One of the drinks that typically everyone is fond of, it’s a good latte. The latte is a staple for lovers of coffee everywhere because it’s delicious and has the perfect silken texture, smooth taste and amount of espresso through creamy milk. But every great coffee is made with that special something: the best coffee for lattes. The coffee you select will greatly impact how your latte ends up tasting and the overall quality of it. From what beans you should use to how to brew them, everything you do matters when it comes to making your latte café-quality.
In this article, we discuss the best coffee beans for lattes, as well as the difference between various types of espresso and other coffees to determine which is the most suitable for your latte made at home. We’ll touch on how grind size, roast level, as well as types of beans impact the taste and characteristics of your end product. But armed with these know-how, you can select the best coffee for your ultimate latte.
A Classic Latte consists of two principal ingredients: espresso and steamed milk. The espresso makes up the foundation of a latte, giving it its richness and body but also providing steamed milk for balancecaret. But, if you want the best latte of all time, not only does the espresso have to be perfect— it has also to have a wonderful relationship with the milk.
The coffee that you use for your espresso shot makes or breaks the taste of the latte. When well-brewed, espresso is smooth and full-bodied with a complex range of subtle flavors from rich fruitiness to delicate florals and sometimes nutty or chocolatey tones depending on the beans! The taste here has to stand up to the creaminess of what’s already there, so your coffee should be strong enough that it comes through clearly, but not so bold that it overpowers the sweeter flavors as well.
The roast level is one of the first things to look at when considering which coffee to use for an ideal latte. If using espresso, we will usually recommend a darker roast as well ( something like our Monsooned Malabar) this is the more traditional coffee flavor and stronger to cut through any milk you have. Three roasting levels and how they go in lattes
Dark Roast
Tasting Notes: Intense Dark Chocolate, Caramel, Nutty, Smokey.
Ideal for: Strong, heavy lattes, with a thick body profile and clean finish
Dark roast coffee beans have strong and bold flavours. As these beans have been roasted for longer, this has created wonderful smoked tones and less acidic coffee. And this makes them an ideal candidate for lattes too as they their rich flavor will be able to cut through the steamed milk. Dark roast espresso shot will give tour latte a robust flavor and creamy texture.
Medium Roast
This brand is ideal for achieving a smooth and balanced profile, allowing added sweetness from sugar or syrup to shine in your latte.
Medium roast beans give you the best of both worlds with acidity and richness of flavor coming through in a pleasant mix. They keep some of the fruit and floral properties set by nature, with more intense chocolatey and nutty flavours as well thanks to the roasting. If you want a more balanced drink that can showcase the espresso and milk more evenly without drowning out either, then medium roast beans may be the way to go for your lattes.
Light Roast
Tasting Notes: Light, Fruity, Floral, Bright, Tangy
Great for: Lattes with a twist and exciting flavours
Light roast coffee beans usually have a light body and are more acid with sharp, fruity/floral notes. Not only can lighter roasts create a more refined and balanced shot, they might also provide some flexibility in flavor when lattes are your thing as opposed to straight espresso since those delicate hints may be stomped out by the milk. On the other hand, if you find that you love to play with interesting and exotic flavors in your brew, a light roast latte can be an exciting departure from the usual dark or medium roasts that most of us tend to stick with.
What We Learned — Single-Origin vs. Blend: Latte endforeach
One more factor to consider when choosing the perfect coffee for lattes, is single-origin vs blend. There are benefits to both, and the option you choose really comes down to whether or not you like beef ribs or want a different flavor.
Single-origin whatever term you prefer to use, it means that the coffee only came from one place in general. What makes these coffees special is that they have flavors that are unique to the conditions where they were grown. Ethiopian coffee is fruity and sweet, while Brazilian coffee typically has nutty and chocolatey notes. Single-origin beans used in lattes can evoke a very different flavor sensation, which will be more unusual and sophisticated, if the milk hides some of the complexities.
Coffee Blends
This is in contrast to blends, which consist of beans from a variety of regions and are put together to offer the same, balanced taste. Typically, blends are made to be smooth and full-bodied and go famously in espresso drinks like lattes. This is great for lattes in particular, as
these are almost always made from full fat cow’s milk (the blend should be bold enough to handle a creamy matrix of milk).
A blend of high-quality coffee is usually the best for beginners or anyone who just wants a robust and consistent latte taste. On the other hand, if you are someone who likes to play with different flavor profiles, then using single-origin beans will give your latte another layer of depth.
So after choosing the top coffee beans for your latte, the next most important factor is grinding the beans to correct sizes. Fine grind necessary; everything else can be categorized as coarse grind. When espresso is brewed, it is with high pressure and little extraction time in that the water has almost no time to extract flavors from the coffee. The right espresso grind will ensure optimal extraction, which in turn provides an intense flavorful shot of espresso that is capable of being mixed well with the flavored lattes.
Tips to Get the Perfect Grind Size:
Too Fine Grind that is too fine will create an over-extracted shot, which results in a bitter and burnt taste in the espresso.
Grind too coarse: If the grind is too coarse, the shot may not extract properly, leading to a weak, sour taste.
If you use pre-ground coffee, it should be marked espresso grind or just invest in a burr grinder to get the right size for you. The reasons being a blade grinder will give you the grind size consistency that burr grinders will.
With a glut of options on the market, we detail the best coffee beans for creating espresso-based lattes and explore their complex flavour profiles.
Lavazza Super Crema
Roast: Medium
Palette: Hints of honey and almonds, with an undertone of dried fruit.
Why It Works for Lattes: Lavazza Super Crema is beloved by home baristas because of its ease to work with and velvety-smooth finish. Medium roast has an interesting dynamic and fusion of sweetly rich fragrance to it, contrasting it well suited for espresso drinks like lattes.
Illy Classico Espresso
Roast: Medium
Chocolate, honey, and floral notes. Altitudes Coffee Co., 1033 South Weidler Street Unit C, Portland [Official]
Why It’s Good for Lattes: Illy Classico boasts some of the best beans in the business, making rich and creamy lattes with its velvety espresso. Being slightly sweet and chocolate-like in taste, it is a fantastic base to create a smooth latte with faint sweetness remaining.
Related: Kicking Horse Coffee Cliff Hanger Espresso
Roast: Medium
Cup Notes: Cocoa, fruit and berry
Why We Love It In Lattes: Organic, fair-trade coffee boasting a complex taste with glaring notes of fruit and chocolate. It is still able to shine through the milk with a starker profile and makes quite an interesting latte cup.
Stumptown Hair Bender
Roast: Medium-Dark
Tasting Notes: Citrus, dark chocolate, caramel
Why It’s Wonderful for Lattes: Many coffee fans opt for Stumptown’s Hair Bender blend. Made for a great latte with its stronger, richer flavor and moderate level of acidity. This mix of citrus and chocolate together with some added complexity makes for a(m)emorable poseur café latte.
Brewing the Perfect Coffee for Your Latte
Following that, it is time to brew the best espresso shot for your latte with the best coffee beans. Here are some essential espresso guidelines:
Freshly Ground Coffee: The most optimal in terms of flavor will be the freshly ground one. The longer you wait to make your coffee after grinding, the more aromas and flavors of coffee are lost, so freshly ground beans will yield a tastier shot.
Use the Correct Coffee to Water Ratio: When it comes to espresso, 1g of coffee for 2g of water is pretty standard. This will provide you with a well-balanced shot, having the appropriate intensity.
Clean, filtered water: Water is a vital ingredient in espresso because we prepare our coffee with high quality products. This will prevent any impurity from the water affecting your espresso flavor.
Extraction Time: If brewing espresso, you want to aim for an extraction time of approximately 25-30 seconds. Simply compensate by changing the grind size or tamping pressure if your shot is pulling too fast or too slow as a result.
Conclusion
The BEST in WakefieldChoosing the best coffee for latte making starts right here. The coffee you use will determine the flavor of your latte, whether you enjoy the intensity of a dark roast, the harmony of a medium roast or something a bit more exotic like single-origin beans etc. Here is a step to step guide for you on how knowing the roast level, grind size and the brewing method can give you café standard Latte every time.
Dark and medium roasts are generally the best choices for lattes, as they provide bold flavors that pair well with milk.
You can use light roast coffee for lattes, but the delicate flavors may be overpowered by the milk. However, if you prefer a brighter, fruitier flavor, light roast can be an interesting choice.
For lattes, you’ll need a fine grind, as this is essential for brewing a strong espresso shot that serves as the base for the latte.
Both single-origin and blended coffees can work well for lattes. Blends offer consistency and balance, while single-origin beans provide unique flavor experiences.
Freshness is key to making a great latte. Always use freshly roasted and freshly ground beans for the best flavor.
Yes, you can use a stovetop espresso maker (Moka pot) or a strong brewed coffee (like a French press) as a substitute for espresso.
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