Latte' and my myriad questions.

[Chico Buller]

Under Wisconsin law (The Board of Transportation and Safety), I am required to consume two huge bowl-size cups of latte' (or cappuccino, if I have been sharpening stilettos) before leaving my domicile in the morning.

Now, my concern is, am I doing it right? The best coffee machine I have ever used is a nine-dollar model that my wife found at a store clearance sale. It is festooned with Nascar racing decals, it looks ridiculous, but it makes the best coffee I've ever tasted--even from a snobby barista.

And that's the problem. It makes coffee. I wore out my cappuccino machine and I have most of my funds tied up in chrome.

So, (and don't laugh), I buy flavored cream and silk milk, make the coffee or Italian blend a wee bit stronger and mix it on the fly.

As I slide out of bed early to feed the pups and look for a victim on whom to bloviate my displeasure in a world gone mad, it works pretty good. But obviously, I could do better.

What do you guys think?

 

[Callisto in NC]

There is a law that says you have to consume coffee? Seriously? Can I read that, I'm dying of curiousity to see that and then maybe find out if the guy that wrote that law owned stock in Starbucks

 

[Chico Buller]

Actually, it's the 'school year ritual.'

Mt wife is a teacher. And when summer ends and the school year begins she leaves the house quite early. Naturally, the mutts sleep in.

However, I am retired and sleep in. By the time I get up, the dogs need to go out, they're hungry (and we make their food), my computer is whistling like a kettle, I'm groggy...

For the first 30 minutes, I'm on auto-pilot. And during this time, the coffee maker hums away until I get my chores done, and I can sit over the coffee.

Woe to the person who calls me during this "chores but no coffee" cycle.

Do you have any suggestions on a rapid-cycling latte' and cappucino machine? Usually I "load" the coffee maker the night before so all I have to do in the morning is just plug it in.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Okay, I'm confused, there's a law that says you have to have coffee and now it's your wife doesn't wake you. Am I missing something? Obviously I'm missing something. Your coffee that the law says you have to have takes 30 minutes to brew? I'm lost.

 

[Chico Buller]

If you saw me during that first 30 minutes of a new school year, you'd agree.

In my 20s, 30's and 40s I used to get up--fully awake--at 4:00AM to go to the gym and then off to work on a job with no formalized quitting time. Never bothered me.

However, in my 50s it did bother me. Muscle soreness didn't go away as fast. In fact, I once pulled myself up to rise, but found myself still in bed at 8:00AM.

Now we have dogs, my wife has started her own business, I do have more free time and I'm a leather-clad house husband. I cannot tell you the number of times I've ran into my own furniture trying to navigate my chores in the morning.

Even the smell of the coffee brewing is invigorating. And that first sip over the morning paper is really a joy.

But as I said, I create that latte' by brewing very strong coffee and adding those grocery store flavored coffee creamers. I'd much rather have a working cappuccino machine, I wore out the former one.

I really need a machine I can load and then "click on" in the morning. I notice that there is a thread here about leaving coffee out. I've wondered the same thing--but packed into a cappuccino machine, and left over night, just a few hours.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Agree with what?

What exactly is your question. Maybe if you'd just outright ask, someone could help.

And I still don't understand the thing about the law.

 

[Chico Buller]

Simply, can I use my existing machine to brew components for a decent latte' or must I purchase a cappuccino machine. (It only makes coffee, not espresso.)

And once having attained the proper equipment, can I "load" it and not damage the flavor of the coffee by letting it sit out for five or six hours.

 

[Callisto in NC]

A latte, by original definition, is just double strength coffee poured into warm milk. We have a coffee pot with a timer that we use every day with no problems. To create a latte you would only need to double the grounds and then add the heated milk. By definition a cappuccino is different than a latte.

 

[GB]

What I came to post is that latte is just coffee and milk (it does not even have to be double strength).

 

[kitchenelf]

A latte, or a cappuccino, is made with espresso and milk.

Latte:
About 3 times more espresso than milk and a shallow head of foam - the milk is more just steamed versus creating all the froth, maybe an inch of foam on top or less.

Cappuccino:
About equal parts espresso and milk where the milk is frothed and poured on top of the espresso (very little actual liquid milk involved.

To take it a step further if you put the foam in first, and pour the espresso in the middle, you have created a macchiato.

If you want to use your regular coffee for making espresso you just have to grind it finer.

 

[kitchenelf]

Almost forgot the most important thing. The answer is NO, you cannot let it sit out for 4, 5, or 6 hours. It will separate and be horrible!

 

[Chico Buller]

This is good to know. My interest is indeed two-fold. I both need that initial kick and I simply like the taste.

As stated, I burned out a Krupps cappuccino machine. My friends and I would sharpen on weekends, we'd keep that machine brewing espresso, and we'd froth milk and flavoring by the quart. Good times.

And while I do enjoy Japanese history, my heritage is from Milwaukee in the early 1950's. Talk about a melting pot, I don't even know who was Sicilian and who was Polish. All of those good ethnic baked goods and morning coffee my Mother's group enjoyed are all lost to time.

My niece is a barista, so at least the coffee is above average, and I enjoy the darker Italian blends. When eating at a local Sicilian restaurant, I always have amaretto cappuccino for desert.

I assume from the answers, preparing the components to sit out overnight is no problem.

 

[Chico Buller]

Almost forgot the most important thing. The answer is NO, you cannot let it sit out for 4, 5, or 6 hours. It will separate and be horrible!

I meant the actual coffee, in the machine, in the basket, no water added except that held in the reservoir.

The dairy products will still be refrigerated.

 

[GB]

I meant the actual coffee, in the machine, in the basket, no water added except that held in the reservoir.

Yes you can do that without problem.

 

[Chico Buller]

I just thought I'd check. I can see that no harm would come to robusto beans, they're almost grown to be abused. If it was a matter of just keeping a pre-measured filter in the frig for a last minute installation, even that might be done.

But the lid on the coffee maker snaps down pretty tight.

 

[MexicoKaren]

Gosh, I hate to be the one to disagree, but coffee brewed in a regular drip coffee maker is NOT espresso, and make it as strong as you want, but it never will be. Here is what Wikipedia says:

Espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing very hot water under high pressure through coffee that has been ground to a consistency between extremely fine and powder.
Espresso was developed in Milan, Italy in the early 20th century, but up until the mid-1940s it was a beverage produced solely with steam pressure. The invention of the spring piston lever machine and its subsequent commercial success changed espresso into the beverage as it is known today. Espresso is now produced with 0.82–1.8 MPa (8.2–18 atm; 120–265 PSI) of pressure.
The defining characteristics of espresso include a thicker consistency than drip coffee, a higher amount of dissolved solids than drip coffee per relative volume, and a serving size that is usually measured in shots, which are between 25 and 30 ml (around 1 fluid ounce) in size. Espresso is chemically complex and volatile, with many of its chemical components quickly degrading from oxidation or loss of temperature. The most distinguishing characteristic is "crema," a reddish-brown foam that floats on the surface and is composed of vegetable oils, proteins and sugars. Crema has elements of both emulsion and foam colloid.

You can buy a very inexpensive stove-top espresso maker, or you can pay thousands of dollars for a top of the line machine. We make our espresso in a Starbucks machine that cost around $399 several years ago, and we use the espresso to make lattes, both hot and iced. Coming from the Northwest, I guess you could call us a little obsessive/compulsive about coffee....

 

[GB]

Latte and espresso are not the same thing though. If you are going by Wikipedia for your definitions then Wikipedia will tell you a latte is just coffee and milk, not necessarily espresso and milk.

 

[MexicoKaren]

While it is true that in France, for example, a cafe au lait is coffee and milk, and in Spain and Latin American countries, cafe con leche is also coffee and milk, we are talking about very very strong, rich coffee, not your normal brewed drip stuff. Wikipedia defines a "latte" as follows:

Outside Italy, a latte is typically prepared with approximately one third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, with a layer of foamed milk approximately 5 mm (¼ inch) thick on the top. The drink is similar to a cappuccino, the difference being that a cappuccino has half the amount of milk. Lattes also typically have a far lower amount of foam than a cappuccino. A variant on the latte is the flat white, which is a serving fill of about one-third espresso, with steamed milk then added, while holding no froth at the top.

Sorry, GB - with all due respect, you will never get me to agree that a latte is just coffee and milk. I guess I am a recalcitrant coffee snob.

 

[jet]

Here's my recipe for a Faux Latte:

• Combine 3oz boiling water, 1 1/2 T instant coffee and 1 T flavored coffee syrup
• Microwave 6oz milk until it froths
• Combine milk and coffee

It is not the same as a commercial latte but it is what my budget allows.

 

[MexicoKaren]

Sounds yummy, jet! I would drink it enthusiastically, with gusto!