grams of ice milk and 75 grams of ice cubes. Finally, it will be served in a transparent glass with a capacity of about 300ml.
This ratio is for everyone's reference, not the golden ratio of latte coffee. Front Street is a parameter obtained through multiple ratio adjustments using the above-mentioned materials, mainly based on real tasting feedback. Therefore, when making iced latte coffee, you can also adjust the proportion appropriately. More milk will mask the coffee flavor, less milk will make it bitter, and more ice will make it lighter.
Point 3: Details of operation
Just like the operation method of [put ice, milk, and coffee] for iced latte is simple and clear, there are actually some small details that need to be paid attention to. The most important thing is the extraction of espresso. Whether a cup of latte tastes good or not depends on whether the espresso extraction is up to standard. Like the common channel effect, common concentrated extraction problems such as unequal extraction time will naturally affect the taste of iced latte.
The process of making an iced latte also needs to be fast. What fast means here is that the time the ice and milk are in the cup should be as short as possible, and the extracted espresso should be poured into the cup as soon as possible. This is why the freshly made iced latte will show a gradient layer formed by milk and coffee. If the ice is soaked in the milk for too long, the ice cubes will melt and a water layer will appear on the top layer, which will also make the entire cup of coffee lighter when you drink it. Espresso coffee is more sensitive. The freshly extracted espresso coffee is very rich in oil, and after 30 seconds, the oil will be significantly reduced. Espresso without crema is also more difficult to float to the surface.
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
