Even though we seem to have a collection of beverages onboard, I am sure all of us are tired of the same drinks everyday. On a cold day, a steamy coffee comes to mind. Tired of the black, double-double, one milk one sugar, two cream one sugar options? Try this onboard “café latte”.
Of course, this is not an authentic café latte that you would enjoy in Italy; however, this mutated version doesn’t taste bad and will do the job to soothe your stress and tiredness. If you happen to work in first class cabin and have access to high-end espresso, then you would have a closer-to-real café latte. Don’t be despair if you just have regular coffee, they still do the job.
Understand café latte
A cafe latte, literally “coffee with milk,” is espresso with steamed milk and milk foam. Because of the use of extra milk, café latte has a milkier and milder taste than regular coffee with milk. Plus, the extra milk gives the coffee a silky texture that is hard to resist. Variations of café latte have surfaced, including using different ingredients such as syrup in cold latte, regular coffee instead of espresso etc. The milk takes away the caffeine content a regular coffee would have and café latte has become popular among people who are trying to reduce their caffeine intake but still want the hype. (talking about café latte made with regular coffee here)
Making café latte onboard
You don’t need any extra equipment to make a café latte in the galley. You just need a bit of time and muscle. Here is what you need:
Step one:
Warm your mug.
Step two:
Make your coffee in the coffee maker. Aforementioned, if you have espresso, make espresso. If you just have regular coffee, make a pot of regular coffee. Bathe the coffee pillow pack in the coffee for about 15 minutes to strengthen the coffee.
Step three:
Make a pot of hot water in the coffee maker.
Step four:
Pour milk into an empty water bottle, and then put the bottle into the pot of hot water to warm the milk. If you are worried that the bottle might melt (this hasn’t happened to me, but it is possible), use a smaller cup that fits into the pot instead.
Step five:
Shake the milk in the water bottle vigorously (with the cap closed) until foam forms. Be careful as the bottle gets hot - don’t burn yourself!
Step six:
Pour the heated milk into your warm mug, then your coffee.
Step seven:
Dust with cinnamon if you have.
Note:
1. The proportion of milk and coffee is not absolute. I prefer 2/3 milk and 1/3 coffee
2. You can lower calories by substituting low-fat milk.