How many kinds of Italian milk coffee are there? How to distinguish between Latte, Flat White, and Cappuccino?

In the world of coffee, just by combining two things together, we can play different tricks, and sometimes it makes outsiders fool and can't tell the difference between them. For example, two black coffees that appear frequently, American and Long Black are often used for full-body comparisons because they "look too similar"(interested friends can read the articles shared on Qianjie).

As a best-selling drink recognized by all cafes, dairy coffee has evolved into more categories with the development of the industry. Take Front Street's favorite "Three Musketeers" for example. Latte, Australian White, and Cappuccino are obviously all made from a mixture of espresso and milk, and the order of production is almost the same. However, in coffee shops, these three are always written on the menu as solos. So what are the aspects that make them distinguish from each other?

latte

As a well-known Italian milk coffee, latte can be said to be the most well-known among regular coffee types, and is also popular among many players because of its simple production method.

Although there is no detailed record of its origin, what we can be sure is that latte appeared much earlier than espresso. At least since the 17th century, there has been a way to mix milk into coffee in Europe, but the brewing method is very primitive, either using a cloth bag to separate the residue after the whole pot of coffee is boiled, or using an old mocha pot to extract it. With the birth of espresso machines, steam rods have become standard for milk coffee. Baristas can easily heat up milk. Modern lattes have gradually taken shape and have spread to all parts of the world with the trend of pulling flowers.

cappuccino

We can't tell from the name that the name Cappuccino should be Italian. According to the information consulted in Front Street, it originated from Kapuziner, which means "monk" in German. Legend has it that the drink originated in Vienna cafes in the 18th century, when coffee was drunk with soup and grounds. In order to make it better, a Polish used a cloth bag to filter out the coffee grounds, then put them in a glass, and then added honey, spices and cream. Not only does it make the coffee taste better, but it also takes on a special reddish brown color, visually similar to the color of the Taoist robes worn by the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor, hence the name Kapuziner.

Later, it was introduced to Italy, and with the development of pressurized coffee machine technology, Italians began to switch to espresso coffee, replacing cream with milk that was made into a dense foam, and then using a spoon to shape the milk foam on the surface of the coffee into a pointed hat shape. Gradually, it also gained its own Italian name, which is the familiar "Cappuccino".

Australian White Coffee

Compared with the previous two "old seniors", Australia and White, which were born in the second half of the 20th century, looks much younger. In the last century, Italians brought Italian coffee machines to Australia, New Zealand and other regions. Since cappuccino and latte were not local people's "dishes," people began to think of ways to improve these milk coffees.

In order to better feel the flavor of coffee, they beat the milk foam thinner and blended it into the coffee. The liquid surface became flatter and flatter until it became a thin layer, completely flush with the mouth of the cup, and then there was today's Flat White. Flat means "flat" and White means white milk coffee. Since the 1980s, Flat White has been seen on fixed menus in many places in Australia, and soon spread to cafes in Europe and the United States and became popular all over the world.

1. Extraction amount of Italian concentrated: Latte = Cabo> Australian White

As two ancient milk coffees, lattes and cappuccinos are generally based on regular espresso, because they do not emphasize too much the extraction of espresso, but are reflected in the amount and usage of milk.

The biggest feature of Australian White is that it can directly taste the rich aroma of the upper layer of oil and drink the perfect fusion of hot milk and coffee, so the concentrated extraction must not be sloppy at all. For the base of Australian White, Qianjie will use Double Ristretto from only the front and middle segments, and extract 30 grams of coffee liquor with 20g of coffee powder for 22-25 seconds. The milk coffee produced is more full in aroma and taste.

2. Proportion of milk: latte> Australian white> Cabo

I believe you have all heard that the word "latte" comes from the transliteration of the Italian "Latte", which means milk. As the name suggests, in "Caffe Latte", milk is the protagonist. Compared with other dairy coffees, lattes account for the largest proportion of milk, so the sweetness is the most obvious. For example, Qianjie uses double concentrate (about 40g) as the basis, and the hot lattes produced will add 240ml of fresh milk. At the same time, since lattes are more compatible with flavors, we can also add different flavors of ingredients to reconcile them according to our own tastes, making the coffee more hierarchical.

In contrast, Australia and White add milk to highlight the flavor of coffee. Coffee is the protagonist and milk is only an auxiliary, so the proportion must not be too large. When making coffee cups with a capacity of 200ml on the street, the remaining space will be filled with 160ml of warm fresh milk after deducting the 27 - 30g double concentrated essence.

There is a widely circulated saying about the making of cappuccino by another "veteran", that is, the ratio of coffee, milk, and milk foam is 1:1:1 respectively. However, because the thickness of the milk foam made in this way is almost 2.5 cm, almost all of what you drink in the first two sips is foam, and the coffee underneath is not only strong but also particularly bitter, so baristas will make appropriate adjustments. The cappuccino produced by Qianjie still uses a 200ml straight ceramic cup. In order to leave some room for milk foam, we will add 140 - 150g of fresh milk to 40g of double espresso coffee.

3. Thickness of milk foam: Cappuccino> Latte> Australian white

Considering that cappuccino should have the iconic feature of "burger", the first thing we do when passing is to inhale a lot of air. First, we can get the coffee a rich foam layer, and second, we can ensure that there is enough time to make it dense. In order to present the round shape of the milk foam higher than the edge of the cup, the cappuccino produced by Qianjie will be at least 1.5 cm thick. However, because the milk foam has poor liquidity in this state, it will not be too complicated. Pattern, but simply push a big white heart or circle to complete it.

Thanks to the large proportion of milk consumption, lattes are usually made in wide-mouthed ceramic coffee cups. Therefore, when we control the foam thickness to a smooth state of 0.5 - 1 cm, it is not only conducive to uniform integration with the coffee, but also because the space is larger, you can better draw various exquisite patterns. (PS: For Piccolo coffee known as the "Little Latte", the foam thickness is also controlled within the range of 0.5 to 1 cm.)

As for Australian White, because the taster wants to drink the coffee in the most perfect condition, it should not be too hot or too thick, but must also be dense. If Kachino and Latte want the "cotton" brought by the strong sense of air, then Australian White coffee should pursue a silky "slippery".

Qianjie hopes that the Australian white they drink will be creamy and smooth without being too "watery". We will retain a 0.3cm milk foam layer and concentrate to blend and pull flowers, and control the temperature at 50 - 55 degrees Celsius., so that it is easier to enter.

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