Exploring Lattes: Origins & Adventures

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Exploring Over Coffee | Episode 36

Learn about the latte’s origins and new ways to savor the beverage. In this episode, Alexis explores the latte’s history and cultural significance. This episode will inspire you to savor lattes in a whole new way.

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Here's What You'll Explore

• What makes a latte a latte (espresso, milk, and the perfect ratio)

• Latte's Italian origins

• Latte variations from around the world

• Latte art and the intention behind the pour

• Adventure ideas: Italian morning routines, latte art classes, and more

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Welcome

2:00 Latte’s Origins & Characteristics

06:30 Lattes Around the World

11:45 Fun Latte Activities

15:05 Journaling Prompt

16:20 Cafe Bookshelf Recs

17:50 Closing & Warm Wishes

Note: Episode chapters may shift slightly on RSS.com and other podcast listening platforms due to ad length.

Resources and Affiliates Mentioned:

Savorista Coffee - Craft decaf & half caf coffee

Use code EXPLOREOC for 25% off your order. If you buy, you support me and the show.

Honey Lavender Iced Latte Recipe

Latte Tutorial Videos

Making Cafe Quality Milk at Home WITHOUT a Machine - @MorganEckroth

The Beginner’s Guide to Latte Art - @JamesHoffmann

Café Bookshelf Recs

The Little Black Book of Coffee by Karen Berman.

This is an affiliate link. If you buy, you support me and independent bookstores.

• Episode Transcript

  Hello friends. Welcome back to Exploring Over Coffee. I'm your host, Alexis Renae, here with another energizing episode for your coffee break. Today, we're diving into a new series called Pour and Explore, where we will learn about different types of coffee drinks together. For today's conversation, I said, why not start by learning all about lattes. What makes a latte a latte? Where did it come from? And what are some fun adventures that you can explore inspired by this classic coffee drink? Grab your beverage of choice for our conversation. I'm sipping a vanilla latte. Once your brew is in hand, sit back and relax so that we can explore the latte.

  Close your eyes and imagine walking into a cafe. The aroma and the warm ambiance greet you as soon as you enter. So many different coffee drinks that you can try. Oh, what's that on the menu? It looks like it might be a floral latte for the spring, and you haven't tried that kind before. You can't help it. Curiosity takes over. You have to give that latte a try. When your brew arrives, it comes in a large round mug. You can't help but smile. Looking down at the pretty rose latte art on top of your coffee, your quick cafe outing has become something so much more memorable. You snap a photo of your drink to remember it and sit back and relax with your comforting brew. That's the beautiful thing about a latte. It becomes an experience. There's more poured into your coffee than just the drink itself. It's culture, creativity, and comfort. All in the same mug.

  Let's take a minute to explore what makes a latte a latte. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, what sets this coffee drink apart from the rest? Well, there are a few key characteristics that define the latte, if you could not tell from the name, latte is Italian, it comes from Italy. Now, coffee has been around for hundreds of years, and people have been adding things to it for basically as long as the drink was invented. But latte specifically, their origin is from Italy, thanks to the creation of the espresso machine around the start of the 20th century. The espresso coffee is one of the two main ingredients in a latte. So thanks to Italy for creating the espresso machine. We have one of those two ingredients that we need. The other ingredient is milk, steamed milk. It's a very smooth texture that's created either through the steam wand that is attached to the espresso machine or from a milk frother, and you can get the Milk Frother device to whip up your own lattes at home.

  Latte in Italian actually means milk. Kind of like how in Spanish, leche means milk. They're both romance languages. So they have that similar, you know, root word and sound and feel. If you were to walk into an Italian. Bar or cafe, and you just say, Hey, I want a latte. They might hand you some steamed milk in Italian if you want the coffee drink that we know as a latte; you actually have to ask for a caffè latte. caffè means coffee, and latte means milk. Coffee with milk, caffè latte.

  The other thing that sets the latte apart is its size. It can be anywhere from 240 milliliters to 470 milliliters, which is also known as eight to 16 ounces. Now that is pretty large. I've definitely seen some large latte mugs in my day. When you compare the latte to other drinks, you can really tell the difference in size. So the macchiato drink is actually only two to three ounces. So again, compare that to 18 to 16. And then in milliliters, that is somewhere between 60 to 90 milliliters. So again, 60 to 90 versus 240 to 470. But even though the latte is bigger, does not mean that it is bolder than other coffee drinks. The ratio of espresso coffee to that steamed milk is another factor that sets it apart. So one part, espresso coffee, to three parts of that smooth steamed milk is what gives you that cozy quality to the latte. It's not as strong as other types of coffee.

  And the steamed milk itself, it also contributes to that smoothness. Before you combine it with the coffee, you smooth out the texture, and you create this microfoam with it, almost like very, very, very small soap bubbles. It makes the milk a lot lighter, a lot creamier, a lot smoother, and pouring that into the coffee. That's where that latte art fun comes into play.

  So latte art that actually started around the 1980s, partially in Italy, partially in Seattle, Washington, in the States. It is the technique of how you pour in the milk into the coffee and you can create so many beautiful designs. You could do leaves, you could do animals. There's actually an entire latte art competition where baristas from around the world come together to see who has the best latte art designs. Very, very intricate, and it just adds more expression to the latte, right? It kind of becomes a canvas in a cup, if you will. It's really beautiful how so many different countries have their own take on the brew. The culture that's poured into the cup, it has actually deepened my appreciation for the beverage.

  Let's take a look at some of those different countries. Take on the latte, you know, how they express their culture through their brew.

  If you are familiar with Latin American culture, you might have heard of Dulce de Leche. There's a really sweet milk that is poured into all types of, um, Spanish desserts, and it is so delicious. It's like a caramelized milk. So Dulce de leche lattes are very popular in Argentina, Uruguay, and other parts of Latin America. They literally pour in that dulce de leche milk into the latte. I cannot wait to try this. I already love dulce de leche, so I cannot imagine it in the latte. It's probably gonna be my new favorite drink.

  In India, they have a fun take on it as well. So they have a tea that is called Masala Chai. It's where they add tea leaves with so many different spices, cardamom, and cinnamon, and nutmeg. It's delicious. One of my favorite drinks to enjoy in the fall. It's so funny because there are two different ways that it has blended with the latte. So one experience is the chai latte, where you just bring the tea leaves, you bring the milk, sweetened milk, you bring the spices, and it is like a tea-based latte. To bring the coffee back into it. There is the dirty chai, so it's when you add the espresso back into the latte. So you have the chai spices mixed with the classic coffee elements of the espresso and the milk.

  In Lesotho and South Africa, there is the Rooibos Tea take on the latte. It's actually a shrub plant, and it is enjoyed as a tea. The really interesting thing is that even though it is caffeine free, you can create and experience very similar to coffee. It's known as the red latte when you create a latte from the rooibos plant. Just like you get coffee grounds, you can get rooibos tea ground very finely. It comes in packaging, very similar to coffee grounds, and you can actually run that through your espresso maker to prep for different types of coffee drinks. So again, you blend that rooibos tea, and you mix that with the steamed milk, and you create a rooibos red latte. Amazing. And it is, again, caffeine-free. So if you're not able to enjoy a lot of different types of, you know, caffeinated drinks, or hey, you wanna have a latte later in the day, you can make yourself a rooibus latte.

  And then in Japan, they have a couple different takes on it as well. One of them is again, a tea based experience where it's the matcha powder mixed with the milk for a Matcha Latte and has that green coloring. But if you do want the coffee experience, there is the Sakura Latte. cherry blossom. Flowers are ground down into a powder, and they mix that cherry blossom powder with the espresso, with the milk, and you create this very light and floral coffee experience. And sometimes, depending on if they use the powder sakura or the syrup sakura, your coffee can actually have a, a light pink tint to it. Just really amazing, really interesting to see how lattes can represent culture. It's a conversation starter. It is an inspiration for travel. It is an inspiration for education. So yeah, there again, as I keep saying, there is so much more to pour and explore in your drink.

  Lattes are a source of comfort, culture, creativity. And then again, last but not least, that seasonality. That novelty that's added to the latte. I don't know about you. But I love a pumpkin spice latte. I can honestly go through the different parts of the year, looking forward to the different seasonal takes on the latte. It is kind of funny now. At this point, I think we all crave the pumpkin-spiced lattes so much. Like it'll be mid-August or early August, and people start talking about those pumpkin-spiced lattes, and they start popping up at cafes around town. So yeah, it's, it's, it's really interesting that one drink that we all know so well can be reintroduced to us as something so new and so different. So I hope that you took away new insight and new inspiration for savoring your latte.

  Now let's explore some ideas in our Adventure Guide book to help you explore the latte some more.

  I know that we started off our conversation by talking about the fact that lattes come from Italy. So my first recommendation in our adventure guidebook is to enjoy an Italian weekend morning routine inspired by the latte. So Italians have this really, um, nice relationship with time. Il dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing. This is a concept that Italians live by. They thrive by, honestly, and on the weekends, they take their routine at a slower pace. They head to, you know, local bars, they order their coffee drink, they start in the morning. They don't drink it really past 11:00 AM, you know, 'cause it is a, a heavier milk drink. But yeah, they might have a cappuccino. They might have a latte, and they enjoy it with a pastry for breakfast. They have a cornetto. So after they enjoy that, the day is kind of theirs. There is mindfulness. It is a chance to rest intentionally, which we've talked about here on the show. If you want to enjoy an Italian inspired weekend coffee break, start by heading to an authentic Italian bar, cafe restaurant. Enjoy your pastry with your latte, and then take the day as it comes. Make it a day to pour into yourself as much as your brew pours into you.

  Make an adventure of exploring different types of lattes. Maybe every week you try looking for the ingredients to create the recipe at home, or heading out and finding places that offer those types of lattes. right out and about. I found a recipe for a spring latte. It is a honey lavender decaf iced latte, and it's from Savorista coffee. They use their Colombian inspiration decaf coffee, so I appreciate that it's high-quality, it's natural, but it's decaffeinated, so you can enjoy the coffee throughout the day. I have a discount for you guys through Savorista Coffee for 25% off. So if you use the link in the description and the promo code, explore oc, you can get that discount. I earn a commission if you use my promotion, and that helps me fuel future episodes of exploring over coffee. So thanks so much for your support.

  If you're interested in upping your barista skills practice latte art, I'll include a link in the description with all the recommendations from our conversation today. I found a few videos walking through the steps of how to practice latte art at home. So, of course, you need to practice how. Froth the milk, especially if you don't have an espresso machine; you need to make sure that you have the correct pitcher and everything's right in terms of the type of milk that you get. And then it's the actual technique of pouring the different latte art designs. So you can start that process at home and then grab a friend and head to a class in your community. It wouldn't be an episode of Exploring Over Coffee without a fun journaling prompt. So give this one a try. So I just started doing this. I would open up my journal at the end of the day, and on the left-hand side of the paper, I would just go through my day, and I would talk about everything that I'm grateful for from that day, everything that surprised me from that day, everything that made me smile, that made me laugh. And then once that page is fully finished on the right side of the book, I combine. Envisioning my dream life with motivating phrases for getting there. So it'll be, you know, walking through, oh, in my dream life, I will do, you know, whatever the activities are. I'll start my day at an Italian bar. I will enjoy a cornetto. I will have, uh, an authentic Italian latte. And then there are motivating phrases underneath that. I am an avid traveler. I explore coffee around the world, you know, whatever it is. So if you want to make your latte experience a source of inspiration while you sip your brew, take out your journal, one side, talk about everything you're grateful for, and the other side, dream a little bit, look ahead to the future.

  Maybe start a new book while you're enjoying your coffee. I've been reading a couple books that are now on our cafe bookshelf. The first one is called The Little Black Book of Coffee by Karen Berman. It guides you through coffee around the world. Terminology for how to describe coffee and how you enjoy it. And then lots of recipes. Plenty of recipes for coffee, beverages, and then things that you can enjoy with your coffee. The other book that I've been reading is a fantasy book. It's called Legends and Lattes. It's a really cozy story about found family and following your dreams about a mythical creature who starts a coffee shop in her community. This was a nice refresher book to read in between some heavier reads that I've been doing this month. So if you enjoy fantasy, check out Legends and Lattes.

  In the book that I've been reading, The Little Black Book of Coffee, Karen Berman shares this really great quote, encapsulating what's so amazing about enjoying coffee. She says, “There's a whole world in your coffee cup. History, geography, science, technology, folklore, fantasy. But in the end, when you lift it to your lips, it's all about a good cup of Joe.” Just amazing. I think that sums it up pretty well. Lattes are an invitation to savor new experiences, savor the changing seasons, and savor cultures around the world. I hope that learning about lattes today has poured in new insight, new appreciation, and new excitement for exploring different types of lattes around you. Thank you so much for listening. If you enjoyed our conversation, share it with a friend so that they can enjoy this cozy coffee chat and learn a bit more about lattes. Thanks so much to Darren J Media for creating our theme song. Until next time, I am wishing you love and peace and excitement and a sense of adventure. Remember to brew positivity and make life an adventure.

Production Info

Exploring Over Coffee is created and produced by Alexis Renae.

Theme song produced by Darren J Media. Reach out for collabs on audio and music projects.

Follow Exploring Over Coffee on Instagram.

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