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A latte

A latte (also referred to as a caffè latte, and sometimes erroneously spelled “latté”) is a type of coffee drink made with hot milk.

In Italian, latte (IPA: [ˈlat̪t̪e], anglicised as IPA: /ˈlɑːteɪ/) is simply the word for milk. What in English-speaking countries is now called a latte would be referred to in Italy as "caffè e latte" (in colloquial Italian "caffellatte" - with one or two "l"^[1]), literally "coffee and milk", similar to the French café au lait and the Spanish café con leche. Caffelatte is today part of the defined international coffee menu, which also includes cappuccino and espresso.

The Italian origin is still the inspiration, but international methods of serving may differ greatly from the original (for example, by the darkness of the roast, the use of espresso, and the foaming of milk). In Europe, it is also common to use the French term café au lait, although in the United States this is defined as regular coffee with warm milk, often served in a bowl. As recently as 1980, if one ordered a "latte" in an Italian coffeehouse in North America, one would expect to get a glass of milk — and if one ordered a "caffelatte," one would get a beverage very similar to what is called a "latte" by today's standards.^{[citation needed]}

Steamed milk, one of the primary ingredients of a latte

In Italy, caffelatte is almost always prepared at home, for breakfast only. The coffee is brewed with a stovetop Moka and poured into a cup containing heated milk. (The Moka does not produce true espresso, but rather a double-strength coffee. Also, unlike the international latte drink, the milk in the Italian original is not foamed.)

Outside Italy, a latte is typically prepared with approximately one third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk, with a layer of foamed milk approximately one quarter inch thick on the top. The drink is similar to a cappuccino; the difference being that a cappuccino has half the amount of milk. In a latte, a spoon is used to separate the layers of foam and steamed milk, while the milk in a cappuccino is spooned onto the espresso (lattes also typically have a far lower amount of foam). A variant on the latte is the flat white, which is a serving fill of about one-third espresso, with steamed milk then added, while holding no froth at the top.

The evolution of this term (and this particular form of the beverage) is relatively recent in the US (but considerably older in Europe) and probably dates from the spread of the 1980's Seattle coffee trend to the rest of the United States (and beyond) via the growth of Seattle-based Starbucks.^{[citation needed]} Some baristas create latte art, designs in frothed milk atop a latte.

• In some establishments, lattes are served in a glass on a saucer with a napkin which can be used to hold the (sometimes hot) glass.

• A latte is sometimes served in a bowl.

• The complicated pricing schemes offered by some establishments have led to the practice of ghetto latte (sometimes called bootleg latte), whereby some customers use the free milk and other condiments to convert a cheaper latte to a more expensive one.

• In Asia and North America, lattes have been combined with Asian teas. Coffee and tea shops now offer hot or iced latte versions of chai, matcha (Japanese powdered green tea), and Royal milk tea.

• Other flavorings can be added to the latte to suit the taste of the drinker. Vanilla, chocolate, and caramel are all popular variants.