WHERE DOES THE WORD LATTE COME FROM?

Would you consider yourself someone who regularly speaks Italian?

Well, it turns out, if you often find yourself ordering a latte, you speak more Italian than you may have thought.

The word “latte” derives from the Italian word for “milk.” So for instance, if you order a “caffe latte,” that literally translates to “coffee with milk.” The latte origin is actually a result of Americans visiting Vienna in the 1800s and finding the taste of pure Italian coffee too bitter for their tastebuds.

This eventually led to Italians ordering a “caffe latte” so the milk would cut through the rich espresso taste and thus, the latte was born. The latte is not the only time a drink was created just to cater to the “American taste palette”. The same reasoning behind the latte is how the Americano was also created. Americans wanted to have their espresso’s watered down, not only to cut the rich taste but also to be able to get a larger serving of coffee to drink.

Still to this day in Italy, large sizes of coffee are not custom. The typical coffee shop menu in Italy consists of the basics: espresso shot, cappuccino, latte, and cioccolato (an Italian hot chocolate). And as far as latte’s, the largest size you can get is 6oz-8oz. (Fun fact: In Italy, it is tradition to not drink any coffee with milk in it after 12 p.m.)

So, next time you order a latte, make sure to greet your barista with a good ole Italian “Ciao!”