Latte art is all the rage for social media, but do people order them for the taste or just the clout? At home I find steaming milk annoying and then it just feels like I’m sitting down to a glass of hot milk when I’m finally done. What are other people’s thoughts? Do you like milk drinks? Do you make them at home?
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That makes about as much sense as asking whether people actually like coffee. There are so many variations of “coffee with milk”, and they’re usually prepared without latte art.
Personally I don’t really like steamed milk anymore, I’ll either drink my coffee without milk or with cold milk. Heated milk has a peculiar flavor that’s distinct from cold or room temperature milk, and at some point I started disliking it. Also, it has to be cow milk for me.
A lot of places overheat the milk until it becomes “construction foam” (Bauschaum). That would explain the bad taste.
I’m frothing milk at home when I want a cappuccino, so I put it into a metal vessel and hold the vessel with my hand during foaming so I can feel when the milk is nearing 80C (feels uncomfortable)
But as coffee goes, everyone has their own taste, so if you prefer cold milk - you do you. (I have another friend who likes the milk scalding hot, close to boiling - when she’s visiting I’ll make her coffee like she prefers, even if my mind goess “THIS IS SO WRONG”)
Even 80C is too hot for me. I shoot for 65C. As soon as the milk has an egg smell it’s too hot and I don’t want it! That happens way before boiling point.
Are you doing cold milk with espresso? What’s your milk to coffee ratio?
Maybe 3:1 or 5:2 coffee:milk. I don’t like my espresso blazing hot anyway, so the lower temperature suits me fine.
If your milk drinks taste like “a glass of hot milk” then you’re either underextracting or using too light of a roast. Try using a medium to dark roast. You might also play with the coffee to milk ratio to get even stronger taste.
I love milk drinks. For me, 18g in and 36-40g out is generally perfect with a standard size coffee mug, the rest filled up with steamed milk. I want to have something I can sip and enjoy after breakfast in the morning. A shot of espresso is amazing but it just doesn’t last long enough.
I enjoy the taste and texture, but between a latte vs a cappuccino, I’ll go with a cap.
Latte if it’s shitty coffee, capp or macchiato if I trust the shop
What kind of a coffee to milk ratio do you do for a cappuccino?
⅔ milk is a bit too much for me so I aim for ½.
I’m sure this isn’t what you mean, but a mug of milk with a shot of whiskey, rum, or brandy, and a little brown sugar or sweetener of your choice warmed up in the microwave on a cold winter evening is a really nice thing.
I’ll try it in the morning and report back after work.
Might wanna reverse that one, unless you’re WFH.
Make strong enough espresso and don’t use too much milk…? A good cortado is one of the best coffee experiences out there
Yes! I love an oat milk cortado with just a little bit of simple syrup.
Every morning, sometimes in the afternoon too.
A cappuccino after noon? Gasp. How scandalous.
It’s closer to a mocha… with a shot of Kahlúa and a tablespoon of cream, I call it the fat white.
I’m not an espresso guy. Never have been.
But I love coffee. And I prefer my coffee with either milk or cream.
To me, there is much of the taste of coffee that gets hidden by the strength of coffee itself. The various lattes and americanos and such all work to allow some of the subtler flavors to come to the front to some degree or another.
Now, my personal preferences don’t run to that kind of thing, I prefer coffee with just a splash of dairy rather than the kind of milk drinks you’re really asking about. But I would say that it’s similar enough. I do enjoy those kind of drinks, just not as my main coffee choice
The synergy of milk and coffee is a good one. The only coffee I’ve ever had that I prefer without at least a tiny splash of milk is blue mountain. That stuff is magic. Even then, I tend to add the milk in as the coffee ages a bit. But a fresh bag? Black is best then.
I, for one, strongly prefer milk + coffee over pure coffee. Medium roast tends to give the best flavor.
I always make it and drink at home. I live in Brazil, so coffee is very ingrained in the culture and most people know how to filter it. 500g packets cost the equivalent of 3 dollars (15-16 BRL) and can last a month or slightly more with me.
I think it’s pretty difficult to make good tasting espresso, once you get it right it’s the best thing. But most Cafés have people working there not really interested in perfecting the craft of making an incredible espresso and I don’t blame them, it’s just a job.
The sweetness in milk hides all the bad flavors you get from bad extraction, from channeling etc. so you get a decent tasting beverage.
If I have to choose between a badly tasting espresso or americano and a flat white or latte, I would always go for the second. But if I know they make a tasty espresso then I go for that.
I could see that from a consistently stand point. I just feel silly buying a glass of milk. To each their own I guess.
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I get a chai latte multiple times a week. They’re excellent. Iced tho so no art. Milk is pretty great.
Hubs always gets an americano with a splash of oat milk when we’re out, or he pours some into a mug of drip at home. He likes the taste better.
Sometimes, people are just wrong!
Lol. I’ve never been a huge fan of the taste of milk or it’s alternatives straight. But I like the taste of coffee. I keep trying the combo because I think there must be something there that people like. But I guess it’s not for me.
try nitro cold brew, it’s the creamy texture without the taste. if I could have that in a hot coffee I’d never touch dairy again, I don’t dislike milk just the dairy industry in general.
Do you have any recommendations brands of nitro cold brew? I think I’ve seen the Starbucks canned one, but I don’t like supporting them.
I would suggest finding a cafe with it on tap instead of out of a can.
I’ve always made my own, it’s a fairly low investment for the maker and nitrogen canisters.
No idea, but this just reminded me that I used to have a buddy who wanted to open a milk bar and call it “The Milk Of Human Kindness.”
I don’t know if it’s legal to sell human milk.
We’re they green and named Strong by any chance?
The coffee shop in the main store of the chain of bike shops I worked for, was FANTASTIC about a cappuccino. Like that was a serious highlight of my day when I got mine every morning. No other coffee joint has ever come close to what we had in that shop. That said, I quit all dairy and do not miss it at all. I don’t know what the deal is with milk now, but it screws with my stomach way WAY more than it did years ago. It’s probably just me, but a few years ago I tried quitting dairy for two weeks and felt so much better I never went back.
