6 thoughts on “Remote Barista: Cafe Con Leche

  1. When we were on the Camino in NW Spain last year, I learned two small things
    1. The Spanish preferred English to Italian
    2. Cafe con Leche is not a Latte, as I was informed several times forgetting myself repeatedly.
    Ok, maybe three small things:
    3. Cafe con Leche is inexplicably better than a latte.

    Maybe it was all the km’s underfoot.

    We joked that the Camino was fueled by Cafe con leche and Tortillas (the egg kind) … and then later by croquetas.Report

      1. In Austria we were “warned” not to order Milchkaffe or Latte, but instead Kleiner Brauner. Not technically a latte at all, since its not frothed milk. But, my sister-in-law didn’t want us bigfooting our cultural ignorance all over Vienna.Report

  2. I’m lactose intolerant, so I can’t do café con leche, even though, being Spaniard born, that’s how coffee has introduced to children.

    But as a serious drinker of espressos, here my question to you, @Christopher Bradley.

    Have you ever tried putting lemon peel (1/2 inch will do great) in your espresso?

    Make sure you press the peel against the cup hard with your spoon, and prepare yourself for a completely new experienceReport

  3. One thing I didn’t see clearly spelled in @Christopher Bradley’s OP

    Café con Leche requires that, at the end of the day, there’s more milk than coffee in thefinal drink

    Less than 50-50 is a cortado (cut), in Spain, or a marrón (brown), in LatAm, and you can have an endless variety, from just a drop (manchado-stained) to almost cafe con leche (claro-light)Report

    1. The version I make was taught to me by a lady from Cuba, although I added the whipped cream to the recipe because, like I said, sometimes I like to just make espresso con panna. Insofar as ratios go, I generally eyeball the amount of espresso, usually just a shot or a shot and a half. Then I hand froth the 2/3 cup of milk, sometimes there is a little foam left over, depending on the size of the cup I am using too.
      I have had the lemon peel in my espresso, my MiL saves “twists” in the freezer for martinis and other mixed drinks, I sometimes do the same, but also use them for espresso. As I understand it, that is how they serve it in Italy. I have never been, but I have also heard that they serve the espresso kind of lukewarm, which in my opinion is a crime and should be prosecuted as such.Report

Comments are closed.