What's the difference between Dirty and Iced Latte? Is dirty coffee a latte without ice?

Because the materials used to make Dirty and Iced Latte are the same, they are both iced milk and concentrate, and they are similar in appearance, and both have a layered structure made of milk and concentrate. Therefore, guests and friends drinking iced lattes on the front street are often asked: "It's all iced milk and concentrated. What's the difference between Dirty and iced lattes? "

Although the similarities between the two are very high and the materials used are the same, their production processes and drinking experiences are quite different. Especially for Dirty, there are matters that require special attention when making and drinking! So today, Qianjie came to share this question that everyone is very curious about: What is the difference between Dirty and Iced Latte? So first of all, let's have a simple understanding of what an iced latte is and what is Dirty~

Iced lattes and Dirty's so-called iced lattes are the cold drink version of lattes. Like hot lattes, it is made with large amounts of milk and espresso. However, the refrigerated milk no longer needs to be whipped out of milk foam. It can be poured directly into the cup and waited for it to be blended with the concentration. In order to maintain the low temperature of the latte for a long time, we usually add some ice cubes to keep it cold when making iced lattes. Then stir well with a straw before drinking, and then start tasting.

Dirty also uses iced milk and concentrate, and the order of pouring into the cup is the same: first pour the iced milk into the ice cup, and then slowly pour the espresso on the surface of the milk. Because the espresso floating on the surface of the frozen milk will slowly penetrate downward to "stain" the milk, making the milk look dirty, this cup of coffee is named "Dirty," which translates to dirty. When drinking Dirty, you don't need to stir, just take it in large gulps ~

In fact, from these two short introductions, we can see the similarities and many differences between iced lattes and Dirty in terms of production. So next, let's analyze in detail from Qianjie, what are the differences between iced latte and Dirty ~

1. Different cup sizes: The first thing is the difference in cup size. Generally speaking, the cup size of Dirty will be smaller than that of an iced latte. The cup size of Dirty is generally between 180 and 220ml, and the cup size of iced lattes is generally between 280 and 320ml.

2. The existence or absence of ice cubes: The reason for the difference in cup size is the existence or absence of ice cubes. Qianjie mentioned earlier that in order to keep the iced latte low for a long time, ice cubes will be added to the iced latte to keep it cold, but Dirty does not need it because it will reduce Dirty's drinking experience. So this leads to a larger cup size for iced lattes than Dirty, who is often called a "de-iced latte."

What you need to know is that ice cubes are not a hard requirement. When we don't want ice cubes in our coffee, we can ask the barista to fly ice (remove ice) to remove the ice cubes from the iced latte ~

3. Temperature of the cup: Since Dirty does not add ice cubes to keep it cold for a better drinking experience, it needs to use other methods to achieve the same effect. For example: a cup with a lower temperature! By refrigerating the cup, it has a certain cooling effect. Compared with cups stored at room temperature, refrigerated ice cups not only better maintain the milk at a low temperature, but also enhance the layering effect of milk and espresso, because the lower the temperature of the milk, the higher the density., the layering effect is therefore even better. Iced lattes do not have too high requirements on the temperature of the cup. They can be refrigerated or at room temperature.

4. Layered manufacturing: The layered structure of concentrating on the top and milk on the bottom exists on both iced lattes and Dirty products. Because of this, many white whites who have just come into contact with coffee cannot distinguish the difference between the two. But in fact, the hierarchical nature of the two is very different. The layered ice latte is made to look good. Compared with the monotonous color of coffee and milk mixed, the clear black and white appearance is more pleasing to the eye. So when making an iced latte, people will deliberately dump espresso on the ice cubes, so that the momentum of the espresso will disappear and it will float on the milk to form a layered effect. But because stirring will be carried out at the end, it doesn't matter much whether the layers are separated or not.

The reason for making Dirty layering is to give the coffee a distinctive drinking taste and experience. This layering is the main selling point of Dirty and can be said to be its soul, so we need to regulate various details when making Dirty. Make the concentration and milk more completely separated. For example, the use of ice cups, the temperature of milk, or the distance between concentration and milk is shortened.

If Dirty had not created a layered effect, there would be no distinct layered taste and experience, and it could really be called an iced latte with the ice cubes removed. The above is the difference in production between the two. Then what Qianjie will share next is the differences between the two in drinking methods and taste.

The difference between Dirty and Iced Latte in drinking methods is as mentioned by Front Street from the beginning to the end. The key and soul of Dirty comes from the layering deliberately created with concentrate and milk. Because milk and concentration are separated, their temperatures and taste are not completely integrated. If we drink the two together in one bite, then our oral cavity and our taste buds will receive a great contrast from the stratification: the cold and concentrated heat of milk, the sweetness of lactose, and the bitterness of coffee will collide and intertwine in the mouth, and the layers are very rich. To experience this effect, we need to ingest it in large gulps when drinking Dirty, so that we can drink both the concentrate floating on the surface and the milk at the bottom. But if you only sip it in small bites, there is a high probability that you will only be able to drink the surface concentration. If you are friends who have not enough acceptance of bitterness, this can be regarded as a kind of "torture."

Iced lattes are not so particular, because just like Qian Jie, why are the TOP 1 sales of almost all coffee shops lattes? As mentioned in this tweet, latte pays more attention to making coffee less bitter. For this reason, a large amount of milk needs to be added to balance the bitterness of coffee! So the way to drink the iced latte is very simple. We just need to mix the milk and concentrate evenly with a straw before drinking, and then we can start to taste the balanced taste formed by the blending of coffee and milk ~

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