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Latte without Espresso Machine
Your favorite latte made with none of the fancy equipment.
Published January 26, 2022
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Chandra Melo
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
When it’s cold outside, and you’re in need of a caffeine boost, there’s nothing better than heading to your local coffee shop for a smooth latte. According to a study by the Specialty Coffee Association, Americans drank over 67 million lattes in the space of a year (2017-18). This makes it the most popular coffee. With this in mind, there’s no surprise that so many people want to know how to make a latte at home. Seeing baristas make lattes will have you thinking that you need to have fancy machines and gadgets to make the perfect latte. Luckily, this isn’t true, and you can recreate America’s favorite coffee drink from the safety of your own kitchen. Throughout this article, we will discuss the latte in detail and tell you how to make a latte at home, including how to make a latte without a machine.
What Is a Latte?
Lattes are coffee drinks made by adding steamed milk to espresso, with a thin layer of foam on the top. The word latte comes from the Italian phrase for coffee with milk - caffe latte. The reason we’ve adopted the Italian word is that “coffee with milk” just doesn’t have the same air of elegance to it. If you’re a professional barista, you would be able to make a latte with ease, along with fancy milk foam art. However, we’re assuming that you’re not a professional, so we’ll leave that for another day.
Is An Espresso Machine Vital?
Theoretically, an espresso machine is needed to make an authentic latte. However, there are ways around using an espresso machine that can let you enjoy your favorite coffee from home. Although you don’t need a dedicated espresso machine, you will need to have a method of steaming your milk, frothing your milk, and making the espresso. Although the process may sound like a lot of hassle, it’s easier than you think, and the end result will be worth it.
Frothed Milk Vs. Steamed Milk
The consistency and method of heating of the milk play a crucial part in the mouthfeel of a latte. To make a latte, the key is in the steamed milk. If you simply froth the milk and throw it in with some espresso, you’ve made a macchiato.
If you’re sitting there puzzled and asking, “What’s the difference?” you’re in the right place. Steamed milk can exist without having froth. However, frothed milk can’t exist in the absence of steamed milk. You need to have heat in the milk before the tiny milk bubbles form and hold. To have frothed milk, you need heated milk aerated. Below, we will go into great detail on how you can enjoy your latte at home.
How to Steam Milk
Steamed milk is just barista lingo for heated milk. However, you need the milk to be heated to the correct temperature (150ºF). If you make the milk too hot, you will change the taste and spoil your latte. We recommend using a saucepan to heat your milk because you will have greater control, but you can use a microwave if need be. All you need to get started is your chosen milk, thermometer, and a small saucepan. Follow these steps:
- Gather your equipment together and ignite the stove.
- Add the correct amount of milk to your saucepan and place it on the stove.
- Take your thermometer and place it into the milk. You will need to keep a close eye on the temperature. If your thermometer isn’t suitable for leaving in the pan, ensure that you’re checking the milk regularly.
- You should heat your milk to the correct temperature. You will need to alter this step depending on the milk you have used.
● Milk = 150ºF
● Almond milk = 130ºF
● Soy milk = 140ºF
5.Throughout the heating stage, you will need to stir the milk regularly. This will prevent your milk from boiling and spoiling the flavor. At this stage, you can pour the milk into your coffee and enjoy it. However, if you want to enjoy a proper latte, continue reading as we tell you how to froth milk at home.
How to Froth Milk
With your milk steamed, there are several ways to froth your milk without an espresso machine. You will need to make a small purchase and secure either a French Press, milk frother, or a sealed mason jar.
Wand and Jug
Investing in a wand and jug will bring you closer to a barista-style latte from home. Both the jug and frothing wand can be found online for around $30. To use the frothing wand, you will need to follow the steaming instructions above. Then, all you need to do is submerge the wand and begin frothing. While you are frothing, you will gently raise the wand between the upper and mid parts of the jug. You need to ensure you leave enough room in the milk jug for the froth to rise. The entire process shouldn’t take more than 30-45 seconds.
French Press
The French Press method is extremely easy, especially if you’ve got a glass one and a microwave. To froth milk using a French Press, you don’t need to worry about steaming your milk. In this method, you will aerate first and heat later. You will need a microwave, glass French Press, and cold milk.
- Pour cold milk into the French Press container - you will need around ⅓.
- Plunge the press into the milk until you’ve doubled the volume - this should take around 20 seconds.
- Remove the lid and put the glass beaker full of milk into the microwave. You will see the foam rise to the top, and this is when you need to stop. Typically, you will need 30-45 seconds.
- Now you have foamed/steamed milk, and you can add it to your espresso.
The Glass Jar Method
There’s nothing fancy about this method at all. All you need is a sealed glass container (mason jar), steamed milk, and a cloth to protect your hands from the heat. Then, all you do is shake the jar vigorously for around 30-45 seconds. You can do this with cold milk, in which case you would shake the jar first before putting it in a microwave. Making your froth like this will take away the finesse, but it will work in a pinch.
Now for the Espresso
Making the espresso component for your latte is a little more challenging to do without an espresso machine. However, it’s not impossible, and we’ll tell you how to make latte at home without machine throughout this section. Espresso is made by pushing pressurized water through compacted coffee grinds. Without having the pressure, you won’t be able to make an espresso. To do this, you can’t simply brew coffee over a saucepan - you will need to invest in a Moka pot or Aeropress. Alternatively, you can achieve two tasks in one by investing in a quality French Press.
We won’t bore you with how to use each of these devices; the key is that you can pressurize the water through your coffee grinds. To make espresso properly, you will want to have finely ground beans.
Add Some Feel-Good Zest
If you want to make homemade latte real barista-style, you may want to add an extra flair to your latte. You can add in syrups or a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg to taste. If you want to get indulgent, layer on the cream and add a sauce into the mix. There is no end to the latte modifications you can make; all you need to do is experiment.
Obvious Espresso Machine Benefits
If you’ve got an espresso machine in your kitchen, you are winning the latte-at-home game. You will need to calibrate your machine to ensure the same amount of water and pressure is used for each cup. Then, fill the basket up with grinds and tamp to compact before attaching to the machine. Press the buttons and watch the creamy espresso pour from the spouts.
If you’d rather not mess around, have to grind the beans, tamp, and calibrate your machine, you can easily learn how to make Tassimo latte. Tassimo machines will come with a compartment for little pots. Once they’re in place, your machine will pierce the pot and push hot pressurized water through it. The great thing about these machines is that you can get no end of different flavors to add a punch to your latte.
Lattes are America’s favorite coffee drink, and there’s plenty of data to back that up. In basic terms, a latte is just espresso mixed with steamed milk. However, there is a great art to making a latte that goes beyond mixing the two together. You need to get the milk to the correct temperature and foam the milk so that you can add a thin layer. Although you will need to make a couple of small investments, you can make your own latte at home without breaking the bank.
About the author
Chandra Melo
Marketing as job, barista as passion. An authentic coffee lover, looking for the next fantastic cup of coffee that I will fall in love with. Coffee, for me, is more than a beverage. It's about community and connection - how can all the world consume the same fruit? And differently? How can we have so many different tastes? I also don't know. And because of this, I feel in love each day more for this world. Happy to share and make a change in the coffee community.
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