How do you make the best latte macchiato at home?

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Earlier I told you how to make the most delicious latte (or also known as Caffè Latte) at home with an espresso machine, but that there is sometimes confusion about the name of this coffee and a latte macchiato. After all, they look similar and you could also assume that a latte is just a shortened name of a latte macchiato. But nothing could be further from the truth, because they are really different coffees.

As I mentioned in the previous blog about the perfect latte, the difference is mainly in the taste sensation and the preparation method. Where you mainly work with steamed milk with a latte, you also use a lot of foamed milk for a latte macchiato made with an espresso machine . I will explain how you do this in this blog.

Fun fact: The latte macchiato as we know it has mainly become known to the general public through the television advertisement of Friesche Vlag about a latte macchiato in such a beautiful tall glass.

Read also: All types of coffee in a handy overview

What do you need to prepare?

If you want to start preparing the perfect latte macchiato, there are a few things similar to preparing a latte. Namely that you also start making, or mastering, the perfect espresso with your home espresso machine.

If you've only just got an espresso machine, it really pays to learn how to make the very best coffee (with a fresh coffee bean , of course) with a semi-automatic espresso machine. You can read the instruction for the perfect espresso from an espresso machine in this blog. If you have recently purchased a Sage espresso machine , I would like to refer you to our instruction for that specific home machine to give your latte macchiato the best start.

You also want to learn more about frothing the best milk for your latte macchiato. One thing, you don't necessarily need Friesche Vlag milk ;-). Choose the tastiest milk that goes with your favorite latte macchiato. We ourselves are fans of full-fat fresh and fat milk such as Jersey milk, but try out what the different types of milk do with your ideal latte macchiato.

Put this milk nice and cold beforehand for the best result. For frothing milk for a latte macchiato you want a lot of microfoam, so practice making thick frothed milk with your home espresso machine (but without bubbles!).

Oh yes, the latte macchiato has of course become known through the Frisian flag with its layers in a nice tall glass, so prepare such a glass in any case preheated with a long teaspoon.

What is a latte macchiato?

If you want to make a latte macchiato at home, it is of course useful to know what it is exactly. A latte macchiato is a recipe, a coffee preparation that has gained a lot of fame and popularity among the general public in recent years. It is also a coffee that you can easily prepare at home if you have the right tools at your fingertips.

A latte macchiato is a coffee that is often served in a high transparent glass so that you can see the layers very nicely. More foam at the top, coffee in the middle and warm milk at the bottom. White, brown, white. A latte macchiato literally means 'stained milk', because of the colours. Now you may better understand why. Funny right?!

You can prepare a latte macchiato at home with a semi-automatic or fully automatic espresso machine that you can use to froth milk, or with a separate milk frother because the milk can be nice and thick.

With a latte macchiato, unlike other milk coffees that are prepared with an espresso machine, the coffee is poured into the milk instead of the other way around. So do you want to make the most delicious latte macchiato at home? Then pay close attention to the following steps in the section below.

How do I make a nice latte macchiato at home?

You should now be well prepared for making a perfect latte macchiato at home with your own espresso machine. What exactly are the steps?

Pour your cooled favorite milk into a milk jug to froth it nice and thick. You make the frothed milk firmer by placing the steam pipe of your espresso machine a little higher on the milk, so that relatively more air is added.

Make sure that you stick to microfoam and that you do not create large air bubbles with your espresso machine, as this does not benefit the taste of a perfect latte macchiato. You then put the milk in a large long glass and let it stand for a while so that the layers can separate (foam rises, warm milk falls). You can probably do this just (almost) to the rim of the glass because the espresso will mix with the milk.

You prepare the perfect espresso shot with your espresso machine, exactly according to the instructions that match your favorite coffee bean or based on your own favorite recipe.

I'm always a fan of a double espresso, because you often use a somewhat larger glass for a latte macchiato and therefore the coffee preparation quickly becomes too weak, but tastes differ of course. Does the tall glass not fit under your home espresso machine? No problem at all, because it is precisely the intention with a latte macchiato that you pour your coffee into the milk afterwards, so make your coffee in a mini jug or in an espresso cup.

When you have the milk in a glass and your espresso is ready, it's time to slowly pour your espresso, freshly brewed from your own espresso machine, onto the milk. This is how the well-known layers of a typical latte macchiato can be created.

This is done on the basis of weight: milk is heavier than coffee, and milk foam is lighter than coffee. So the warm milk at the bottom, then the coffee and then the foam. Serve with a long spoon and enjoy the perfect latte macchiato from your own espresso machine at home!

Conclusion

I hope you have become much wiser after reading this blog about preparing the perfect latte macchiato at home from your own espresso machine. The latte macchiato has gained a lot of fame in recent years through the aforementioned television advertisement and now that more and more people have a good espresso machine at home, it has become even tastier!

A fine espresso machine at home is therefore a good basis, but being able to handle it is an art. Our earlier instructions on how to brew the perfect espresso with a semi-automatic machine will certainly get you a long way, and after that it's just practice practice practice! If you can also froth your favorite type of milk perfectly, you have the two basic elements ready.

A latte macchiato therefore revolves around the method of preparation; namely pouring the coffee (slowly) onto the milk. This is the other way around than you are probably used to with your espresso machine (for example when making a cappuccino), but it does provide the well-known layers of a latte macchiato. If a latte macchiato is your favorite coffee, you really have to try this!