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Simple, satisfying, and requires no special equipment. The Latte in Italy: Brew a strong pot of coffee (using an espresso machine or moka pot) and then add heated milk and usually sugar. Generally speaking, there are two very different ways to prepare a latte: the way enjoyed in Italy, or the American technique. In an average espresso bar in Italy, you can order a macchiato or cappuccino, but the caffè latte is seen as a breakfast drink to be made at home instead. A common recipe for making it evolved, including espresso, sweeteners and steamed milk.
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In the English-speaking world, the word latte came to be widely used – paradoxically, because the latte is not really a part of Italian café culture. Milk coffee became popular across Europe over the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with regional variations such as Germany’s Milchkaffee and France’s café au lait, made by pouring heated milk and strong coffee out of two separate pitchers, mixed to the coffee drinker’s preference. Sometimes, standards are delicious.īecause latte doesn’t refer to one specific recipe, it’s hard to pinpoint who actually invented it. They were exactly like the cappuccino we enjoyed at the Hotel Universo in Lucca on our last trip to Italy, where the barista added just a thin layer of foam on top. To test this, we fired up the La Pavoni and brewed several cappuccinos to the INEI’s precise specifications.
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The original Viennese milky coffee was sweetened with cinnamon or chocolate and often decorated with whipped cream. The espresso machine was invented in Italy in the late 19th century, and cappuccinos started popping up on café menus in the 1930s. History of the CappuccinoĪlthough the name was first used in Vienna, Italy can take pride in inventing the modern-style cappuccino. This is a cultural quirk not observed anywhere else. In Italy, cappuccino is exclusively a morning drink. When expertly poured so that a circle of white is perfectly encircled by the darker coffee, the design on a ‘traditional’ cappuccino is called a monk’s head.
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