A coffee with milk!
A coffee with milk! It's probably one of the expressions most heard by anyone who works in a coffee shop. And, in principle, it's easy to understand. But what does it mean?
When a person orders a coffee with milk and uses those words (instead of others, like an Americano or a cortado), they're indicating they want a beverage with specific characteristics. They expect a more or less specific flavor, aroma, and texture. They're also looking for a psychoactive effect.
To be able to respond to these requests satisfactorily, there must be a shared language between the sender of the message—that is, the person asking—and the recipient—in this case, the barista. That's why, in this post, we'll explain what café con leche is and how to make it. 
For correct communication in a coffee shop there must be a shared language
Language enables communication
Language is the tool we have to communicate our needs, desires, concerns, and fears to others. For this communication to be possible, we need a common language.
And that's the purpose of this post. It's not to establish a language—we wouldn't intend that—but to lay some groundwork for communication in the context of a specialty coffee shop or coffee preparation.
So, the next time you order or are asked for a coffee with milk—or a cortado, latte, etc.—you'll be able to claim that you know what they're talking about. This is very important, because if we don't know what we're talking about, if we don't know what we want and how to ask for it, we won't know how to explain why we don't want something else.
Laying the Groundwork I: Coffee Orthodoxy (Black)
The basis for all caffeinated beverages is the same: black coffee. No milk, no sugar, no other additives. This is the orthodox way of drinking coffee , whether we use an espresso machine or a filter. The beverage we obtain will be the result of extracting the soluble compounds from the coffee.
Coffee is composed of 30% soluble fibers . These soluble fibers are what water extracts when it comes into contact with the coffee, and what gives it its flavor, aroma, and psychoactive characteristics.
Of this 30% of possible solubles, we generally only want to dissolve between 18% and 24%. This is known as TDS (total dissolved solids). If you're interested in learning more about extraction theory, you can read this post .
Depending on the extraction method, whether with an espresso machine, a filter, or a cupping process, etc., we will take into account different variables to obtain this percentage. And, depending on the final amount of beverage resulting from the extraction, this percentage will have different characteristics.
That is, in a filter that produces 200 ml of coffee, this 20 percent of instant coffee will be more diluted than in an espresso, which produces 40 ml (approximately 40 g). This results in a different organoleptic profile in each case.
Of the different forms of coffee extraction, espresso is the one that has traditionally been used as the base for caffeinated milk-based beverages.
Espresso has traditionally been the base of caffeinated milk drinks
Laying the groundwork II: espresso
Espresso is a method of extracting instant coffee beans using heat and pressure. The variables to consider are, first and foremost, the coffee itself (origin, process, etc.), the grind, the amount of coffee, the water temperature, the machine pressure, the brewing time, and the resulting amount of beverage (expressed in grams).
As it is not our intention to develop the theory of espresso extraction here, we will use a standard recipe as a reference : 18 grams of coffee in a ratio of 1:2.22, which would give us a 40 gr drink.
The ratio is obtained by dividing the resulting amount of beverage (40 g) by the amount of coffee used (18 g). The result would be 40/18 = 2.22.
This extraction is often called a double espresso . It's so named because we'll use a double filter holder to make it. A single espresso would be the result of dividing this extraction in two (20 grams of beverage in each cup). With this as a basis, we can establish the following guidelines:
- Single espresso: 20g of coffee resulting from a 1:2.22 extraction
- Double espresso: 40g of coffee with a 1:2.22 extraction
- Americano: 40g of coffee plus water (between 40g and 160g)
- Coffee with milk: 40 grams of coffee plus milk in different proportions
We must be aware that the base of all drinks is espresso . This is what will define the rest.
Depending on the proportion of coffee and milk, the drinks receive a different name.
Laying the groundwork III: coffee with milk
Café con leche is a generic term that could be used for all espresso- and milk-based beverages. (Note! In Spain, café con leche also refers to a beverage made with a specific ratio of coffee and milk, which is called a cappuccino elsewhere.)
Depending on the ratio of milk to coffee —that is, the amount of coffee and the amount of milk— we obtain drinks with different names . This results in a different taste and texture profile. If we alter one of these ratios (either the espresso or the amount of milk), we will be altering the resulting drink.
We'll use the espresso recipe above as the basis for all the milk-based blends explained below.
Laying the groundwork IV: the different names for café con leche
After all this theory, let's move on to practice. Let's establish the principles of effective communication in the context of a specialty coffee shop or coffee preparation.
That is: what do we mean when we order or prepare the following drinks with coffee + milk?
Generally, the less milk there is, the more pronounced the coffee's flavor will be, and vice versa. Therefore, what we need to know is that, even if we don't know exactly what the customer wants, we can get a pretty good idea of what they expect.
- Café cortado : 40g of “cortado” espresso + between 5g and 40g of milk.
- Flat White : 40g of espresso + between 40g and 160g of milk.
- Coffee with milk or cappuccino : 40 grams of espresso + between 130 and 180 grams of milk.
- Manchado or latte : 40g of espresso + between 180g and 240g of milk (the milk is "manchada"). The name of the latter, leche manchada vs. latte, will depend on the country you're in, but it's essentially the same thing.
The Flatwhite is a very popular drink in specialty coffee shops.
Laying the groundwork V: Variety is richness
As you can see, the measurements are not exact (except for the espresso). This gives the barista flexibility to adjust customer demand to the coffee they're working with. A cortado made with espresso from a specific origin may require more or less milk to deliver the cortado experience than one from another origin.
It's also because in the world of specialty coffee, there's room for subjectivity. After all, it's a matter of taste.
There are other drinks made with espresso and milk, but we believe these are the most common. This list could be expanded by another 10 or 20 drinks with slight variations, but we believe the concept is clear. Also, if something else is added besides coffee and milk, the name may change. For example, in many places, a cappuccino with cocoa is called a Mocha.
If, instead of using cow's milk, we use any other plant-based beverage, none of the above changes , in theory. Although we should review how the flavor profile of the specific beverage affects the result and make appropriate adjustments.
Laying the groundwork VI: the importance of the recipe
What we want to convey with this are two things. First, that in any coffee-based beverage (espresso), the most important thing is the coffee itself. This may seem obvious, but it's vitally important to know the coffee we're working with and its organoleptic profile, since this will define the resulting beverage. A coffee might be ideal for mixing with milk but not work in a filter, for example.
Second, what these names refer to is a taste experience, not a specific preparation, which is also true. That is to say, when the customer orders a "cortado," they are unaware of the espresso ratio, nor the exact proportion of coffee and milk, and, in many cases, not even the impact of the coffee's origin. The customer wants the experience of a "cortado." It is the job of the café and the barista to define the best way to achieve this within more or less established parameters.
That's why it's important to develop recipes if we want to be consistent in the drinks we offer and ensure customers know what to expect every time they come to our establishment. And we can modify them appropriately based on the variables.
It is the barista's job to interpret the customer's demand to correctly prepare the drink they order.
Laying the groundwork VII: the importance of cups
It's common for many coffee shops to underestimate the importance of the cups in which the coffee is served. Cups are part of the experience and are a first indication to the customer that what they ordered has been understood correctly.
That is, if a customer orders a cortado and we bring it to them in a flat white cup, they'll immediately suspect we didn't bring them what they ordered. The customer, although perhaps not exactly, also has an idea of proportions. For example, serving three lattes with the same recipe in the same cup and calling one a cappuccino, another a latte, and another a flat white... creates confusion and the perception that the menu isn't well-defined.
Additionally, using cups with different capacities for different drinks will help us maintain consistency in our recipes. It will also be aesthetically pleasing; if a customer orders a cortado and we bring it to them in a latte cup, they'll see that half of it is empty, which may help it cool faster.
The cups don't have to be the same in every coffee shop, which is why there are also differences in proportions. But they do have to be in line with the quantities and recipes and the overall concept we serve.
Some of the mug brands we work with and recommend are:
If you're interested and would like to receive professional discounts of up to 35% on these mugs and other coffee accessories, please contact us.
For advice or to tell us about your project and see how we can collaborate, write to us here: hola@ineffablecoffee.com
Finally: How to make coffee with milk
It is important to maintain consistency in the quantities and heat the milk correctly.
We've seen that every latte is based on properly preparing an espresso to which milk is added. The amount of latte depends on the recipe we want to make. It's important to heat the milk properly and mix it consistently, which will help us have the right cups.
The most common recipes are: café cortado ( 40 g of “cut” espresso + between 5 and 40 g of milk), flat white (40 g of espresso + between 40 and 160 g of milk), café con leche or cappuccino ( 40 g of espresso + between 130 and 180 grams of milk), and leche manchada or latte (40 g of espresso + between 180 and 240 g of milk (the milk is “manchada”).
The procedure, in summary, would be:
- We make an espresso
- We heat the chosen milk (either cow's or vegetable)
- We mix the milk with the coffee
The theory is simple, so simple that you can make it at home. If you don't have an espresso machine, we recommend using an Italian or Moka pot , since filter brews can be less intense when mixed with milk (due to the lower TDS concentration).
At Ineffable Coffee, we have specific coffees for different preparations. For a latte, coffees with notes of chocolate, nuts, vanilla, or praline usually work well. Many Colombian coffees tend to have these notes, as do Brazilian ones. Although this is an extreme simplification—coffee is more complex than that—I can help you choose one.
So if you want to make a great Colombian latte (or any other type of coffee), follow these guidelines and choose a good coffee, and you can't go wrong.
