What’s a Latte?

Each morning, I go through the rewarding routine of grinding fresh beans, tamping, and extracting a proper espresso shot to make my morning latte. The depth of flavor from the espresso paired with the perfect balance of milk is an experience next to none. Unfortunately, the average American coffee consumer who visits mainstream coffee shops, attracted to the wafting aroma of brewed coffee, jazz music, and, of course, free Wi-Fi, has been grossly misled by the wide selection of flavors and drinks they offer.

My main objection is that the café latte, the quintessential Italian espresso-based drink, ideally comes in only one size, comprised of a two-ounce espresso shot and six ounces of milk, keeping the ratio of espresso to milk at about 1:2 or 1:3. It is unfortunate that mainstream American cafés offer a range of sizes, as there truly is no such thing as a ‘large’ latte. Some shops may offer larger sizes but drown a two-ounce espresso shot in more than the proper amount of milk, and concepts of maintaining the ratio go out the window.

To offer such a drink is to discard the origin and nuanced flavor of espresso and to feed a culture of excess rather than authenticity. Luckily, third-wave coffee shops and independent roasters are pushing back against the idea of drink sizes. Nothing soothes me more than to hear the barista ask the person in front of me who just ordered a latte, “This only comes in one size. Is that ok?”