Contents
There are various coffee drinks available in the market. Deciding between buying or making them can be confusing at times. This content will guide you through the key differences between a Latte and a Frappuccino, how they are usually made, what they taste like, and so on.
A Latte is a beverage with steamed milk added to espresso, including a bit of milk foam. Meanwhile, Frappuccino is cold coffee, primarily sold by Starbucks. It is usually a blend of ice cream, milkshake, and cappuccino.
Latte and Frappuccino differ a lot in terms of how they’re made and how they taste. Also, there are a wide variety of ways by which these two coffee drinks can impact the way they taste.
What Is Latte?
Typically, a latte is considered as 60ml of double espresso shot blended with 300ml of steamed milk. It is topped off with a small layer of milk foam. This will typically ensure a hot, slightly sweet, creamy and coffee-like taste to the Latte.
You will find two vital machines to make an espresso. The first is a traditional espresso machine, where you use the portafilter to ground the coffee. The other one is a pod machine where you simply put the pod in the machine and switch the button on.
What Is Frappuccino?
A Frappuccino is a cold beverage drink that comprises a milkshake, iced tea, or ice cream, added and mixed with a cappuccino. The Frappuccino is originally made by Starbucks, and it is available in a wide range of flavors.
A Frappuccino and Latte differ a lot in terms of their taste. The significant way by which they both differ is that a Frappuccino is served cold, whereas a Latte is served hot. In addition, a Frappuccino usually has a sweet taste, mostly depending on your chosen flavor.
Most coffee-enthusiasts love the mocha and vanilla Frappuccino flavors. These two frappuccino flavors are highly popular.
Difference Between Latte And Frappuccino
The Cafe Latte originated in Italy, which is quite obvious with the name. You will be surprised to know that Latte originated around the 1950s.
Meanwhile, the Frappuccino originated in Greece. A Nescafe worker invented it in 1957. Back then, it was a drink with a blend of milk, little water (mostly ice), and sugar with instant coffee (Nescafe coffee, for sure). Due to the bitter taste of the foam that appeared on the topping, it was served with a straw.
The latte was introduced in America in the mid-80s and has gained huge popularity since the late 90s. Latte has become an omnipresent drink that everyone knows today.
However, Frappuccino took a little more time to spread and gain popularity. The reason may be their taste, quality, or availability. Back in the 2004 Athens Olympics, this drink found its gateway to popularity and is now known by every cafe shop and coffee-lovers worldwide.
Comparison Chart
| Latte | Frappuccino |
| It comes of Italian origin | It comes from Greek origin and is a popular Starbucks drink now. |
| Cafe Latte includes cafe espresso as one of its ingredients | Frappuccino does not consist of espresso. |
| High steamed milk, less milk foam | Less steamed milk, high milk foam |
Both are delicious coffee shop items, but you just know their key differences before ordering one of them. Here, you will come to the bottom line to review the highlights of the differences between Latte and frappuccino.
- Ingredients: Lattes consist of hot espresso, whereas Frappuccino uses normal room-temperature instant coffee.
- Flavor: Lattes ensure a strong coffee-like flavor, while Frappuccino offers a sweeter flavor and taste.
- Temperature: A latte is a hot beverage, whereas a Frappuccino is a cold blended beverage.
- Texture: Lattes have a fine, smooth texture, whereas the Frappuccino has a thick consistency.
- Caffeine: A latte consists of a bit higher caffeine level than a Frappuccino.
How To Make Latte?
For making a latte, it will be essential to make espresso first. This is because you will be able to add steamed milk with milk foam.
Now, what’s espresso, you may ask? It’s a dense mixture of coffee and water where the pressurized water pushes down through ground coffee to make the perfect blend.
As it needs pressurized water to pass through the ground coffee, it becomes crucial to use a special machine that is designed explicitly for this job.
Using Traditional Espresso Machine
The benefit of using the conventional style of espresso machine is immensely helpful. It will allow you to control the way you make the espresso and the taste you want from it.
It does so by enabling you to choose the type of beans, their origin, their roast, amount of coffee grind to use, how finely the coffee grind should be, and the temperature to set the water to be. Each of these factors has a great impact on the way the espresso tastes.
However, you have to spend a lot of effort and time on your behalf. This is because you’ll need time to make the espresso, which is only the first step to making a latte, followed by cleaning the equipment. You can get one of the best traditional espresso machines from e-commerce sites like Amazon.
Using Pod Machine
If you look for the pod machine options, things will become much easier. This easy-to-use machine allows simple operation. You have only to put the pod in the machine and switch on the button.
The only downside to this machine is lesser control over the way you want your espresso to taste.
However, you will enjoy a consistent taste of espresso that you can hardly get from a traditional machine. In addition, pod machines offer you multiple flavors to choose from, making it unusual for you not to find a taste that you like.
Currently, the Nespresso Inissia is the most trending pod-style espresso machine worldwide.
Final Step To Make Latte
While you make the espresso, it will be necessary to steam the milk without producing too much foam. Once you’re done making the espresso and steaming the milk, you can proceed to the next step.
Now, simply add the milk to your espresso, and there you go. Your Latte is ready. Here, you can use any type of milk (toned, double-toned, etc.), and the type of milk used to make the Latte will have an impact on its taste.
However, if you use whole-cream milk, your Latte will taste a bit creamier, but using low-fat milk will make the Latte less creamy.
What Impacts Taste of Latte?
Numerous factors impact the taste of the Latte, depending on the way you’re making it. The origin of the coffee beans, their type, and their roast will directly impact the Latte’s taste.
Coffee beans that have a light roast and are single-sourced will usually have a more bitter taste. However, you will get a more balanced taste from a blend of coffee beans. When the beans have a dark roast, it will automatically make the Latte taste a bit more bitter.
In addition, the amount of coffee used and the grind involved in making the espresso also impact Latte’s taste. If you find the coffee beans to be ground too fine, it indicates that the water will pass through it slowly yet steadily. It will result in the espresso having a bitter taste. o
Also, if the coffee beans are a less fine grind, it means that the Latte will have a more sour taste. As mentioned earlier, the quantity of milk and the type of milk used in making a Latte also have an impact on its taste.
Frappuccino: Blended or Whisked?
The Latte is typically mixed with only one thing, which is milk. It gets poured over the espresso shot and enables it to mix properly.
However, Frappuccino is always blended in the blender, but it can sometimes be made with a whisk. This whisk technique is ideal for those who are trying to make Frappe at home.
That’s exactly how they got frothy milk instead of the steam wand that you would’ve used in the milk for making a latte.