Guides

Types of coffee drinks and how to make them

Pick a drink to see what goes into it, how strong it tastes and how to make it at home. No two cafés pour quite the same size, so read the amounts as typical rather than official. Coffee and water are in grams because you’ll be weighing them, and 1 g of water is 1 ml anyway.

Espresso with milk

Latte

Creamy and a little sweet. It’s mostly milk, with the coffee sitting in the background.

  • Milk foam ≈ 30 ml
  • Steamed milk ≈ 210 ml
  • Espresso ≈ 40 ml
  • About 280 ml
Cross-section, drawn to scale, with typical amounts.

The milkiest of the hot espresso drinks, made with a double shot, lots of steamed milk and a thin layer of foam on top. Sizes run anywhere from about 240 ml to well over 350 ml.

Ratio1:5–1:8, espresso to milk
RecipeDouble shot + 180–300 ml milk
MilkSteamed, thin foam (about 85% of the drink)
Serve in240–350 ml mug or glass
Time25–30 s shot
How strong it tastesLow

How to make it

  1. Pull a double shot (18 g in, 36 g out) into a large cup or glass.
  2. Steam 250 to 300 ml of cold milk to 55 to 65 °C, adding a little air at the start.
  3. Pour steadily and finish with a thin layer of foam.

Tip: Use milk straight from the fridge. The colder it starts, the longer you have to texture it before it’s too hot.

Common mistake: Not enough coffee for the size of the cup, so all you taste is warm milk. Use a double, or a triple once you’re at 350 ml or more.

Variations

  • Flavoured: vanilla or caramel syrup
  • Oat milk: buy the barista version
  • Iced: espresso and cold milk over ice

At a café

Ask for a “latte” in Italy and you’ll get a glass of milk, so say caffè latte. Chains sell it in several sizes.

Latte vs. flat white: A flat white is smaller, with less milk and thinner foam, so the espresso tastes stronger. See the flat white

You’ll need: Espresso machine, grinder, scale and milk jug.