The piccolo latte is an enigmatic beverage. Finding this tiny milk beverage can be challenging, and it’s sometimes misinterpreted.
However, with its robust espresso and silky milk, it can be a terrific complement to coffee shops’ menus. Customers will find it to be a delectable substitute for traditional coffee options.
Who are Piccolos?
Piccolo means “small” in Italian, but this beverage isn’t just a small latte. A 3–4 oz/85–114 ml glass is often used to serve the piccolo latte, or piccolo, as it is commonly referred to on coffee menus.
World Barista Champion 2015 and owner of Ona Coffee Saa esti describes it as “one part espresso and two parts steamed milk with a layer of silky foam.”
The single espresso shot has a thin layer of foam on top and is topped with strained, steamed milk, allowing the milk to meld with the coffee. This indicates that the espresso flavour is able to emerge without being overpowering.
The piccolo, according to Ceiran Trigg, Director of Ancestors Coffee in Norwich, UK, is “an option to try for a well-balanced espresso/milk-based drink.”
- Prepare an espresso shot
If you have an espresso maker, you should produce a ristretto shot with a 20-gram dose and a brewing time of 18 to 22 seconds.
If you want a more concentrated shot from your portable espresso maker, consider adding a bit less water. Otherwise, use a Moka pot to make strong coffee.
- Milk is steamed and frothed
Use your automatic milk frother to steam and froth milk if you have one. If not, you can microwave milk in a jar and shake it quickly to create froth, or you can heat milk over low heat on the stove and whisk it by hand.
- Combine, then plate
Place the milk into a small cup after adding the espresso. This glass can appear too little if you like to practise your latte art. The glass will provide you additional surface area to play on and create on, though, if you tilt it.
According to rumours, the piccolo latte was invented in Sydney, Australia, by baristas who were trying out new concoctions but didn’t want to drink a lot of milk all day. Because a little goes a long way, this beverage has been very popular during the past ten years.
The name “piccolo” originally denoted a tiny flute in Italian. It makes natural that a piccolo latte is a miniature form of a latte since it has evolved to represent small.
It is, in the simplest terms, one espresso shot with steamed milk. It’s a rich, flavorful beverage that preserves the body of the coffee without being overshadowed by the addition of milk on a deeper level.
A ristretto, which is a concentrated short shot of espresso, serves as the foundation of a piccolo. A ristretto shot weighs less than half an ounce and is made using the same quantity of coffee and half as much water.
You might anticipate the intensified flavour to be bitter in flavour. The coffee has a sweeter flavour due to the shortened extraction time, which pairs beautifully with milk for a creamy little treat.
Typically, a piccolo latte is served in a demitasse, a tiny latte glass that carries around 100 millilitres, or a little over three ounces.
Why it may be difficult to find the Piccolo
Have you ever noticed a piccolo on a coffee shop menu? They might not be as common as the traditional cappuccinos and lattes. According to Ceiran, one possible explanation for the piccolo’s unpopularity in the UK is “consumers’ confusion over what the drink is.”
Many coffee shops “would be serving cortados instead of piccolos and vice versa,” in his opinion. Because piccolos, cortados, and other milk drinks have ambiguous definitions, customers may not know what to expect when they place an order.
Ceiran continues, “I feel people take comfort in sticking to the most typical drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites,” as if to underscore her point.
Piccolos are not frequently offered on Danish menus, according to Frederik Schitz of True Intent Coffee in Copenhagen. “Serve a piccolo to a Dane, and they’d probably call it a cortado,” he says, explaining that the cortado is a more well-liked beverage in Denmark’s larger cities.
Conclusion
An espresso maker or portable espresso maker will produce the greatest results. An alternative is to use a Moka pot on the stove. The closest you can achieve without a particular machine is a whole espresso shot, however it won’t be one.
One piccolo latte can be made with this recipe. Remember that the ratio is one part espresso to two parts steamed, foamed milk if you want to prepare enough to share. As always, grinding the coffee beans just before brewing will yield the finest flavour from the beverage.