Italy
Latte macchiato
Milk stained with coffee — the layered one
The reverse of a caffè macchiato and the reason people confuse the two. Milk goes in first, the espresso falls through it.
Tall glass
Milk
200 ml
Espresso
30 ml
Glass
Tall, clear
Servings
1
Ingredients
- whole milk, well aerated200 ml
- espresso30 ml
Method
1
Over-foam the milk
More air than a latte — you need a thick foam cap for the espresso to sit inside.
2
Rest 30 seconds
Let the foam and liquid milk separate in the glass. That gap is what makes the stripe.
3
Pour espresso slowly down the middle
Slow and central. It sinks through the foam and floats on the denser milk, giving you three visible bands.
Notes
- Denser milk is the trick: a touch of sugar in the milk raises its density and makes the espresso band sit more cleanly.
Made it? See how the pour actually looks.
Photograph this pour and Brew scores the symmetry, contrast and definition, and names the exact mistake to fix next time.
Score my pour →What you need
- Espresso machine (pump) or Lever / piston machine or Moka pot
- Steam wand or Handheld milk frother