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Making lattes at home


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Old 20-03-2016, 15:46
humanracer
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Hi
I want to make lattes at home without a coffee machine. I know some people love them but I am put off by the fact that 1. the pods are expensive, 2. I have heard too many reports of them failing after the warranty expires and 3.some say the lattes made with the pods don't taste nice at all.

I have therefore decided to try and do it manually. I know I cannot make 100% espresso without a machine but some say even the most expensive machines cannot make the same quality of espresso you get in coffee shops.

At the moment I have a milk steamer and frother that I bought from Aldi. It's really great and easy to use. The closest I can get to a latte at the moment is a cafe au lait which is half steamed milk and half coffee brewed with my French Press. It's nice but not as good as a latte.

At the moment I am considering using either a Moka Stove Top or a Aeropress to make something close to espresso. The Moka seems easier to use.

Any ideas? How can I make a Latte that is close to coffee chain quality without breaking the bank?

Thanks
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Old 21-03-2016, 09:56
Mr_Bee
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I've never tried an aeropress but it seems to be the latest trendy thing. I love my 2 cup moka pot though and although not espresso it does make a stronger coffee.

If you're not happy with the kind of milk that you're getting from the frother then you could also try heating the milk in the microwave and then using your French press to froth the milk.

From my experience of coffee you can have all the apparatus but if you're using poor coffee then it won't make a difference. I'd always recommend freshly roasted beans if possible. Many online companies are selling roasted beans to order now and if you don't have a grinder then they will grind them for you depending on the method you're using to brew.
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Old 21-03-2016, 12:04
Iggy's Boy
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A stove-top coffee maker or an aeropress will give you a more intense coffee, closer to an espresso than a french press will give you, so I'd use one of those and stick with your milk-frothing method.

But if you really like cafe lattes and plan to make a lot of them at home, you probably won't be truly satisfied until you buy a manual espresso machine with a steam arm and a burr coffee bean grinder (or an automatic bean to cup with steam arm).
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Old 26-03-2016, 08:47
jcafcw
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Of course you could do it old-school like we did before we had even heard of the word latte. Boil some milk in a saucepan and add it to the coffee.

It may not be technically latte but it is what I have been doing for years.
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Old 03-04-2016, 14:18
peach45
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I use my Moka pot for the coffee, then heat some milk in the microwave for 2 minutes, and give it a few pumps in a small french press. Lovely. Can't be bothered with the Tassimo anymore.
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