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Latte

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For other uses, see Latte (disambiguation).

Latte
Latte served with microfoam latte art in a South Australian café
Alternative namesCaffè latte, caffè e latte, caffellatte, caffelatte
TypeMilk coffee
Place of originItaly
Main ingredientsEspresso, steamed milk
VariationsCaffè mocha (chocolate-flavored)

Caffè latte (Italian: [kafˌfɛ lˈlatte]),[1][2] also known as caffè e latte, caffellatte, or caffelatte, commonly shortened to just latte (/ˈlɑːteɪ, ˈlæteɪ/) in English,[3][4] is a coffee drink of Italian origin made with espresso and steamed milk, traditionally served in a glass. Variants include the chocolate-flavored mocha or replacing the coffee with another beverage base such as masala chai (spiced Indian tea), mate, matcha,[5] turmeric or rooibos; alternatives to milk, such as soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk or oat milk, are also used.

The term latte[a] comes from caffellatte[6] or caffè latte (from caffè e latte, lit. 'coffee and milk'); in English orthography, either or both words sometimes have an accent on the final e (a hyperforeignism in the case of *latté). In Northern Europe and Scandinavia, the term café au lait has traditionally been used for the combination of espresso and milk. In France, cafè latte is from the original name of the beverage (caffè latte); a combination of espresso and steamed milk equivalent to a "latte" is in French called un crème (un grand crème using cream instead of milk) and in German Milchkaffee.

Definition and terminology

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Definition

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Preparation of caffè latte

A caffè latte consists of one or more shots of espresso, served in a glass (or sometimes a cup), into which hot steamed milk is added.[7] The difference between a caffè latte and a cappuccino is that the cappuccino is served in a small 140 mL (5 US fl oz) cup with a layer of thick foam on top of the milk, and a caffè latte is served in a larger 230 mL (8 US fl oz) glass (or cup), without the layer of thick foam.[8] Thus, a caffè latte is much milkier than a cappuccino, resulting in a milder coffee taste. The way the milk is steamed for a caffè latte results in very fine bubbles being incorporated in the hot milk. This microfoam can be poured in such a way as to form patterns in the white microfoam and brown crema (latte art). The texture of the microfoam changes the taste and feel of the drink.[9]

Latte art
Latte art

A similar drink is the latte macchiato, which is also served in a glass, but the espresso is added to the glass after the steamed milk.[7] In Italy, milky coffee drinks such as caffè latte, latte macchiato, and cappuccino are almost always prepared for breakfast only.[10]

In the United States, a latte is often heavily sweetened with 3% sugar (or even more). These sweeteners usually come in the form of refined white sugars, artificial sweeteners or agave syrup.[11]

Terminology

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In English-speaking countries, latte is shorthand for caffellatte or caffè latte (from caffè e latte, lit. 'coffee and milk'), which is similar to the French café au lait, the Spanish café con leche, the Catalan cafè amb llet, or the Portuguese galão.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term caffè e latte was first used in English in 1867 by William Dean Howells in his essay "Italian Journeys",[12] but as this preceded the spread of espresso machines, this drink would have been "nothing like the lattes found today at specialty coffee shops".

History

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Caffè latte

Origin

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The drink is thought to have "technically originated" in 17th-century Europe.[13]

The modern caffè latte appeared in the 20th century, following the invention of the espresso machine in the 19th century.[14]

Outside Europe

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In the United States, latte was popularized in Seattle, Washington, in the early 1980s.[15]

In South Korea, espresso and its variants (cappuccino, latte, and caffè mocha) became popular in 2000.[16]

Politics

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Calling people "latte drinkers" pejoratively has become a common political attack in some Western cultures. The popularity of espresso drinking in large cities, especially among more affluent urban populations, has caused some to consider it elitist behavior. In the United States, conservative political commentators have been known to call their opponents "latte-drinking liberal elites".[17][18][19][20] In Canadian politics, latte drinking is used to portray people as out-of-touch intellectuals and the antithesis of the Tim Hortons coffee drinker, who is considered representative of an ordinary Canadian.[21][22]

According to a 2018 study, 16% of liberals in the United States prefer lattes, whereas 9% of conservatives and 11% of moderates do.[23] The study states further that the overwhelming majority of people, whether they are liberal, conservative or moderate, express a preference for brewed coffee.[23]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ In Italian latte means 'milk'.

References

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  1. ^ "Caffè". Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "Caffè". dipionline.it. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  3. ^ "Latte – Definition of latte by Merriam-Webster". merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2008.
  4. ^ "latte – definition of latte in English from the Oxford dictionary". oxforddictionaries.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Fry, Phoebe (February 23, 2023). "What's the Difference Between an Espresso, Americano, and More Coffee Drinks?". Real Simple.
  6. ^ "caffellatte in Vocabolario". Treccani. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "How to order coffee in Italy".
  8. ^ "Coffee and why cup size matters]".
  9. ^ "Cappuccino vs latte".
  10. ^ Thomson, Julie (August 8, 2017). "Never Order A Latte In The Afternoon: The Rules Of Drinking Coffee In Italy". HuffPost.
  11. ^ "Caffè Latte". starbucks.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  12. ^ "Latte". Oxford English Dictionary (new online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  13. ^ Deyn, Matthew (June 28, 2022). "What is a latte & why is it so popular?". Perfect Daily Grind.
  14. ^ "Origins of the Latte".
  15. ^ "Americans wake up and smell the coffee". New York Times. September 2, 1992. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017. ... espresso-based drinks with names like caffe latte ....
  16. ^ Seong, U-je (November 30, 2000). "젊음의 커피, 에소프레소가 뜬다" [Coffee of the young, espresso is rising]. Sisajournal (in Korean).
  17. ^ Nunberg, Geoffrey (2007). Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism Into a Tax-raising, Latte-drinking, Sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New York Times-reading, Body-piercing, Hollywood-loving, Left-wing Freak Show. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-58648-531-3. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
  18. ^ "The politics of me". New York Times. August 18, 1996. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2017. ...self-indulgent, self-centered, latte-drinking, DKNY-wearing, BMW-driving, inner-child-searching softies..
  19. ^ "The anti-mall". New York Times. October 9, 1994. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017. ... hip-hopping community of MTV-watching, planet-saving, latte-sipping individualists...
  20. ^ "The". New York Times. January 11, 2004. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017. ...government-expanding, latte-drinking, sushi-eating, Volvo-driving, New-York-Times-reading...
  21. ^ de la Court, Susan (April 6, 2012). "On Twitter, or in Tim Hortons, politicians need to listen". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2017..
  22. ^ "Is the U.S. Tea Party movement seeping into Tim Horton's territory, Canada?". Toronto Star. September 10, 2010. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2017..
  23. ^ a b Mutz, Diana C.; Rao, Jahnavi S. (2018). "The Real Reason Liberals Drink Lattes". PS: Political Science & Politics. 51 (4): 762–767. doi:10.1017/S1049096518000574. ISSN 1049-0965. S2CID 52042477. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.

Sister projects

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Latte.
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