latte

If you’ve been heading to your local coffee shop for many years and getting the same coffee, whether it’s a black coffee, cold brew, or drip coffee and you’re ready to shake things up, both the Americano and the latte might be on your radar. Each are an espresso based drink that any coffee lover will love, whether it’s made at home or in-store by a barista. What do you need to know about Americano vs latte and how do you know which one you are going to enjoy more?

The simplest way to describe the difference between these two brewed coffee beverages is that the Americano is just about as basic as they come when it comes to espresso. It’s at least two shots of espresso mixed with water. Lattes, on the other hand, are more complex and feature espresso and hot milk or cream. You’ve probably already heard different takes on the latte, like a mocha latte, café latte, to name a few. Much of the drink is crema or frothed milk and it can be flavored in an endless number of ways.

When it comes to taste, most people would describe a latte as very mild. You can definitely taste the espresso in the drink – or at least you should be able to when it’s made properly and not overloaded with sweetener – but because of the high cream content, the brewed coffee taste is very mild.