Coffee – How to make a homemade latte taste like a restaurant one

coffee

At the moment I prepare lattes at home as follows:

  • 1/3 cup water + 1T ground coffee in Krups espresso machine (looks a bit like this one)
  • 2/3 cup microwave-heated milk (the milk steamer on the machine doesn't work)
  • 5 drops honey

It tastes nice, but not like a restaurant latte, and not just because there's no foam. What is needed to make coffee taste as good as restaurant coffee? This machine doesn't work properly so I'm prepared to buy some new equipment but obviously on a home budget not a restaurant one.

  • Machine: better to get one that grinds beans?
  • Ratio of ingredients: does it need to change?
  • Coffee form: beans / ground coffee?
  • Coffee strength: experimentation has settled on strong and milky, I don't think this needs to change
  • Milk: does it have to be steamed? do you get hand steamers?
  • Fat content of milk: fat free / 2% / full cream?
  • Container: surely not, restaurant stuff tastes better even in a takeaway paper cup! 🙂
  • Other variables?

Best Answer

To answer your question with a straightforward solution, my key recommendation would be to buy a new machine for two reasons: better espresso and milk.

Before all, if you are not willing to invest more than $100 (USD) in a machine (more like $350, but I'm sure you can scrounge for a decent entry-level machine to get the job done), you can stop reading as my suggestion relies on a better machine. That said, quickly browsing Amazon I found a Cuisinart unit with tepid reviews (205 averaging 3.5 stars) on sale for about $80.

Here is what is going wrong with your latte:

  • Machine: If you have a Krups it's pressure probably isn't rated. This is a bad sign as it indicates how well it will "pull" (brew, make) the espresso. My guess for most units: Unrated = won't pull. Buy a machine with a rated pressure, 15-bar is what to expect. (I don't mean to sound snobby; I got by with a $60 Coffeemate for awhile, but they won't get you the results you're asking for)
  • Bean: Lattes are made with espresso, not coffee (U.S.). You're using coffee. So start by buying espresso beans instead of dark roast coffee or Folgers. While you're at it, if you want it to taste like restaurant quality, buy them from a local roaster (I'd imagine you can get some mad fresh beans in Africa) and grind them fresh (just prior to brewing). I prefer a coarser grind to my espresso, you will also need to press the grinds ("pack") in the gruppa (metal basket of machine).
  • Milk: While you're at it, don't necessarily use whatever comes out of the fridge. Here and here have the dirt on milk and frothing. Basically fuller body for the drink use milk with more fat, if not use less fat. If you have a favorite place in mind for your exemplar latte, go ask them where they get their milk and follow suit. There's a degree of preference in which milk you use, go with the one you know you prefer and perfect your technique.
  • Frothing/Steaming: You aren't frothing your milk. Buy a machine with a working wand, froth the milk. Actually, frothing the milk is fun and it tastes great all on its own. Note: you do want to get foam on top, this indicates you have properly steamed the milk below (remember to hold back the foam, and pour only the steamed milk into your latte, then depending on your region's definition adding a bit of foam on top).
  • Container: Add some dignity to life whenever you can. Use ceramic; you're at home.

Those are the key differences that are causing problems for the latte you want to amp up. Now you can skip the consumer espresso machine advice and get a stove-top setup (espresso pot and use a normal, smallish pot with a whisk for the milk), but that takes a smidge more effort in terms of getting it right. Either way, following these guidelines should get that latte much closer to where you want it to be. Basically, the only advantage the shop will have over yours is a bigger machine, overworked employees who might not have the time to care about your coffee at this time, and paper cups.

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