Can you explain it clearly? No! Are you saying that a café au lait is not the same as a latte? Do you know what these drinks are – espresso, mocha, latte, and coffee?

What *is* Cafe au Lait?

Cafe au lait is the term used to describe coffee with milk. It is a French drink and a French term. In terms of similarity, a latte is comparable to cafe au lait. Cafe au lait is a French drink made with coffee, whereas a latte is an Italian drink made with espresso.

Cafe renverse, also known as reverse coffee, is aptly named. It consists of espresso and is made with a milk base, which is particularly popular in French-speaking regions of Switzerland. More descriptive names like cappuccino, meia de leite, and others can even specify how it is prepared, the amount of milk used, and the type of coffee. Germany refers to it as milchkaffee, while Poland has kawa biala, and Spain calls it cafe con leche. In fact, various European countries have their own distinct variations of coffee with milk.

Instead of being heated with a steamer wand, the scalded milk is heated in a pan to just before boiling. The difference between them is that the scalded milk is heated with steamed milk. When visiting New Orleans, your cafe au lait will likely have chicory and be made with scalded milk instead of steamed. Lattes served in traditional French restaurants or cafes are often seen in colored, ribbed bowls, while cafe au lait is typically served in rounded, smooth, white bowls. Unlike a regular coffee mug, it is served in a bowl similar to a latte. Additionally, it is combined with steamed milk instead of espresso, and is typically made with a French press or a drip coffee machine rather than an espresso machine. In the US, cafe au lait is typically a strong coffee made with a French press or brewed with a drip coffee machine.

Making a Cafe au Lait at Home

Our Sumatra Black Satin and After Dinner Blend are two excellent options. It is recommended to select a deeply roasted coffee with a robust taste. You have the flexibility to brew it using your drip coffee machine or, if you prefer, you can opt for a more traditional approach and use a French press. Making your own cafe au lait at home is also a simple task.

If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, your best choice for milk is soy milk. If you prefer a closer taste to whole milk, you can use 2% milk as well. However, if you would rather heat your milk in the microwave, that’s fine too. Alternatively, you can heat your milk in a small saucepan until it boils, which is the customary way to make scalded milk for café au lait in the US. Okay, if you don’t have a steam wand to steam your milk, you can use a steam wand to steam your milk instead.

However you prefer, you can prepare it and it becomes your beverage. Nevertheless, that is not the customary practice; if desired, you may incorporate froth into your drink. It is advisable to combine the coffee and milk in equal proportions.

For your cup, include a small amount of vanilla extract, create your own, or purchase vanilla sugar. Vanilla sugar is preferable, although regular sugar is acceptable. Once you’ve poured the milk into the coffee, you can sweeten it to your liking for your cafe au lait.

For approximately two weeks, store in a cool and dry location and transfer the pods to a container with an airtight seal, combine the sugar and mixture of vanilla beans. Either manually or using a hand mixer, thoroughly blend the sugar and vanilla beans. Extract the seeds into the sugar, cut two vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Combine two cups of sugar in a sizable bowl to create homemade vanilla sugar.

Enjoy your coffee with milk!