Whilst we are a nation of coffee shop addicts, sometimes you just want to enjoy that coffee shop quality in the comfort of your own home. Follow our handy guide in this article, and you’ll be sipping a Starbucks style Latte in no time!

Avoid Coffee Shop Errors

OK so perhaps a ‘Starbucks style Latte’ was a bit of an misnomer; Maybe your made at home latter will be even better than your average coffee chains because you’ve avoided these common mistakes:

Over-heating the milk

Either through not concentrating, or just through not having the correct know-how, many barista’s produce coffees with milk that has been scalded through overheating. To avoid this be sure to follow our temperature and time guides for heating your milk.

”I ordered a coffee, not air!”

Have you ever received your much needed caffeine boost to find that it is distinctly ‘airy’? Well that was because the coffee has been made without removing the excess air bubbles in the process. Avoid this by following step five to the letter!

What you’ll need…

Espresso 3/4 cup (~175 ml) to 1 cup (~235 ml) milk Milk foaming jug (e.g. A heat resistant, metal jug) Option – Vanilla Syrup (or another flavour that takes your fancy)

Step 1

Fill your milk foaming jug with milk by about a third.

Step 2

Put the steam arm in a position where it is just under the milks surface.

Step 3 – Foam the milk

Turn the steam onto full and check for the sharp noise that is heard in the coffee shop. If it’s a deep noise you hear then you have placed the armed too far into the jug, try moving it up bit by bit and listening to the change in sound. Expect to see the milk expanding into nice foam, when it does, you’ll need to lower the arm. Tip: If you are a perfectionist then test the heat of the milk. At around 40/45°C you need to move onto step 4.

Step 4 – Texturise the milk

Now you want to add the milk that you have foamed into the remainder of the milk. Place the tip further into the jug Angle the jug and place the tip further into it, then gently swirl the jug so that the tip is effectively mixing the milk components. Tip: If you are a perfectionist then you should stop once the milk reaches 70°C

Step 5 – Remove Excess bubbles

To remove those pesky air bubbles you should bang the foaming jug on a work surface, careful to not do it too hard however, else you’ll end up with steaming hot milk all over you!

Step 6 – Pour into your Espresso

For the perfect latte you should add the milk to your espresso, being sure to use the right amounts of the foamed milk and the textured milk (you’re looking for just a hint of foam for the top). For that extra professional touch use your heat resistant tall glass cup and finish with a dash of chocolate powder!

Do you love coffee as much as the wave of middle class shoplifters in the news recently? Let us know in the comments below!

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Sandra is a coffee fiend with a taste for home ground beans. When she isn’t quaffing quality espresso, she writes for Jura Coffee Machines.

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