My parents have this brilliant espresso machine. Whenever I go to visit I drink as much espresso as I possibly can and as a consequence I don’t get any sleep at all. But I’ll get to the point. My mother likes to drink milk in her espresso. My father and I roll our eyes about this and give her a hard time about how this is a crime against espresso. It’s a free country and if she likes it that way she can do it, but it is just not right is it?
Well, imagine my amazement when I was discussing this with a workmate who is a man of considerable taste in matters of food and drink and he said it was perfectly fine and he would support my mother’s strange espresso ways. He’s Spanish but has spent some time in Italy as well.
I have already surmised there are some espresso experts on this board. So are you with me and dad, or with mum and my workmate? Espresso with milk: aye or nay?
Cappuccino:
Equally layered during preparation, a cappuccino starts with a double shot of espresso on the bottom. Next is followed by 3 oz. of steamed milk (prefer whole) and then 3 oz. of frothed milk on top. It may be topped with a flavoring like ground chocolate or cinnamon.
Café Latte:
A double shot of espresso (~ 2.5 oz.) and 6 oz. of steamed milk. No frothed milk added.
Sounds like she likes a latte.
Aye. Definitely. There are lots of ‘official’ variations of espresso with milk, such as the cappuccino, or the latte/cafe au lait (which nobody can seem to agree on the contents of).
At my coffee shops we sold espresso macchiatto (espresso with a dollop of frothed milk, like a teeny cappuccino) and even - ugh, my head spins at the thought - espresso con panne, with whipped cream on top.
I do see your point: why ruin a perfectly good espresso with nasty, stomach-churning milk?
(I have been known to have steamed soy milk with my less-than-perfectly-good espressos, tho.)