Types of Latte Drinks
Your ultimate guide to latte types
Whether you want to experiment with making latte drinks at home and add a twist to your home-made milky coffee or you want to know what to expect at your local coffee shops, here you’ll find some useful information about different types of latte drinks.
What is latte?
Latte or cafe latte is simply a shot of espresso with frothy milk and a thin layer of foam on top and it’s one of the most popular milky coffee drinks. That’s the classic version of caffe latte, but there are many types of lattes and many different coffee latte flavors.
Here we describe 21 types of latte drinks for your inspiration. Most of these lattes are based on espresso and frothed milk.
21 kinds of latte
- Earl Grey latte
- Pumpkin spice latte
- Matcha latte
- Macchiato latte
- Piccolo latte
- Chai tea latte
- Dirty chai latte
- Caramel latte
- Mocha latte
- Slate mocha latte
- Turmeric latte
- Iced latte
- Iced chai latte
- Ube latte
- Korean style latte
- Hojicha latte
- Blonde latte
- Vanilla latte
- Pistachio latte
- Lavender latte
- White chocolate latte
So what exactly are these various latte type drinks? What’s in them and how to make them? Here is more about it.
Various latte drinks explained
1. Earl Grey latte
What is Earl Grey latte?
Earl Grey latte consists of:
- tea extract
- 1 part water
- 1 part sugar
- espresso
- frothed milk
To make Earl Grey latte, first you need to brew some tea in hot water, ideally for a couple of hours. Next you need to dial in a double espresso shot and add sugar to it. Mix tea and coffee and pour frothed milk at the end.
2. Pumpkin spice latte
People often ask: What is a Cinderella latte?
A Cinderella latte, or simply a pumpkin spice latte is a twist on latte where we add pumpkin puree and pumpkin cake spices. It’s a tasty, comforting drink, perfect for autumn and winter treats.
Pumpkin spice latte ingredients include:
- 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree per cup
- ground spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove
- vanilla
- sugar – optional
- espresso or espresso-like coffee
- frothed milk
To prepare a pumpkin spice latte drink:
- mix the pumpkin puree with the spices and warm them up
- froth the milk and blend it with the pumpkin mixture
- brew your coffee
- add the milk to the coffee and stir in gently
- garnish with the spices of your choice and whipped cream (optional)
3. Matcha latte
What is a matcha latte?
Matcha latte is a latte made with green matcha tea powder instead of espresso.
It can be served with hot frothed or cold milk, often topped with whipped cream. There is also an iced matcha latte version.
4. Latte macchiato
What is a macchiato latte?
Latte macchiato is an indulgent milky coffee drink where frothed milk is topped up with espresso. Macchiato latte is served in a tall glass topped up with two shots of espresso, often with a layer of white foam on top.
What is the difference between latte macchiato and latte?
The important difference between latte macchiato and latte or other milky coffees is that in macchiato we add coffee to milk, not the other way round. Macchiato means ‘stained’ or ‘spotted, so it has a literal meaning for this type of coffee. You stain milk by pouring espresso into it. The same applies to espresso macchiato – you stain espresso with a drop of milk.
5. Piccolo latte
What is a piccolo latte?
Piccolo latte is a milk coffee that is popular in Australia.
To make piccolo latte we need a ristretto shot and milk foam. The coffee to milk froth ratio in piccolo latte is 1:4.
6. Chai tea latte
What is a chai tea latte?
Chai tea latte is simply a latte with chai tea added to it. Chai latte consists of chai tea concentrate, double shot of espresso and frothed milk.
Preparing chai latte we pour the milk and tea mixture into the coffee. We can serve it in cups or glasses, just like a latte. Sometimes different spices are also added to chai latte, e.g cardamom, cinnamon and others.
7. Dirty chai latte
What is a dirty chai latte?
Dirty chai latte is a variation of chai latte where frothed milk is mixed with tea first and then espresso is poured into it. Another difference between chai latte and dirty chai latte is that the dirty chai latte uses only one shot of espresso. It can also contain a black tea brew instead of chai tea.
8. Caramel latte
What is a caramel latte?
Caramel latte is a regular latte with a twist, we add caramel sauce to it. This milky coffee drink is sweet and creamy and can be served as a dessert coffee drink.
Caramel latte ingredients include:
- espresso
- milk
- caramel sauce
- vanilla extract
- whipped cream – optional
Preparation:
- froth the milk
- gently stir in the caramel sauce and vanilla extract until caramel has dissolved
- add coffee
- serve in a tall glass with whipped cream topping
9. Mocha latte
What is a mocha latte?
Mocha latte is one of the popular coffee drinks, contains espresso with chocolate and steamed frothy milk. In another way we can describe mocha as a latte with chocolate.
To prepare mocha latte we mix chocolate powder or chocolate sauce with espresso and then add frothed milk to it. Mocha latte can be topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate powder. It can be served in tall glasses, mugs or cups, in a similar way to latte.
10. Slate mocha latte
What is slate mocha latte?
Slate mocha latte is a popular protein coffee drink. It’s a ready to drink, canned high protein shake flavored with mocha latte. You can find slate mocha latte on Amazon or at Walmart.
11. Turmeric latte
What is turmeric latte?
Turmeric latte is a sweetened mix of espresso, milk, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper. These spices go extremely well with espresso in milk and make your coffee super healthy.
Yo may also like:
- What you can add to coffee to make it healthier
Turmeric latte ingredients:
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of ginger
- pinch of black pepper
- spoon of honey, maple syrup or sugar
- vanilla – optional
- espresso
- milk
To prepare turmeric latte you can use any strong coffee and any type of milk. In my opinion, almond milk makes a really good turmeric latte.
Preparation:
- mix the spices and honey with milk
- warm the mixture up in a saucepan
- pour a single espresso to a latte cup
- add the milk with spices to the cup
- garnish with cinnamon and turmeric
12. Iced latte
What is an iced latte?
An iced latte is a simple milky coffee with espresso, frothed milk and ice. To prepare an iced latte we mix an espresso with cold frothed milk and pour it over a tall glass filled with ice cubes. Simple and refreshing!
13. Iced chai latte
What is an iced chai latte?
An iced chai latte is chai tea with espresso, milk, ice, honey and a blend of chai spices.
Typically we add to iced chai latte spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Instead of honey, you can also sweeten it with maple syrup, agave syrup or sugar.
14. Ube latte
What is an ube latte?
Ube latte is a mix of black coffee, milk, sugar and ube powder or ube flavoring.
What is ube?
Ube is a purple yam, often available to buy in the form of powder, paste or ube flavoring. It’s sweet, has a nutty and earthy taste, reminiscent of sweet potato and gives the drink a spectacular look by adding the purple color.
How to make an ube latte?
To make an ube latte you can use espresso, espresso-like brew or even instant coffee. It can be served hot or cold with ice.
Ingredients for ube latte:
- 2 heaped spoons of ube powder or ube jam
- milk or plant-based milk (hot or cold)
- double espresso or any other black coffee brew
- sweetener of your choice
- ice – optional
Preparation:
- dissolve a spoon of uber powder in milk (you can do it directly in the serving glass)
- stir in the sweetener
- add coffee
15. Korean latte
What is a Korean style latte?
Korean latte, also called dalgona coffee, is instant coffee whipped with sugar and water into a thick cream and served with hot or cold milk. A shot of espresso can be added to the milk for extra strength and it can be served with ice cubes.
Here you will find our dalgona recipe.
16. Hojicha latte – Japanese style latte
What is a hojicha latte?
A hojicha latte or Japanese latte is a tea latte made from Japanese roasted green tea (hojicha), and frothed milk. It’s similar to matcha latte, but it doesn’t have the bitterness of green tea. Hojicha is naturally sweet and has a smoky flavor with distinct cocoa notes. Hojicha latte can be served hot or iced.
To prepare a hojicha latte you can use hojicha powder mixed with hot water or hojicha tea extract instead of coffee. You pour frothed milk into it the same way as you do for latte.
17. Blonde latte
What is a blonde latte?
Blonde latte is a milk coffee drink with two espresso shots and steamed milk. It’s called blonde because it uses lighter roast espresso beans. There are different versions of blonde latte including added ice or various flavored syrups in it.
18. Vanilla latte
What is vanilla latte?
Vanilla latte is simply a classic latte coffee with added vanilla syrup or vanilla extract.
If you want to prepare a vanilla latte at home, mix vanilla syrup with milk and froth it. Pour the milk with vanilla over the espresso. You can top it up with whipped cream for extra indulgence. On a hot day it will taste great with cold milk and ice!
19. Pistachio latte
What is in a pistachio latte?
Pistachio latte is a regular latte with added pistachio syrup. It can be served hot with frothed milk or cold over ice. A pistachio latte consists of:
- a shot of espresso
- frothed milk
- pistachio syrup
- whipped cream – optional
- chopped pistachios to garnish
If you want to prepare a pistachio latte at home, mix the pistachio syrup with milk and froth it. Pour the milk over the espresso in a latte cup or glass. You can top it up with whipped cream and garnish with finely chopped pistachio nuts. Alternatively you can use pistachio paste instead of syrup.
Pistachio latte looks best in a tall glass where you can see the different colours of layers.
20. Lavender latte
What is a lavender latte?
A lavender latte is a classic coffee drink with a twist – with added lavender syrup. It can be served hot or cold over ice.
What does a lavender latte taste like?
Lavender latte is sweet and has delicate floral notes with a hit of coffee.
To prepare a lavender latte, mix the lavender syrup with milk and froth it. Then pour the milk over the espresso. You can garnish the drink with dry or fresh lavender flowers.
21. White chocolate latte
What is white chocolate latte?
White chocolate latte, also called white chocolate mocha, is a sweet latte drink similar to mocha, where dark chocolate is replaced with white chocolate.
The combination of velvety white chocolate and latte with the bitterness of espresso make a unique, delightful combination. When topped up with cream and white chocolate shavings it makes a perfect dessert coffee drink.
White chocolate latte ingredients incude:
- 2 tablespoons of white chocolate chip
- frothed milk
- vanilla extract
- espresso
- whipped cream – optional
- white chocolate shavings to garnish
To prepare a white chocolate latte, first warm up the milk with chocolate chips and vanilla extract. When the chocolate has melted, froth the milk and pour it over the espresso. You can top it up with whipped cream, white chocolate shavings or spices and syrups of your choice.
Final note
Although our list of types of latte is quite long, there is much more you can do with it! The variety of flavors you can add to latte is endless and you can get really creative. What’s your favorite latte? What’s the most unusual kind of latte you’ve ever had?
