To Latte, Or Not To Latte?

To Latte Or Not To Latte? That is the Question.

It’s been a minute since we’ve hit you with a super serious thought piece. Today, we ask the question: “To Latte, Or Not To Latte.” This is a debate that has ignited the passion of coffee purists since the latte was first invented in Berkely, California in the 1950’s. It’s a question that we constantly find ourselves asking here at NuRange Coffee. 

A quick History Lesson

Let’s take a brief look at this history of the latte. While coffee with milk has been enjoyed throughout Europe since the early 1700s, it was never seen as a staple drink. The Austrians had “milchkaffee,” the French called it “café au lait,” and the Spanish lovingly refer to it as “café con leche.” This harkens to a time where coffee was unrefined and quite bitter. It was a functional beverage only, and not one that people typically enjoyed. So, they added the milk to their coffee to lessen the harshness. Fast forward to post World War II. American GI’s returning home brought with them espresso bar culture and a love for more flavorful coffee. To meet their demand, gourmet coffee cafes began to pop up throughout the country. In Berkely, California, Lino Meiorin, owner of the Café Mediterraneum noticed that his customers could not handle the strong taste of his Italian espresso. He would constantly call for his baristas to add more “latte” (Italian for milk) to the drink, and thus the latte was born. This was the first time it was recognized as a menu item, and not just a remedy for crappy coffee.

Back To The Future

Let’s jump to 2020. Every coffee shop everywhere sells lattes. It is the most consumed coffee beverage behind hot coffee. It seems like everyone has his or her own twist on it! With the birth of hipsters came the birth of about three thousand different milks. There’s milk from nuts, milk from fruits, and milk from soy! It’s as if people had forgotten that there’s animals that produce milk too! Thankfully, goats have been left out of the equation entirely.

The Problem

When we started formulating our NuRange Cold Brew Coffee, we wanted to include milk. The issue was, that we didn’t want all of the fats and sugars that came with them. We explored about a million different options, from soymilk to date milk to our favorite oat milk.  But we just couldn’t seem to dial the flavor in just right without making the drink unhealthy.

The Solution

Fortunately, we’ve stumbled across some very innovative cold brewing technology. It allows us to pull very specific chocolate notes out of our beans. This lessens the bitterness of the coffee, and reduces our need for milk. With the addition of a few natural flavors, we had hit the jackpot! Our “black” coffee, tastes closer to a “latte” than most coffees with milk included! Without the fats and sugars! Why haven’t we won more awards for this yet? We know, we think its crazy too.

So, here at NuRange we fall in this weird in-between. We love the taste of a latte, but we don’t like what comes with it. That’s why we’ve created our hybrid Cold Brew Coffee. But tons of our friends still like to add milk! We think that’s totally ok. We believe that coffee is a ritualistic experience individual to everyone. Let you freak flag fly, just don’t add goat milk to our coffee. So to answer the question we asked at the beginning: “To Latte, Or Not To Latte?” Well, we say “sort of.”

Back to blog