What is the difference between a latte and cappuccino? ?

Question

i always order capuccinos when i go to caffes but i never actually know the difference between all the espresso coffees

Answer 1

Hi there :) I'm a barista who owns my own cafe - let me give you a really straight up run-down..

Latte - Medium cup - all milk, no foam ontop (same amount of coffee in it as a cappucino but more milk so it is weaker).

Cappuccino - small cup - 2/3 milk & 1/3 foam sprinkled with your choice of cinnamon or chocolate.

Long black - small cup, 2/3 filled with hot water and then a coffee extraction over the top.

Mochaccino/Mocha - Chocolate milk over coffee with a little foam ontop, sprinkled with chocolate (marshmellows optional - YUM) - Mochas are my favourite :)

There are heaps more but they are less common so I wont go on all day!!  Enjoy your coffee :) xo.

Answer 2

Latte is a expresso coffe with 3/4 milk and a small amount of froth on the top. Cappucinos are made with expresso coffee, water, milk and more froth. So in effect a latte is actually better value for money, as you get less froth and more milk.

Latte is french for milk, so it is a milk coffee.  

Answer 3

Check out the resource I've listed - I think its a great visual on what all the top coffee drinks are.  I would say the differences are as follows:

Cappuccino - equal parts espresso, steamed milk and milk foam

Latte - mostly steamed milk, less espresso than a cappuccino and just a small topping of milk foam.

I love the illustrations on that resource though - be sure to check it out.

Answer 4

First off, let me make a couple corrections. Latte is Italian for milk, not French. In Italy, where espresso was invented, and where the names for the coffee drinks we in N. America are lately being introduced to come from, a latte is a cup of steamed milk, WITH NO COFFEE. I repeat: if you order a latte in Italy, you get milk. Period. A caffe latte, on the other hand, is a shot (or two in the case of a doppio caffe latte - doppio means double) of espresso with about three times as much milk as espresso, and some foam on top. And a cappuccino is one third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third milk foam. Laura's link is great, a very good visual illustration of the different drinks, with plenty of discussion and argument, very Italian.  

Answer 5

this will answer your question about the difference between the two - http://www.ochef.com/87.htm

Q. What is the difference between caffè latte and cappuccino? When I have asked at various coffee spots, I seem to get different answers!

A.  You know, those little 17-year-old all-knowing snobs who stand behind the counter and deign to serve you are trying to confuse you, trying to instill a sense of mystery in an overpriced product that will keep you guessing and coming back for more. We can’t do anything about the price, but at least we can help clear up the mystery. In this case, it’s a matter of proportion — latte has more milk.

In this country, cappuccino is a serving of espresso (about 2 ounces) with essentially similar amounts of milk and a rather stiff milk foam. Caffè latte is a serving of espresso with about three times as much milk, topped with a short head of foam. So a latte is milder and has a milkier taste.

While Starbucks has imposed rigid standards at every store in its chain, in practice in other coffeehouses and restaurants around the country, these drinks can vary substantially, and a cappuccino at one place could be similar to another coffeehouse’s latte, or even weaker. But not necessarily less expensive....

Answer 6

Ok reading over some of the other answers made me giggle a little. I work at starbucks and if we tried to give someone a long answer like that they would walk out. Basic easy and simple. A latte is 95% steamed milk 5% foam with flavor and shots. A Cappuccino is usually half foam half milk. so it is "lighter"with flavor and shots: a dry cappuccino is more foam less milk and a wet cappuccino is more milk less foam.

Hope that helps. have a good one babe.