Caffè Latte
What a caffè latte is: espresso with plenty of steamed milk and a little foam. How to make one, how to order one in Italy, and the Berkeley story.
What is a caffè latte?
A caffè latte is espresso with a generous amount of steamed milk and only a little foam: bigger and milder than a cappuccino. In Italian, latte just means milk, so in Italy order a caffè latte or you'll get a glass of milk. The big American latte is usually traced to Berkeley in the late 1950s.
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 shotsespresso
- to fill the cup or glasssteamed milk
- a thin layermilk foam (optional)
Method
Make the espresso
Brew one or two shots of espresso into a large cup or glass. At home in Italy, moka pot coffee is the traditional choice.
Steam the milk
Steam plenty of milk until it's hot, with much less foam than you'd make for a cappuccino.
Pour
Pour the steamed milk into the coffee to fill the cup or glass.
Finish
Top with a thin layer of foam if you like, and serve. No syrup is needed; the milk gives it its sweetness.
A caffè latte, or just latte outside Italy, is espresso with a generous amount of steamed milk and, at most, a thin layer of foam. It’s the mildest and milkiest of the classic espresso drinks: the same coffee as a cappuccino, but more milk and less froth. The name is Italian, but the big latte in a tall glass is largely an American story. Here’s how to make one, how to order one in Italy, and where it came from.
The short version
- Espresso and plenty of steamed milk, with little or no foam.
- Milder than a cappuccino, bigger than a flat white.
- In Italy, say “caffè latte”: “latte” alone gets you a glass of milk.
- A morning drink in Italy, often made at home with a moka pot.
- The American latte is usually traced to Berkeley in the late 1950s, then Seattle in the 1980s.
What’s in a caffè latte?
Just coffee and milk; the difference from its cousins is how much milk, and how much of it is foam:
| Drink | What’s in it (John Cabot University) |
|---|---|
| Cappuccino | Equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foamed milk |
| Caffè latte | Espresso with more steamed milk and less foam |
| Latte macchiato | Steamed milk with a splash of espresso |
Tasting Table adds two Italian details. A traditional caffè latte uses steamed milk rather than frothed milk, which Italians save for cappuccinos. And it isn’t sweetened: the sweetness comes from the milk alone, and flavoured syrups are an American addition.
How do you make a caffè latte at home?
- Make the coffee. One or two shots of espresso (see our espresso guide). In Italy, Tasting Table notes, the caffè latte is mostly a drink made at home, often with a moka pot, since few Italians have espresso machines at home.
- Heat the milk. Steam it until it’s hot, with much less air than for a cappuccino.
- Pour and serve. Fill the cup or glass with milk, and top with a little foam if you like.
How do you order one in Italy?
Carefully. Latte is the Italian word for milk, so, as John Cabot University warns, ordering “a latte” at an Italian bar gets you a glass of milk; ask for un caffè latte. Milky coffees are also a morning thing: the guide says cappuccino, caffè latte and latte macchiato should only be ordered in the morning, and after about 11am you may get a strange look. Tasting Table quotes Illy’s master barista Giorgio Milos, via HuffPost, on the reason: milk is seen as fit only for breakfast.
Where did the caffè latte come from?
The words are old; the big American drink is newer. The sources disagree on who should get the credit:
| Claim | What the source says |
|---|---|
| William Dean Howells, 1867 | The American essayist is credited with the first use of the word, in his book Italian Journeys (Sprudge); Tasting Table says he called it caffè e latte |
| Lino Meiorin, Berkeley, late 1950s | Caffe Mediterraneum’s own story: customers found Italian cappuccino too strong and asked for more milk, so Meiorin put a larger drink on the menu with the same espresso and more steamed milk, served first in a bowl, then a pint beer glass (Daily Coffee News) |
| 1959 | Meiorin told coffee writer Kenneth Davids he invented it that year, after customers complained their macchiatos and cappuccinos were too small (Daily Coffee News) |
| Doubt | Sprudge says it is unlikely Meiorin was the first to add plenty of milk to espresso or call it a caffè latte |
| Seattle, 1980s | The latte was popularised in Seattle in the early 1980s and spread across the US in the early 1990s (Transatlantic Transfers) |
Caffe Mediterraneum, known as the Med, opened inside a bookstore on Telegraph Avenue, near the University of California, Berkeley, in 1956, Daily Coffee News reports. On the Acquired podcast, Sprudge reports, former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz said he regretted not trademarking “caffè latte”, claiming Starbucks introduced it to America; Sprudge calls that claim “suspect at best”.
Caffè latte vs other milk coffees
- Cappuccino: smaller, with a thick cap of foam.
- Flat white: smaller and stronger, with silky microfoam.
- Latte macchiato: steamed milk with a splash of espresso.
- Café au lait: the French coffee with milk.
- Iced latte: the cold version, over ice.
Explore every drink in the milk coffees chapter.
Words in this guide
- Microfoam
- Microfoam is milk steamed so that the air in it forms very small, even bubbles, giving a silky, glossy texture rather than a stiff, bubbly froth.
Questions & answers
What happens if you order a latte in Italy?
You'll be given a glass of milk. Latte is simply Italian for milk, as John Cabot University's guide to Italian coffee explains, so ask for a caffè latte. And order it in the morning: milky coffee after about 11am may get you a strange look.
What is the difference between a latte and a cappuccino?
The foam. John Cabot University describes a cappuccino as equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foamed milk, and a caffè latte as espresso with more steamed milk and less foam. Tasting Table adds that in Italy frothed milk is really for cappuccinos.
Who invented the caffè latte?
Nobody can say. Lino Meiorin of Caffe Mediterraneum in Berkeley, California, said he invented it in the late 1950s, but Sprudge calls it unlikely he was the first, and the American writer William Dean Howells is credited with using the word in 1867.
Is a caffè latte sweet?
Not traditionally. Tasting Table says Italian caffè lattes don't usually have sugar added; the sweetness comes from the milk. Flavoured syrups are an American addition you're unlikely to find in an authentic Italian café.
Where did the latte become popular?
In the US, by way of Seattle. The Politecnico di Milano's Transatlantic Transfers atlas says the latte, at first limited to the San Francisco Bay Area, was popularised in Seattle in the early 1980s and spread more widely across the US in the early 1990s.
Sources
- 6 tips about Italian coffee culture. John Cabot University
- 10 facts about traditional Italian lattes that you should know. Tasting Table
- Remembering latte birthplace and quintessential counterculture destination Caffe Med. Daily Coffee News
- Lino Meiorin. Politecnico di Milano, Transatlantic Transfers
- Howard Schultz wishes he’d trademarked the latte. Sprudge
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice.