You can't create a truly great latte without a truly great latte maker. And a latte maker is really an espresso maker! And a excellent latte truly requires a well made shot of espresso. I think you are able to most likely see exactly where I'm heading here.

Espresso is the basis for all kinds of sophisticated coffee drinks, including lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos. If the espresso isn't good then your espresso drink won't be great. Some people believe espresso is just a little cup of strong coffee. In truth, an espresso is a lot more complicated than that. It is derived from 700 soluble and 800 volatile substances, and when prepared correctly entails 13 independent chemical and physical variables. Is that complex enough for you?

Espresso is a coffee drink that's created using a procedure that has been highly refined over the ages. It starts with freshly roasted and ground coffee beans. The coffee beans need to be ground a lot finer than if you were grinding coffee for a drip coffee maker. The ground coffee is then placed within a small basket that has been engineered and designed in such a way, in a perfect ratio of depth to diameter, that when the grounds are added and tamped down it offers just the right amount of surface area for the water to be forced over. Heated water, within the vicinity of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, is then pumped through the ground coffee, under pressure, for in between 22 and 32 seconds. The result is a coffee drink which has been created by extracting a high percentage of the flavorful and aromatic oils in the ground coffee. The procedure does result in a beverage that is strong coffee and should come with a cap of foam that is called créma.

Making a latte or perhaps a cappuccino requires the addition of steamed or frothed milk in various quantities which are in relation to the quantity of espresso used. To create a latte you need to add 2 parts of hot, steamed milk to 1 part espresso. Cappuccinos use 1 part steamed milk to 1 part foam to 1 part espresso.

As you've learned, a latte maker is truly just an espresso maker, and you need espresso to make a latte. Making great espresso at home has never been easier thanks to today's higher tech super automatic espresso machines. These are simple to use simply because nearly everything is "automatic". They may cost a little more, but they make an excellent espresso and latte. Producing an espresso drink isn't intimidating. Just put beans in the hopper, fill up the water reservoir and push a button. Ahhhh... Delicious!