What proportion is authentic latte made in Caffè Latte? How much milk does a coffee shop latte take?

Qianjie dares to bet that among all the coffee drinks made at home by friends with coffee machines, milk coffee must be among the top. Among them, latte is the "facade responsibility" that is deeply favored by everyone. Because of this, Qianjie always receives many questions about homemade lattes, such as "What milk is good to choose","How to foam milk","How to pull flowers", and there is also one question that is most frequently asked: What proportion of lattes is good to drink?

What are the characteristics of a good cup of latte?

Many customers said that compared with the lattes they drank in coffee shops, the home-made version was either too bitter or lacked coffee aroma and mellow. From Qianjie's point of view, it's not difficult to make a latte like a coffee shop. As long as we choose fresh ingredients, find a moderate proportion of Italian concentrated and extracted, and mix them properly, It's easy to reproduce the same model.

First of all, the original name of latte,"Caffè Latte", has told us that the protagonists of this drink are both coffee and milk. To present its best taste, the tastes of the two must reach a balanced state in the cup. That is, milk is used to neutralize the stimulating bitterness of espresso coffee, and under uniform integration, the coffee tastes milder, more mellow and smoother. This is one of the reasons why lattes are always the most popular among consumers.

Proportion of espresso coffee

Friends with experience in making know that the taste of a cup of latte depends largely on the coffee beans used, followed by the extraction ratio of Italian concentrate, and then milk (please refer to the previous "Milk Evaluation!" How different is the coffee made with different fresh milk?").

The reason why the choice of coffee beans is important is ultimately because it can directly lead to the final flavor of a cup of latte. If you want the coffee to taste good, you must first ensure the freshness, and then the extraction ratio of Italian concentrate, because it is not only related to the coffee The concentration of the base itself will also affect the "coffee flavor" of the entire cup of latte.

If you use medium to deeply roasted coffee beans to make lattes, the taste will generally be biased towards rich, burnt, nutty and other characteristics. Qianjie recommends that you first apply the basic formula we mentioned in many articles: powder and liquid ratio 1:2 (20g coffee powder extracted from 40g coffee liquor/18g powder corresponds to 36g liquid weight), the time is about 25 to 30 seconds, and ensure that there is no splash or unstable flow rate during the entire process. At this ratio, the coffee liquor has a higher concentration and moderate aroma, which can be well adapted to fancy coffees such as lattes.

If you use moderately roasted coffee beans to make lattes, such as Qianjie Huakui SOE, which emphasizes the aroma of flowers and fruits, at this time we will pursue a cup of latte that is soft, fragrant and less bitter. If you want to provide enough coffee aroma, the extraction must be adjusted accordingly.

Considering that the shallower the roasted coffee beans require a higher extraction rate, extending the extraction time is undoubtedly a good idea. When the powder-to-liquid ratio still falls to 1:2, we can fine the grinding degree to make the time fall to 30 - 35 seconds. The concentration obtained in this way can give the milk coffee a richer flavor of flowers and fruits. (PS: For Italian concentrated extraction, lightly roasted (extremely lightly roasted) coffee beans are not highly compatible and are prone to splashing and lack of aroma. This is not included in the discussion here on Qianjie)

What does using different ratios of coffee to milk determine?

Whether hot or cold, the ratio of coffee to milk is the key to who dominates a cup of latte. In short, if more milk is used, it will cover up the flavor of coffee, and the taste of latte will become thin and has no mellow quality; if less milk is used, the bitterness of coffee will become obvious, and even make it lose its sweetness; only when the two are coordinated can the taste of latte be balanced. Therefore, the right ratio is actually to find a balance between milk and coffee liquor.

In many latte making tutorials provided on the Internet, coffee and milk usually have an approximate ratio range, sometimes 1:4 to 1:6, sometimes 1:4 to 1:8. In short, there is no fixed standard. Qian Street believes that the reason why these data are so "vague" is mainly because the coffee beans used by each store/brand are different, and their origin, processing method, baking degree, and blending formula are more or less different. This makes the extracted Italian concentrate have different flavor tonality, thus changing the overall style of a cup of latte.

What proportion is appropriate for homemade lattes?

Here, Qianjie combines different baking degrees and the difference between hot and cold tastes of lattes to give you a simple division of how to find a "secret recipe" that suits you faster.

If black and shiny Italian beans are used for extraction, the coffee liquor usually has a clear burnt taste and a bitter feeling. If you want to maintain the balanced taste of the latte, it is best to increase the proportion of milk and let coffee and milk fall in the ratio range of 1:7 to 1:8. For example, Qianjie once tried to make a hot latte with the deepest baking Robusta. It would first extract 36g of coffee liquor with 18g of powder, and then add 288g of beaten hot milk. The taste is strong and solid; When making iced lattes, because of the support of ice cubes, the taste is relatively refreshing, and the ratio will be changed to 1:7, that is, 252g of fresh milk will be poured in, and the bitterness of the coffee will be much gentler.

When using medium-deep roasted coffee beans with the main flavors of roasted nuts, white chocolate, vanilla, cream, cookies, toffee and other aromas to make lattes, they usually emphasize sweetness and smoothness in taste. At this time, you might as well Set the ratio in the range of 1:5 to 1:6. For example, the sunflower and warm sun combination that is standard in Qianjie stores produces hot lattes, and the coffee and milk will fall at 1:5. The aroma of milk is dense without losing the mellow of coffee; If it is an iced drink, 40g of coffee liquor will correspond to 180g of fresh milk, and the ratio will be 1: 4.5. The flavors of vanilla and chocolate will instantly become refreshing.

Finally, for medium-baked beans with flower and fruit flavor, the aroma of the concentrated beans is relatively mild, the taste is not so strong, and sometimes it has a high acidity. If you want it to form a good partner with milk, you can reduce the proportion of milk to highlight the "sense of existence" of coffee. For example, when making Huakui SOE latte on Qianjie, in order to present its fragrant berry and citrus tonality, it will directly use a ratio of 1:4. Add 160g of milk to 40g of coffee liquor, and you can feel the sweetness of the milk at the entrance., followed by the fresh aroma brought by concentration, the whole is very soft.

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