10 Facts About Traditional Italian Lattes That You Should Know

Traditional Italian cuisine has a long history of being brought over to America and being changed forever by innovative immigrants. From ravioli to pizza to coffee, many dishes that Americans consider Italian are actually modern twists that have become nearly unrecognizable from their traditional counterparts. For better or worse, this has bred an entire generation of people who love Italian food ... until they go to Italy!

Italian coffee in particular is often seen as a premium product, which makes sense considering the country's lengthy history with the energizing beans. Plus, there are few activities to do in Italy that are more iconic than sipping a beverage with espresso under a cute cafe's umbrellas, making it a popular bucket list activity for everyone from college students to retirees. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of chain coffee shops selling brews with flavored syrups and a variety of espresso blends, most Americans would probably be confused and disappointed if they placed their standard latte order abroad. Of course, you don't have to go to Italy to get a more artisanal coffee drink, since basically anyone can learn how to make a latte at home easily. 

However, to have a truly authentic Italian latte, there are a few important distinctions from the American versions. Any coffee connoisseur should know about these differences, whether they plan on jet-setting off to Rome, or simply want to incorporate more mindfulness during their morning routine.

Many people take for granted that this popular espresso drink is Italian in origin, but if you travel to the country and order a latte, you won't get any caffeine at all. Latte is just "milk" in Italian, and it's become a bit of a joke to get served a glass of milk when mistakenly asking for a latte when ordering coffee from cafes in Italy. 

How did this mistranslation happen? The term was first used in the mid-19th century by none other than an American, writer William Dean Howell, though he was more accurate than the history that followed, naming the drink caffè e latte (or, "coffee and milk"). As time went on and the drink became popular stateside, most cafes shortened the name of the drink to simply latte. This also made it much easier to advertise the various forms of "milk and coffee" by differentiating between a standard latte and other, similar espresso drinks.

Today, a caffè latte is what most people want when they ask for a latte while vacationing in Italy, unless they really would prefer to start the day with plain milk. The caffè in the equation is still espresso, which is really just a concentrated form of finely ground coffee brewed with high pressure — although in Italy, it will most likely come in, at most, an 8-ounce cup. So, before you get stuck traveling with a glass of milk instead of life-sustaining espresso, just remember to say the full name of the drink: caffè latte.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? For some, that's easier said than done, especially for those who like a mid-afternoon caffeine kick via their favorite latte. That's because traditional Italian lattes aren't supposed to be ordered after 11 a.m. It's considered to be a pretty big faux pas, as milk is seen as a beverage fit only for breakfast and babies in Italy, as Illy's master barista Giorgio Milos explains to HuffPost. In fact, most cafes won't even serve drinks that call for milk, including things such as macchiatos. As for Italians themselves, their culture is staunchly against any latte orders after noon, under any circumstances.

Luckily, that's as far as the cultural stigma goes, with plenty of Italians enjoying espressos, Americanos, and other caffeinated drinks that don't have cream throughout the day. After all, it's not the espresso's fault that caffè lattes are undrinkable in the afternoon, according to Italians. The milk is the real problem, seen as too heavy alongside other meals and daytime activities like work. Although other dairy products, like cheese, are perfectly acceptable to snack on, something about fatty milk just doesn't sit right with Italian lunch and dinner. 

That actually makes a lot of sense and rings true for plenty of Americans, too. Still, if you're craving a traditional Italian latte in the afternoon, you might have to settle for something closer to a dry cappuccino instead.

Traditional Italian lattes are most commonly a drink you have at home, just as many Americans make coffee at home before heading off to work. It wasn't until 1906 that the first espresso machine was publicly displayed by Luigi Bezzera and Desiderio Pavoni at the Milan Fair. Despite the obvious genius of such a machine, most Italians didn't get one to take home with them. Even today, not many of us have espresso machines at home, even if we love a good latte in the morning. Instead, an invention helped bring espresso drinks into Italian homes some years later: the moka pot. 

These cylindrical, metal pots have an octagonal shape and three compartments. They quickly became staples of Italian kitchens by the 1950s. Still popular today, moka pots continue to take their place on stovetops until they're needed each morning. These simple pots are also often found in Hispanic households, thanks to the popularity of the Cuban coffee drink, café con leche. 

Similar to the espresso machine, the moka pot works by creating a lot of pressure between the boiling water in the base of the pot, the espresso tightly packed in the central compartment, and the heated steam that fills the top. Traditionally, Italian caffè lattes are made at home. So, for a seriously authentic latte experience, employing a moka pot is the best way forward, especially since they can be a pretty small investment, typically priced anywhere from $20 to $100.

It may not come as a surprise to many, but food and drinks in the U.S. contain much more sugar than almost anywhere else on the planet, Italy included. Those with a sweet tooth probably won't like traditional Italian lattes, as they don't usually come with sugar added at all. The sweetness of the drink is provided entirely by the milk added to the espresso. In contrast, lattes in the U.S. often contain about 3% sugar, either through granulated sugar or, more commonly, sugary syrups. It might not sound like much, but that 3% makes a big difference, especially when bumped up against the bitterness of quality Italian espresso. 

Additionally, even though most Italian cafes now offer self-serve sugar stations, tourists would be hard-pressed to find an authentic cafe serving any caffè lattes with flavored syrups. A somewhat uniquely American addition, your best bet for syrup in your coffee while traveling abroad is Starbucks. If you really want an authentic Italian latte, that means no hazelnut, no peppermint mocha, and certainly no pumpkin spice!

Of course, the tried-and-true method to cut down on the bitterness of an espresso shot is to add water, which makes an Americano, the option Italians invented just for Americans who can't handle their strong coffee drinks. Adding water won't change the drink too much, but to get that traditional Italian flavor, there's no way around it: skip on the sugar in a caffè latte.

Most people expect their lattes to come with espresso, frothed milk, and a thin layer of foam at the top. This is the type of latte that is served by nearly every chain coffee shop in North America, and even by most of the small, local cafes people love to visit. However, this is yet another aspect of the drink that's a bit of a departure from tradition. In place of frothed milk, most traditional Italian lattes use only steamed milk. Typically, frothed milk is used exclusively for cappuccinos, so it doesn't belong in a caffè latte. 

Another more important reason exists for authentic lattes to be made by skipping the frothed milk: by steaming the milk, a thin layer of creamy microfoam forms, where latte art can be added (more on this below). That also means the steamed milk goes on top of espresso shots in a caffè latte, rather than the other way around. If the espresso shot is added after the milk, it leaves behind dots "marking" the drink as a macchiato. 

There isn't much of a taste difference between frothed and steamed milk, but the texture is fairly different. Frothed milk is more aerated than steamed milk, making drinks look pretty thick, despite being light and airy. On the other hand, steamed milk is smoother, since it's heated evenly and creates smaller bubbles, leading to a velvety texture that goes down smooth and offers a more even distribution of flavor.

As you might have realized, the caffè latte isn't a drink with a particularly long history. Sure, there was technically a patent filed in 1884 by a man named Angelo Moriondo from Turin, Italy. But his idea of a "new steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage," as translated into English by Smithsonian Magazine, would unfortunately not be made a reality — and improved upon — until more than 20 years later by the aforementioned Luigi Bezzera and Desiderio Pavoni. 

Italians had already been incorporating fairly strong, high-quality coffee as part of their morning routines for centuries, thanks to their proximity to the Middle East, which provided them with the world's best coffee during the Renaissance. However, the concentrated form of espresso didn't arrive in cafes until after the Industrial Revolution.

The invention of the espresso machine was only the beginning, and it took a while for it to take off at all. In the meantime, moka pots made espresso easy to have at home, as previously mentioned. Once the shadow of World War II was behind Italy and more households added a moka pot to their kitchen, espresso really started to catch on. Even though it seems like an iconic Italian tradition, the truth is, espresso-based lattes and other drinks are a 20th-century innovation.

One of the most alluring aspects of a latte are the pretty white lines on top, shaped out of the foam to create fun shapes or beautiful flowers. Latte art has its own culture, with many baristas trying their hand at the craft every day. But most coffee drinkers might be surprised to hear that it isn't a part of Italian tradition at all. In fact, latte art is an American innovation on the drink. 

Perhaps originally serving as a creative outlet for bored baristas, latte art was first introduced to cafes by David Schomer in the late 1980s. Being the owner of Espresso Vivace, a cafe in Seattle, Washington, Schomer had been practicing with latte foam for a while before developing the rosetta pattern, he tells Perfect Daily Grind. One of the most recognizable latte art motifs around, this is the pattern that uses semi-circles to fill half of the cup's surface, while a flower pokes up through the middle, cresting the top of the image. Other latte art was developed by baristas toward the end of this decade, too, with Schomer noting Sarah Hunting's 1988 bee shape and Lisa Persons' heart shape being created the following year. 

While there had been some reports of latte art in Italy prior to these additions, most industry professionals agree that Schomer's Espresso Vivace was the origin of the popular decorations. Today, latte fans with espresso machines at home can try their hand at adding some art to their drinks with ease, thanks to the techniques developed during the '80s coffee boom.

Seattle, Washington is well-known for its role in coffee culture, particularly in the 1980s. The city popularized artisanal brews and special drinks, including modern lattes, making them an essential part of every city's morning. However, even though lattes were popularized in the '80s by Seattleite baristas, the drink actually originated in a different location altogether. You may be tempted to guess that lattes come from a small Italian town, but you'd be wrong. Surprisingly, the modern latte is recognized as having been invented at the Caffè Mediterraneum in California.

Around the time that the moka pot was making its way across Italian homes to bring espresso to their doorsteps, Lino Meiorin was serving as the Bay Area's first ever Italian-trained barista. As the story goes, in the late 1950s and in response to his customers' complaints about the overly bitter espresso drinks he offered, Meiorin decided to add more milk — or, "latte" in Italian, as you'll recall — to his patrons' drinks, while not changing the amount of espresso included. Thus, the latte was born, though perhaps not in the exact same form we're used to. 

Served in larger quantities, which his customers were also asking for anyway, we've since eschewed the bowls and pint glasses Meiorin's creations were initially served in. However, his serving ideas clearly weren't too far off the mark, considering the wide mugs and extra-large to-go cups you can order from just about any cafe today.

Those in search of a traditional Italian latte might be closer to its origins than they think. The caffè latte is far from unique, even if it is the original. The drink was simply too good to be kept as an Italian secret, and France and Spain followed quickly with their own versions.

Francophones may prefer a café au lait over a standard Italian latte, but lo and behold, they'd be ordering the same drink. At the same time, Spain's café con leche is also based on the traditional Italian latte, though this drink is now more closely associated with Cuban culture. There are some slight differences between these drinks, but the small amount of espresso with a bit of steamed milk on top is tough to spin without changing one of the key ingredients. The most notable distinction between the three drinks is the fact that they come in different sizes, with the café con leche being the smallest, the caffé latte being that straightforward 8 ounces, and café au laits being served in sizable, wide-mouthed mugs. 

If you're going for a totally traditional drink, none of them get any sugar added, instead relying on the milk as a sweetener. However, if you're from an Italian, French, or Hispanic household, you're likely already used to having a pretty authentic latte experience.

The dog days of summer are a Roman invention, but that doesn't mean that they're particularly worried about beating the heat, especially through their coffee-based beverages. Even though they've become an essential part of life for millions of coffee drinkers, the sad truth is that iced lattes simply don't exist in Italian coffee culture. Obviously, international chain cafes such as Starbucks will still have a fix for you, but if you want something authentically Italian, you won't be able to enjoy your standard iced latte order.

However, there is still hope for those who enjoy a cold, caffeinated beverage while on vacation. There is a drink called a caffè shakerato, and it's the closest thing to an iced latte that you can hope for in Italy, as it offers a cold espresso, something most Italians don't often enjoy. It's not quite recognizable as an iced latte, but it has everything you want from one. To make a caffè shakerato, all you have to do is shake an espresso shot with ice cubes and sugar, then strain the mix into a cup. 

If you have a home bar, this recipe will be easy to follow, if a little strange from your usual cup of coffee. If you really want, you could keep the ice when you pour, but if you order a caffè shakerato in Italy, there probably won't be room for ice, as the drink is usually served in a cocktail glass.