A latte is just strong coffee and silky steamed milk — and you can get convincingly close to café quality with gear you may already own.
Step 1: Make the “espresso”
You need 2–3 oz of concentrated coffee. Three routes, in order of fidelity: a moka pot (closest flavor — fill the basket level, medium-low heat, pull it off when it gurgles), an AeroPress (15 g coffee, fine grind, 60 g water, press hard at 90 seconds), or simply double-strength French press at a 1:8 ratio.
Step 2: Froth the milk
Heat 6–8 oz of milk to 140–150°F — hot to the touch but nowhere near boiling. Then create microfoam one of three ways: a handheld frother ($10, whip just below the surface for 20–30 seconds), a French press (pump the plunger rapidly for 30 seconds), or a sealed jar (shake hard for 45 seconds, then microwave 30 seconds to set the foam).
Step 3: Combine like a barista
Pour the coffee into a wide mug, then pour the milk through the foam from a few inches up, finishing low and close to lay a white dot on top. Ratio target: one part coffee to three or four parts milk.
Which milk froths best?
Whole dairy milk is the most forgiving and the sweetest. Among alternatives, oat milk in “barista” versions froths remarkably well; almond tends to separate; soy sits in between. Cold, fresh milk froths better than milk that’s been opened all week.
Make it yours
Add vanilla or caramel syrup before the milk, dust with cinnamon, or pull the same recipe over ice — see our iced coffee recipes for summer versions.
