You’re standing at a coffee shop, staring at the menu, and there they are – cafe au lait and latte, sitting side by side like they’re totally different drinks. But wait. Aren’t they both just… coffee with milk? Well, yes and no. And that “no” part is where things get really interesting.
If you’ve ever wondered why these two drinks exist separately – or whether baristas are just messing with you – you’re in the right place. As someone who’s sipped their way through Parisian cafes and Roman espresso bars, I can tell you the differences are real, meaningful, and honestly kind of fascinating once you dig in.
Let’s settle this once and for all.
The Quick Answer
A cafe au lait is French, made with brewed coffee (often from a French press) and hot milk, typically in a 1:1 ratio. A caffe latte is Italian, made with espresso and steamed milk, usually in a 1:3 or even 1:4 ratio of espresso to milk.
Same concept? Sure. Same drink? Not even close.
Origins – A Tale of Two Coffee Cultures
The French Cafe au Lait
The cafe au lait – literally “coffee with milk” in French – has been a staple of French breakfast tables since at least the 17th century. When coffee first arrived in France, it was strong, dark, and honestly a bit much for morning consumption. The solution? Add hot milk. Lots of it.
In France, cafe au lait isn’t really a “coffee shop order” the way we think of it. It’s a breakfast drink, served at home in those oversized bowl-shaped cups (called “bols”) that you cradle in both hands while dunking a croissant. It’s intimate, homey, and deeply tied to the French morning ritual.
Walk into a Parisian cafe and order a cafe au lait, and you’ll get it – but the locals might raise an eyebrow. After about 11 AM, the French switch to espresso (called simply “un cafe”). Ordering milk coffee in the afternoon? That’s considered a bit odd, like wearing pajamas to a dinner party.
The Italian Caffe Latte
Now cross the Alps into Italy, and the story shifts. The caffe latte – “coffee with milk” in Italian (see a pattern here?) – is built on a completely different foundation: espresso.
Italy’s love affair with espresso began in the early 20th century when espresso machines transformed how Italians consumed coffee. The latte emerged as the gentler version – a way to enjoy espresso’s intensity without the full punch. Like the cafe au lait, it’s traditionally a morning drink in Italy. Order a latte after lunch in Rome, and you’ll get the same knowing look you’d get in Paris.
Here’s a fun quirk: if you order just a “latte” in Italy, you’ll get a glass of plain milk. You need to say “caffe latte” to get the coffee version. Many a confused tourist has learned this the hard way.
The Coffee Base – This Is Where Everything Changes
Cafe au Lait: Brewed Coffee
The foundation of a traditional cafe au lait is regular brewed coffee. In France, this typically means coffee made with a French press (cafetiere), drip method, or sometimes a moka pot. The key point is that it’s not espresso.
Brewed coffee has a different extraction profile than espresso. It’s less concentrated, has a lighter body, and tends to highlight different flavor notes – more of the subtle, nuanced characteristics of the bean. Think of it as a watercolor painting versus an oil painting. Both beautiful, but different expressions of the same subject.
The coffee used is often a medium to dark roast, and in traditional French preparation, it’s made strong – stronger than your average American drip coffee, but still fundamentally different from espresso in terms of concentration and mouthfeel.
Latte: Espresso
The latte starts with espresso – that concentrated shot of coffee made by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee at high pressure. A single or double shot of espresso brings intensity, body, and that characteristic crema that you just can’t get from brewed coffee.
Espresso is roughly 6 to 10 times more concentrated than brewed coffee by volume. So even though a latte uses less coffee liquid than a cafe au lait, the coffee flavor can actually be more pronounced – or at least different in character. Espresso brings more of those rich, caramelized, sometimes chocolatey notes that define Italian coffee culture.
The Milk – Steamed vs. Heated
Cafe au Lait: Hot Milk, Simply Done
In a traditional French cafe au lait, the milk is heated – sometimes on the stove, sometimes with steam – but it’s not “steamed” in the barista sense. There’s no microfoam, no latte art potential here. The milk is hot, poured generously, and that’s that.
The classic French preparation involves pouring the coffee and hot milk simultaneously from two separate pitchers into a large bowl or cup. It’s actually quite elegant to watch – two streams converging into one warming drink. Some cafes in France still do this tableside, which is a lovely touch.
The result is a drink where the milk and coffee blend seamlessly. There’s no textural contrast between the liquid and any foam layer. It’s uniform, smooth, and comforting.
Latte: Steamed and Textured
The latte’s milk is steamed using an espresso machine’s steam wand, creating a velvety microfoam. This isn’t just about heating the milk – it’s about transforming its texture. Properly steamed milk has tiny, uniform bubbles that give it a silky, almost creamy quality that heated milk simply doesn’t achieve.
A well-made latte has a thin layer of microfoam on top (about half a centimeter) with beautifully textured milk beneath. This is what allows baristas to create latte art – those Instagram-worthy hearts and rosettas that have become synonymous with specialty coffee culture.
The steaming process also affects the milk’s sweetness. When milk is steamed to the right temperature (around 60 to 65 degrees Celsius), the lactose breaks down slightly, making the milk taste naturally sweeter. Go too hot, and you lose that sweetness and get a scalded taste instead.
Ratios and Proportions
Cafe au Lait
The traditional ratio is simple: half coffee, half milk. Some people prefer a bit more coffee, some a bit more milk, but 1:1 is the standard. In a typical serving, you’re looking at roughly 120ml of brewed coffee and 120ml of hot milk, served in a large cup or bowl.
Latte
A latte uses much more milk relative to coffee. The standard ratio is about 1:3 to 1:4 – one part espresso to three or four parts steamed milk. A typical latte contains a double shot of espresso (about 60ml) and 180 to 240ml of steamed milk, served in a tall glass or large cup.
This higher milk ratio is why lattes are often described as the “gateway” espresso drink. The milk mellows the espresso’s intensity, making it approachable for people who find straight espresso too strong.
Flavor Profile Comparison
What Does a Cafe au Lait Taste Like?
A cafe au lait has a balanced, mellow coffee flavor. Because brewed coffee is less concentrated and the ratio is 1:1, you get a drink where coffee and milk share the spotlight equally. It’s smooth, comforting, and has a lighter body than a latte.
The flavor tends to be more “coffee-forward” in a gentle way – you taste the coffee’s origin characteristics more clearly because brewed coffee preserves those subtle notes better than espresso. If you’re drinking a cafe au lait made with good single-origin beans, you might pick up floral, fruity, or nutty notes that would be lost in espresso extraction.
What Does a Latte Taste Like?
A latte is creamy, rich, and milk-dominant. The espresso provides a strong backbone of flavor – think chocolate, caramel, and roasted notes – but the generous amount of steamed milk softens everything into a smooth, almost dessert-like experience.
The texture plays a huge role here. That velvety steamed milk gives a latte a luxurious mouthfeel that a cafe au lait doesn’t quite match. It’s like the difference between a regular blanket and a cashmere throw – both warm, but one feels decidedly more indulgent.
Serving Style and Presentation
The French Way
In France, a cafe au lait at home is served in a bol – a wide, handle-less bowl that you cup in both hands. It’s the kind of vessel that encourages slow sipping and croissant-dunking. In cafes, it might come in a large cup with a saucer.
There’s something beautifully unpretentious about the French approach. No fancy foam, no artistic presentation – just good coffee and warm milk in a generous vessel. The focus is on the ritual and the moment, not the aesthetics.
The Italian (and Modern) Way
A traditional Italian caffe latte is served in a tall glass, which beautifully shows the layers of espresso and milk. In modern specialty coffee shops worldwide, lattes are served in wide ceramic cups – the better to show off latte art.
The presentation of a latte has become an art form in itself. Baristas train for months to perfect their pouring technique, creating intricate designs that turn each cup into a small canvas. Love it or find it pretentious, there’s no denying it’s added a visual dimension to coffee that the humble cafe au lait never aimed for.
When to Order Which
Here’s my practical guide for choosing between these two drinks:
Go for a cafe au lait when:
- You want a large, comforting morning coffee
- You prefer a lighter, more balanced coffee-to-milk flavor
- You’re making coffee at home without an espresso machine
- You want something simple and unfussy
- You’re in France (obviously)
Go for a latte when:
- You want a creamy, milk-forward drink with espresso punch
- You enjoy the texture of steamed milk
- You’re at a specialty coffee shop with a skilled barista
- You want to add flavored syrups (vanilla latte, anyone?)
- You’re in Italy or any modern coffee shop
Can You Make These at Home?
Cafe au Lait at Home
This is one of the easiest coffee drinks to make at home, which is part of its charm. Here’s how:
- Brew strong coffee using a French press, drip maker, or pour-over. Use about 2 tablespoons of coffee per 180ml of water.
- Heat milk on the stove or in the microwave until hot but not boiling (around 65 to 70 degrees Celsius).
- Pour equal parts coffee and hot milk into a large cup or bowl.
- That’s it. Seriously.
No special equipment needed. No steam wand. No barista certification. Just good coffee and hot milk.
Latte at Home
Making a proper latte at home is trickier because you need espresso and steamed milk. Your options:
- With an espresso machine: Pull a double shot, steam your milk to create microfoam, pour over the espresso.
- Without an espresso machine: Use a moka pot or AeroPress for strong coffee (it won’t be true espresso, but it works). Heat milk and froth it with a French press (pump the plunger up and down), a handheld milk frother, or even a jar with a lid that you shake vigorously.
Will a home latte match what a trained barista makes? Probably not at first. But with practice, you can get surprisingly close.
Variations Around the World
These two drinks have inspired countless variations globally:
- Spanish cafe con leche: Similar to cafe au lait but uses espresso and scalded milk. It’s its own wonderful thing.
- Portuguese galao: Espresso with foamed milk in a tall glass, basically Portugal’s answer to the latte.
- New Orleans cafe au lait: Made with chicory coffee and hot milk – a distinctive regional twist with a slightly bitter, earthy flavor.
- Flavored lattes: The modern coffee shop has turned the latte into a canvas for flavors – vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, pumpkin spice, lavender, and beyond.
- Iced versions: Both drinks work beautifully over ice, though an iced latte is far more common in coffee shops than an iced cafe au lait.
The Caffeine Question
Here’s something that surprises most people: a cafe au lait typically has more caffeine than a latte.
Wait, what? Isn’t espresso stronger?
Espresso is more concentrated, yes, but a single shot contains only about 63mg of caffeine. A standard cup of brewed coffee (240ml) contains roughly 95 to 200mg of caffeine, depending on the brew method and bean type. Since a cafe au lait uses a full serving of brewed coffee, it usually packs a bigger caffeine punch than a latte made with a double shot of espresso (about 126mg).
So if you’re looking for a bigger morning boost, the French might have the edge here.
Which One Is “Better”?
I’m not going to cop out and say “it depends” – okay, actually I am, because it genuinely does. But let me give you some honest opinions from years of drinking both:
The cafe au lait is underrated. In an era of elaborate coffee drinks, there’s something beautiful about its simplicity. It’s honest, unpretentious, and deeply satisfying. If you’ve never had one made properly – with good, freshly brewed coffee and properly heated milk – you’re missing out.
The latte is a masterpiece of texture. When a skilled barista pulls a perfect shot and steams the milk just right, the result is almost transcendent. That silky, velvety quality is something the cafe au lait simply can’t replicate.
My personal take? I drink cafe au lait at home on lazy mornings when I want comfort. I order lattes at coffee shops when I want that barista-crafted experience. They serve different moods, different moments.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s a quick reference to keep things straight:
| Feature | Cafe au Lait | Latte |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | France | Italy |
| Coffee base | Brewed coffee | Espresso |
| Coffee-to-milk ratio | 1:1 | 1:3 or 1:4 |
| Milk preparation | Heated | Steamed with microfoam |
| Typical size | 240ml | 300-360ml |
| Caffeine (approx.) | 95-200mg | 126mg (double shot) |
| Texture | Smooth, uniform | Velvety, layered |
| Latte art possible? | No | Yes |
| Equipment needed | Coffee maker + stovetop | Espresso machine + steam wand |
| Traditional vessel | Bowl (bol) or large cup | Tall glass or wide cup |
Final Thoughts
The cafe au lait and the latte are like cousins – related, sharing the same basic DNA of “coffee plus milk,” but shaped by different cultures, different equipment, and different philosophies about what a morning coffee should be.
The French approach says: keep it simple, keep it generous, keep it comforting. The Italian approach says: start with intensity, then smooth it out with perfectly textured milk.
Both are right. Both are delicious. And now that you know the difference, you can order with confidence – whether you’re in a Parisian brasserie, a Roman bar, or your neighborhood coffee shop.
Just remember: if you’re in Italy, say “caffe latte.” Unless you really want a glass of plain milk. No judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a cafe au lait the same as a latte?
No. While both are coffee with milk, a cafe au lait uses brewed coffee with hot milk in a 1:1 ratio, while a latte uses espresso with steamed milk in a 1:3 or 1:4 ratio. The brewing method, milk texture, and flavor profile are all different.
Which has more caffeine, cafe au lait or latte?
A cafe au lait typically has more caffeine because brewed coffee contains more caffeine per serving (95 to 200mg) than a double shot of espresso (about 126mg).
Can I make a cafe au lait with espresso?
Technically you can mix espresso with hot milk, but that would be closer to a latte or a Spanish cafe con leche. A traditional cafe au lait specifically uses brewed coffee, which gives it a different flavor profile.
Why do the French drink cafe au lait from bowls?
The wide, handle-less bowl (bol) is traditional for home consumption in France. It allows you to cradle the warm bowl in both hands and makes it easy to dunk bread or croissants – an essential part of the French breakfast ritual.
Is a cafe au lait stronger than a latte?
It depends on what you mean by “stronger.” A cafe au lait has a more balanced coffee-to-milk ratio (1:1), so you taste more coffee per sip. A latte has more concentrated coffee (espresso) but much more milk, making it creamier and milder in overall flavor.
