Latte vs. Coffee, do you find these terms confusing to you? Yes, it’s a common scenario to many people, especially if you aren’t an expert. Even people who have been drinking coffee for a long time can’t tell the difference apart from their physical appearance.
If you are keen and love exploring a lot about coffee, you might have come across different types.
The main difference between coffee and latte is that one has milk while the other doesn’t.
For latte, its coffee is made from shots of espresso, steamed milk, and sometimes shots of chocolate. This type of coffee originated in Italy.
On the other hand, coffee is a general term used to refer to a beverage made from (grounded) coffee beans and hot water. Thus, you may wonder, does latte have coffee? Yes, it’s one of the main ingredients.
What is the difference between coffee and latte?
Well, you might still be confused about these two drinks. However, they are all coffee, only that they have different ingredients.
Coffee in layman language is a beverage brewed from hot water and roasted coffee beans (grounded or whole beans). The brewing is done in different designs, depending on where you are located.
Since coffee’s discovery as a beverage, it has seen different brewing techniques.
How is coffee brewed without a coffee maker?
Maybe you have made coffee drinks at home either using a coffee maker machine or without.
The good thing is you don’t need to have a coffee maker to enjoy great-tasting coffee. You can achieve it simply by using a pot of boiling water.
Preparing coffee without a machine is simple than you ever imagined. The process is as follows.
- Pour the desired amount of water into a pot and put it on a stove.
- Turn on the stove and bring water to boil under medium heat.
- When water boils, add grounded coffee, the same as the one you would use in a coffee maker.
- Let it boil for 2 minutes and remove heat
- Allows it to sit for 4 minutes and serve. You can use a ladle or transfer it directly to the cup.
Although this is the simplest way of making a coffee, the taste might differ from other methods.
How to make iced coffee?
You can either drink coffee, hot or cold (iced coffee). The process of making iced coffee isn’t complicated.
One way to make iced coffee is by pouring your beverage into a cup with a lot of ice. This will chill the coffee hence making a perfect chilled beverage for hot summers.
The other ways are pouring your coffee into a cup and keeping it in the refrigerator. This will cool and chill the coffee to the desired level.
How to prepare latte at home without an espresso machine?
Unlike coffee, Latte requires espresso as the base and milk to give it a creamy nature. However, how do you even make a latte without an espresso machine?
It’s no secret people are making some delightful lattes without the use of espresso machines. It might sound complicated and winder: what is a latte made of?
- Espresso/brewed coffee
- Steamed and frothed milk
One thing worth noting is that making a latte will require more items than a regular coffee. Here is the process.
- Using a Moka pot, make a strongly concentrated coffee brew. Just measure the same amount of coffee you would use when using an espresso machine.
- After preparing espresso, it’s time to froth your milk. You can use a frother, French press, or a bottle to make the milk foam double its size.
- Transfer coffee into a cup. Add a caramel or peppermint syrup. Hold back foam with a spoon and add frothed milk to complete the process. Adding a whipped cream is optional to add a creamy experience.
Iced latte vs iced coffee
The last time you had coffee or latte, maybe you drank a steamed one. Interestingly, there is iced latte as well as iced coffee. This answers a bothering question of whether lattes are hot or cold.
As we have said earlier, iced coffee is served in a glass of ice cubes to make it more refreshing.
Now here comes what is an iced latte? Is it the same as the hot latte you had before?
The fact about the iced latte is it’s the same as a steamy one but served cold. You can use either hot or cold-frothed milk to make this drink.
Additionally, you can use hot coffee and pour in ice cubes, then add frothed milk.
Difference between iced coffee and iced latte
These two drinks have notable differences. Some of the main ones include;
Calories
The calorie content in the two drinks differs depending on the ingredients. Adding sweetener will significantly affect the number of calories in a drink.
Typically, an iced latte has more calories since it has a lot of milk. Iced coffee, on the other hand, has fewer calories.
Taste
Iced coffee and iced latte have different tastes. The main reason is varying ingredients, which give rise to contradictory flavors.
Caffeine content
Some people ask whether iced latte has caffeine. Yes, since it has coffee, but not as much as iced coffee. Since iced coffee has no additives, it tends to have a higher caffeine level than an iced latte.
Does iced latte have caffeine? You should not ask anymore.
Composition
The composition of iced coffee is only water, coffee, and optional sweeter. But, iced contains a lot of milk ¾, espresso ¼, and optional sweeteners and other additives.
Appearance
Iced black coffee appears dark to brown. However, the latte has an ashy appearance due to the coffee and milk color blend.
Is a latte stronger than coffee?
These two drinks are coffee in nature. Therefore, they have a percentage of caffeine.
But, if you are worried about the caffeine content, definitely one has more than the other.
How much caffeine is in a latte? A latte has 173 mg of caffeine per 16 ounces serving. On the other hand, black coffee has 330 mg of caffeine for a similar serving.
Therefore, latte isn’t stronger than a coffee.
What are other coffee-based drinks available to try?
Apart from latte and black, there are other drinks you should drink. This will give you great exposure to available beverages you can get to give your days a new taste.
Some of the drinks you might love include espresso and mocha cappuccino.
Mocha vs Latte vs Cappuccino vs Espresso
If you are stuck at latte and black coffee, you need to try Espresso, Mocha, and Cappuccino. But, let’s see how each is made and how it compares to latte.
Let’s start with what they are and how you can prepare them at home.
Espresso: this is a black coffee made from grounded coffee beans and hot, high-pressure water passed on the grounds. The results are highly concentrated beverages with high caffeine content.
Cappuccino: this is a coffee-based drink that consists of 1/3 espresso, 1/3 hot milk, and 1/3 frothed milk. The equal parts of ingredients give it a richly smooth and creamy flavor.
Mocha: Also known as mochaccino, it’s a coffee-based beverage made from blending cappuccino and hot chocolate. Therefore, it contains all cappuccino ingredients and an additional shot of hot chocolate.
Latte: As mentioned, it is a coffee-based drink with ¾ frothed milk and ¼ espresso. It can have a hot or iced latte.
We had discussed how to make latte and coffee; therefore, we will see how to make cappuccino and Mocha.
How to make cappuccino?
Making a cappuccino is pretty simple as long as you have all the requirements. The method is as follows
- Ensure you have your espresso coffee ready. Use the desired volume depending on your target quantity.
- Heat milk using a saucepan up to the bubbling stage and remove the heat. Don’t let it boil.
- Whip the milk using a frother or mixer. Keep whipping until you attain the desired foam.
- Measure a 1/3 part of espresso and put it in a cup; add 1/3 part of milk and a 1/3 of foam and mix.
- You can add sweetener, but it’s optional, and you have your cappuccino ready.
How to make Mocha?
Making Mocha at home is excellent since you enjoy a breathtaking refreshment. Making the drink is simple, and it’s just like making a cappuccino. Mocha is a cappuccino with added chocolate. The process of making fantastic Mocha is as follows.
- The first thing is to brew a strong coffee using the method of your choice (2/5 coffee is needed)
- Add chocolate syrup (2/5) to the hot coffee and stir to mix properly. You can also add cocoa or chocolate powder to intensify the flavor.
- It’s time to add milk. But, before adding milk, ensure it’s hot and frothed to the desired foam. (1/5 frothed milk)
- Once the milk is already mixed, voila! You just made your first Mocha drink.
How do Espresso, Latte, Cappuccino, and Mocha compare?
Now, these four coffee beverages are fantastic and offer excellent body refreshment. But, they’re not alike despite having coffee.
The following table offers insight into these drinks
| Espresso | Latte | Cappuccino | Mocha | |
| Ingredients | Roasted coffee and water | ¼ espresso, ¾ frothed milk | 1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, and 1/3 milk foam | 2/5 espresso, 2/5 chocolate, 1/5 frothed milk |
| Caffeine content (12 oz cup) | 260mg | 75mg | 154mg | 80mg |
| Calories | 8 | 180 | 140-190 | 230-260 |
| Taste | Coffee | Milky with coffee enhancement | Bold coffee taste with creamy enhancements | Chocolate with coffee essence. |
| Appearance | Darkish brown | Light brownish | Light brownish | Darkish brow |
All drinks have unique properties which make them distinct. Espresso is the winner for a person who wants to drink a coffee with the least calories.
If you want a coffee drink with the least caffeine, latte is your best choice. However, when you want to boost your body’s energy, Mocha has a significant amount of energy.
Each has excellent flavor and depends on your preference for taste. Mocha is unique since it adds a chocolaty flavor to coffee.
Difference between latte and Mocha? Are they similar drinks?
As we have seen, all drinks we have here contain coffee. Therefore, they are incomplete without coffee. However, when comparing latte and Mocha, they are closely related only to one ingredient and composition.
Latte has a significant percentage of milk, ¾, and the rest is espresso. This makes it milk with shots of espresso.
On the other hand, Mocha has more espresso 2/5, chocolate 2/5, and less milk 1/5. Thus, the blend of chocolate and espresso makes it distinctive.
Is that all? What are other espresso-based beverages?
Coffee is a large area and has different drinks that fall under. Apart from those above here. There are other as well as customizations
Some of the popular espresso-based beverages you can try are;
- Americano
The drink is obtained by diluting espresso with the same hot water. The diluting gives the beverage a different flavor and caffeine content.
- Cortado
Cortado is a simple drink made from equal parts of espresso and warm milk. The milk is mixed directly without the need to froth it.
- Breve
Breve is another drink that is most popular in America. It consists of espresso and milk in equal proportion. The milk used is steamed but not frothed.
- Lungo
Is Lungo the same as Americano? No, lungo is a type of coffee that takes longer to pull, resulting in more content. This results in a milder flavor but has more caffeine than espresso.
- Macchiato
Macchiato is close to latte and is a drink made from espresso shots and a small amount of foamed milk. Since ‘macchiato’ means spot, the drink is sometimes called stained espresso.
Summary
Latte and coffee have the same starting point, but different types of beverages. While coffee is straightforward, you need more to make a latte.
Besides the preparation, ingredients significantly vary, leading to taste and quality differences.
While both drinks have caffeine, the number of calories they offer is considerably different. For caffeine, coffee is the king, while for energy, latte is indisputable.
Latte vs. coffee, are they the same? This article boldly clarifies the answer: they belong to the same family but have different qualities.
