If you haven't noticed by now, I am a coffee freak. So here are 5 tips to make a great latte at home.
1. Assuming you already have a coffee maker, get a frother
This will allow you to get that coffee-shop like foamy milk without having to leave your house. It is also the most economic way of doing it, since other frothers will cost you a fortune. I got mine at Walmart for ten dollars.
2. Figure out a technique that works for you
What I like to do is first make the coffee, then heat the milk up, froth it, and then add the coffee. If you pour the milk into the coffee, it might loose that foamy consistency and you might end up with just coffee and milk. The trick to get a good latte is to pour the coffee into the milk, at least for at-home coffee-serving purposes.
3. Find a good mug
It might sound stupid, but the mug is important. You want a big enough mug that you will be able to fit the foam from the milk. Also, measuring your mug is important. I recommend finding a mug that like for your everyday coffee. This way, you know where exactly to pour the milk up to, and that way, your milk to coffee ratio is perfect. Of course this is total preference, but lattes usually consist of more milk than coffee. About 60% is milk and 40% should be coffee. But some people like it stronger than others, so make sure your mug is the perfect size for that ratio.
4. Get the good stuff
If you want a good latte you have to get the good stuff. By this I mean good coffee. Columbian coffee seems to be a crowd favorite. But I also mean stepping outside of your comfort zone. Explore a little, you should try something else other than Starbucks. Find a local coffee shop and ask if what they sell is premium.
5. Latte Art
Everyone knows a latte isn't a latte if it does not have latte art. The thing is, latte art is pretty hard to achieve if you have never take a class before or don't have any fancy equipment. You will need for this a round bowl-shaped cup and instead of during the espresso in the cup first like I said earlier, you are going to pour a little bit steamed milk onto the espresso and mix well. You want to pour the first bit pretty high up so it mixes well. Then, when you are reaching the second half of the cup, bring the cup closer so the foam stays at the top and you can create whichever design you'd like! You can check out this link down below that provides more detail on how to get funky with designs!
https://makezine.com/2016/01/03/skill-builder-steam-milk/