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A latte (from the Italian caffè latte or caffellatte pronounced [ˌkaffelˈlatte], meaning "coffee [and] milk") is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as masala chai, mate or matcha. When used in English, the word is also sometimes spelled latté or lattè—the diacritical mark being added as a hyperforeignism.
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In Italian latte (Italian pronunciation: [ˈlatte], English: /ˈlɑːteɪ/) means milk - so ordering a "latte" in Italy will get the customer a glass of milk.[1][2] What in English-speaking countries is now called a latte is shorthand for "caffelatte" or "caffellatte" ("caffè e latte"), [3][4][5][6] "coffee and milk" - similar to the French café au lait, the Spanish café con leche, the Portuguese galão, or the flat white.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term caffè latte was first used in English in 1847 (as caffè latto) by Noushi Nayebi, and in 1867 as caffè latte by William Dean Howells in his essay "Italian Journeys".[7] Kenneth David maintains that "...breakfast drinks of this kind have existed in Europe for generations, but the (commercial) caffè version of this drink is an American invention".[8] While the Caffe Mediterraneum in Berkeley, California claims to have invented the latte,[9] it was popularized in Seattle, Washington in the early 1980s[10] and spread more widely in the early 1990s[11] - when its sudden trendiness made its drinkers a common target of scorn.[12][13][14] In Canada, a latte-drinker is also the political representation of a left-wing intellectual urban elitist liberal snob (as opposed to an ordinary Tim Hortons coffee drinker).[15]
Coffee menus worldwide use a number of spelling variations for words to indicate coffee and milk, often using incorrect accents or a combination of French and Italian terms. Italian is caffè latte, (with a grave accent over the e), while French is café au lait (with an acute accent); Spanish is café con leche and Portuguese is café com leite. Variants such as caffé latte, café latte, and caffé lattè are commonly seen in English.
In Italy, caffè latte is almost always prepared at home, for breakfast only. The coffee is brewed with a stovetop Moka pot and poured into a cup containing heated milk. (Unlike the international latte drink, the milk in the Italian original is not foamed.)
Outside Italy, a caffè latte is typically prepared in a 240 mL (8 oz) glass or cup with one standard shot of espresso (either single, 30 mL, or double, 60 mL) and filled with steamed milk, with a layer of foamed milk approximately 12 mm (½ inch) thick on the top. A caffè latte may also be served consisting of strong or bold coffee (sometimes espresso) mixed with scalded milk in approximately a 1:1 ratio.[16] The drink is similar to a cappuccino, the difference being that a cappuccino consists of espresso and steamed milk with a 20 mm (¾ inch) layer of thick milk foam. An Australian/New Zealand variant similar to the latte is the flat white, which is served in a smaller ceramic cup with the creamy steamed milk poured over a single-shot of espresso, holding back the lighter froth at the top.
A caffè latte differs from a latte macchiato in that in a latte macchiato, espresso is added to milk, rather than the reverse. A caffè latte has a stronger coffee flavor.
The latte macchiato is milk steamed to microfoam, served in a glass with a half shot of espresso poured gently through the foamy top layer, creating a layered drink with a macchia – a spot – of espresso on the top. As with an espresso macchiato, which is espresso with a spot of milk atop, indicating there's a hint of milk underneath the cream, a latte macchiato is the opposite, to indicate there is espresso in the milk.
The use of the term 'macchiato' has been widened to include a huge array of beverages and ice creams. In some countries (like Germany), latte macchiato is the preferred term.
Although the term machiatto has been use to describe various types of espresso drinks, a true machiatto is 3/4 espresso and 1/4 steamed milk. A true machiatto is about 4 ounces and is usually served in a demi tasse. Although a traditional machiatto is small, there are still ways to pour art into the crema of drink. the only difference between pouring latte art and machiatto art is that for a machiatto, the milk has to be poured faster and through a much smaller stream. Certain companies such as Starbucks sell drinks under the name machiatto although they are not traditional machiattos. A true machiatto can usually be found at independent coffee shops.
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